Any IFOD grads out there

I just graduated in May. I enjoyed the course. I easily passed the written and oral test. I’m currently looking for a job. I’m waiting for results from my Lynx Aviation interview.
 
dmlong said:
I just graduated in May. I enjoyed the course. I easily passed the written and oral test. I’m currently looking for a job. I’m waiting for results from my Lynx Aviation interview.
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I have a class date set for June 23rd. Please share your experience. 8sm and I are looking for some inside information about the school and how employment placement is with the school.
 
What's up Mission,

no i have not decide yet. I'm leaning in that direction however. I spoke with two of the instructors at IFOD, they have a solid program. You have made a great choice.


Are you set-up with your books and hotel?

8sm
 
8sm said:
What's up Mission,

no i have not decide yet. I'm leaning in that direction however. I spoke with two of the instructors at IFOD, they have a solid program. You have made a great choice.


Are you set-up with your books and hotel?

8sm
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Housing is stillup in the air. My wife's friend might not be getting in town until late June or July. I may have to do the hotel route with the school. I got my verified paperwork from the VA today. I'm locked in for the June 23rd class. Well if you don't attend June 23rd, you can always ask me how the experience is going. Sometimes I feel that its just the two of us that check this subforum.
 
I hear ya......sounds like your good to go.

I was told the Days Inn is right next door to IFOD and most economical. I was hoping the May graduate would chime in with some details, class experience, self study and housing. Yet, I'm sure everyone is busy staying ahead of the game. It appears he/she has an interview under their belt, that's promising for sure.

I'll keep in touch for sure....I'll PM my email addy.

Peace 8sm
 
mission_aviation said:
I have a class date set for June 23rd. Please share your experience. 8sm and I are looking for some inside information about the school and how employment placement is with the school.
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Here was my experience.
First day was an introduction. You will meet Edger, Ana, and Kash. They are great. They have a new person their, but don’t know her name. Also, there is a guy name Brian who comes in once in awhile to help out part time. He is real knowledgeable when it comes to flight dispatching. He currently works for Southwest.

Wherever you choose to sit in the class, you will have the following books;

ASP Test Prep for ATP: to prep for the written.

FAA Computer Testing Supplement for ATP and Aircraft Dispatcher: This book has the figures and legend for the test prep book and it's the same book the written test facility gives you for your real test.

The other is the ASA Aviation Weather, AC 00-6A (the old blue weather book) and Aviation Weather Services, AC 00-45F. These two books are good reading and reference materials.

Also along with these books you get a small “Snickers” candy bar. They are so nice.

The first three weeks you will prepare for the written. After, they will give each of you a study binder to prepare for the oral and practical.

You will learn how to prepare a flight plan and weight and balance. You will learn how to read a METAR and TAF, and learn about weather charts. You will learn how to read a High Altitude Chart and Approach Plates. It’s all basic flight dispatching.

Learn about the 123 rules for picking an alternate airport.

There is no training on any special Flight Dispatcher software or computers.

In are class there was a 100% first time passing rate on the written test and the oral and practical test.

I lived in the area so I don’t know much about housing.

I hope this helps. If you need more info, just let me know. Good luck.

P.S.

Remember, two heads are better than one when it come to flight dispatching.
The dispatcher and the PIC work together.

Derrick
 
dmlong,

Great info. Has a few of questions in reference to your info. During the five duration, do you guys do any hands-on computer work? I heard that you guys tour AA SCC, is that true? Mini Snickers, whats that about? What kind of employment assistance do they have? You said you lived in the Ft. Worth area, is there some recommendations to stay besides the Days Inn. I'm separating from the Army, and I'm gonna be unemployed for the five weeks, so I'm trying to save as much as I can. If I don't have to spend over $1400 in housing, I don't want to. Is there some local alternatives?
 
mission_aviation said:
dmlong,

Great info. Has a few of questions in reference to your info. During the five duration, do you guys do any hands-on computer work? I heard that you guys tour AA SCC, is that true? Mini Snickers, whats that about? What kind of employment assistance do they have? You said you lived in the Ft. Worth area, is there some recommendations to stay besides the Days Inn. I'm separating from the Army, and I'm gonna be unemployed for the five weeks, so I'm trying to save as much as I can. If I don't have to spend over $1400 in housing, I don't want to. Is there some local alternatives?
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There is no hands-on computer work in the course. The only tour that our class went on was the tour of the AA lodge and cafeteria. As far as employment assistance, so far they have called me about local job openings and sometime a guy from Pinnacle Air drops by to give job interviews. As for as knowing any great places to stay, I wouldn’t know cause I live south from Fort Worth. Try calling the center and ask Kash or Ana @ (817-967-4424). I hope this helps.
 
dmlong said:
There is no hands-on computer work in the course. The only tour that our class went on was the tour of the AA lodge and cafeteria. As far as employment assistance, so far they have called me about local job openings and sometime a guy from Pinnacle Air drops by to give job interviews. As for as knowing any great places to stay, I wouldn’t know cause I live south from Fort Worth. Try calling the center and ask Kash or Ana @ (817-967-4424). I hope this helps.
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All the info you're providing in informative. Did you have fun there? Was the workload heavy for the five weeks? What was the practical like? I thought there would be more airlines showing up to hire you. I sure hope that I'm not unemployed for too long. I'm saving up to continue paying the bills while I'm in school. But the money is going to go away. Bottom line did you like attending IFOD and would you recommend the school to us?
 
mission_aviation said:
All the info you're providing in informative. Did you have fun there? Was the workload heavy for the five weeks? What was the practical like? I thought there would be more airlines showing up to hire you. I sure hope that I'm not unemployed for too long. I'm saving up to continue paying the bills while I'm in school. But the money is going to go away. Bottom line did you like attending IFOD and would you recommend the school to us?
Click to expand...


I had a great time there. I met a lot of international students. There were people from Sri Lanka, Kuwait, India, Pakistan and Nigeria. For the practical, we had to create a flight plan. You will do many of them in class so when you do it for the practical, it will be easy. The oral was also easy. The instructors believe in a “no one is left behind” method of teaching. They will go over a subject many times till it sticks to your brain.
By the time you finish the course, there should be some openings out there. You may need to be a little flexible on work location. Remember, like me, you have little experience in the field I’m guessing, so don’t be too picky about your first job. You want to build up experience.

I’m almost in your position. I’m retired Navy and currently unemployed. I have a little savings, but a small retirement payment is coming in every month. I’m currently using this to support my family while we live in a small one bedroom apartment. I know something will come up soon for me.

Personally, I enjoyed attending IFOD and I would definitely recommend the school to anyone. I hope this has helped you. Keep the questions coming. Good luck.

Derrick
 
DMlong,
We really appreciate your insightful description of your experience at IFOD.
I do have a few questions. I appreciate your response.
Did you feel prepared for your job interview after taking the course?
If so, how did that experience help you?
Did you feel lacking in any areas?
How much self study.
In a group or classroom setting?
Would you describe the learning methods, were they daily lesson plans outlined in advance so the student knew what to expect, rote learning , lecture presentations, audio-visual presentations, computer based- sitting in front of a computer answering questions, instructor demonstrations/performance type challenged and lecture presentations.
How much of the class time was spent with the instructor guiding the discussion or instructions.
Were you given an assignment then left to study on your own using the books and computer-based material for more than 1/2 to 3/4 of the day.
From what you describe much 5-week course is to pass the written. Where you to memorize the answers which includes the W/B & flight planning to pass the written exam.
My experience with flight school course is a student is given the material to memorize and pass the test. Any meaningful explanation of the material is left up to the student to learn on his or her own.
I have participated in many part 141 and 61 flight programs which started out as classroom lectures then quickly the instructors disappeared and the student were given a topic and left on their own to self study. After a few weeks of that, you have to be motivated to stay with the programs material.
I for one, may consider some of the computer based ADX online courses available, and then fly in for the five or six day residency course to complete the oral and practical test. The same results minus 30+/-days of the lodging / meal cost and alittle more then half the cost of IFOD $4150 including the $150 admin fee.
I wish you all the best with your new career and thank you for serving our country. That also goes for Mission as well, thank you Mission.
PM if you prefer...

Regards.......8sm
 
dmlong said:
I had a great time there. I met a lot of international students. There were people from Sri Lanka, Kuwait, India, Pakistan and Nigeria. For the practical, we had to create a flight plan. You will do many of them in class so when you do it for the practical, it will be easy. The oral was also easy. The instructors believe in a “no one is left behind” method of teaching. They will go over a subject many times till it sticks to your brain.
By the time you finish the course, there should be some openings out there. You may need to be a little flexible on work location. Remember, like me, you have little experience in the field I’m guessing, so don’t be too picky about your first job. You want to build up experience.

I’m almost in your position. I’m retired Navy and currently unemployed. I have a little savings, but a small retirement payment is coming in every month. I’m currently using this to support my family while we live in a small one bedroom apartment. I know something will come up soon for me.

Personally, I enjoyed attending IFOD and I would definitely recommend the school to anyone. I hope this has helped you. Keep the questions coming. Good luck.

Derrick
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Yeah this helped alot. I'm as flexible as can be. In fact, whoever hires me first is where my wife and I will move to next. We weren't planning on staying in Ft. Worth area unless AE comes knocking on the door. Have you been doing job searching on your own or has the school been working with you? Did you already get your FAA certification on hand or do you get it in the mail.
 
8sm said:
DMlong,
We really appreciate your insightful description of your experience at IFOD.
I do have a few questions. I appreciate your response.
Did you feel prepared for your job interview after taking the course?
If so, how did that experience help you?
Did you feel lacking in any areas?
How much self study.
In a group or classroom setting?
Would you describe the learning methods, were they daily lesson plans outlined in advance so the student knew what to expect, rote learning , lecture presentations, audio-visual presentations, computer based- sitting in front of a computer answering questions, instructor demonstrations/performance type challenged and lecture presentations.
How much of the class time was spent with the instructor guiding the discussion or instructions.
Were you given an assignment then left to study on your own using the books and computer-based material for more than 1/2 to 3/4 of the day.
From what you describe much 5-week course is to pass the written. Where you to memorize the answers which includes the W/B & flight planning to pass the written exam.
My experience with flight school course is a student is given the material to memorize and pass the test. Any meaningful explanation of the material is left up to the student to learn on his or her own.
I have participated in many part 141 and 61 flight programs which started out as classroom lectures then quickly the instructors disappeared and the student were given a topic and left on their own to self study. After a few weeks of that, you have to be motivated to stay with the programs material.
I for one, may consider some of the computer based ADX online courses available, and then fly in for the five or six day residency course to complete the oral and practical test. The same results minus 30+/-days of the lodging / meal cost and alittle more then half the cost of IFOD $4150 including the $150 admin fee.
I wish you all the best with your new career and thank you for serving our country. That also goes for Mission as well, thank you Mission.
PM if you prefer...

Regards.......8sm
Click to expand...

You're welcome!
 
8sm said:
DMlong,
We really appreciate your insightful description of your experience at IFOD.
I do have a few questions. I appreciate your response.
Did you feel prepared for your job interview after taking the course?
If so, how did that experience help you?
Did you feel lacking in any areas?
How much self study.
In a group or classroom setting?
Would you describe the learning methods, were they daily lesson plans outlined in advance so the student knew what to expect, rote learning , lecture presentations, audio-visual presentations, computer based- sitting in front of a computer answering questions, instructor demonstrations/performance type challenged and lecture presentations.
How much of the class time was spent with the instructor guiding the discussion or instructions.
Were you given an assignment then left to study on your own using the books and computer-based material for more than 1/2 to 3/4 of the day.
From what you describe much 5-week course is to pass the written. Where you to memorize the answers which includes the W/B & flight planning to pass the written exam.
My experience with flight school course is a student is given the material to memorize and pass the test. Any meaningful explanation of the material is left up to the student to learn on his or her own.
I have participated in many part 141 and 61 flight programs which started out as classroom lectures then quickly the instructors disappeared and the student were given a topic and left on their own to self study. After a few weeks of that, you have to be motivated to stay with the programs material.
I for one, may consider some of the computer based ADX online courses available, and then fly in for the five or six day residency course to complete the oral and practical test. The same results minus 30+/-days of the lodging / meal cost and alittle more then half the cost of IFOD $4150 including the $150 admin fee.
I wish you all the best with your new career and thank you for serving our country. That also goes for Mission as well, thank you Mission.
PM if you prefer...

Regards.......8sm
Click to expand...

I apologize for the late reply. I was out of town and couldn’t get to a computer for awhile.

I’ll try to answer these question as best I can.

”Did you feel prepared for your job interview after taking the course?”

Yes I did. So far my interviewers asked some basic questions, and I able to answer them with confidence.

If so, how did that experience help you?

If you are meaning the job interview experience, it helped out big time for the next interview.

Did you feel lacking in any areas?

Not at all. They did not teach about the latest computer software the pro dispatchers use today.

How much self study?

Not much. You will have to study the B-737 system on your own. They teach everything in the classroom. All I had to do was just review.


In a group or classroom setting?

Classroom setting.


Would you describe the learning methods, were they daily lesson plans outlined in advance so the student knew what to expect, rote learning , lecture presentations, audio-visual presentations, computer based- sitting in front of a computer answering questions, instructor demonstrations/performance type challenged and lecture presentations?

There were lecture presentations, rote learning, and demonstrations/performance type training. They will give you a binder to study the B-737 system for the oral test.

How much of the class time was spent with the instructor guiding the discussion or instructions.

The instructor was teaching us all day during each class.

Were you given an assignment then left to study on your own using the books and computer-based material for more than 1/2 to 3/4 of the day.?

They will assign some homework that is due the next day. There are no computer-based materials. You only use the computer to practice taking the written.

From what you describe much 5-week course is to pass the written. Where you to memorize the answers which includes the W/B & flight planning to pass the written exam?

The W/B you will not memorize. For the rest of the subjects, yes. They will thoroughly teach you W/B and Flight Planning. Don’t worry, there is a method to their madness.


You may be worried about not being taught properly to become a Flight Dispatcher at this school. Don’t sweat it. You will be taught not only to pass the written and practical test, but you will be taught the basics of Flight Dispatching. You will then get your certificate. Once you start working at an aviation company or the airlines, they will have their own training program to teach you their particular systems and operations.

I hope this helps and again I apologize for the delay.

Derrick :)
 
dispatchguy said:
Did you get the Lynx gig; I assume the DEN operation?
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Unfortunately I didn’t. They decided to hire from within. I did get a job offer from Colgan, but I had to turn it down due to unexpected personal problems (long story). Damm!! I wanted to work there so badly.

There is a company close to home that wants to interview me. Will see what happens.

Derrick
 
dmlong,

All the best with your job search, I can not thank you enough for taking the time to answering my questions. It is very helpful with my decision to move forward.

regards.......8sm
 
dmlong said:
Unfortunately I didn’t. They decided to hire from within. I did get a job offer from Colgan, but I had to turn it down due to unexpected personal problems (long story). Damm!! I wanted to work there so badly.

There is a company close to home that wants to interview me. Will see what happens.

Derrick
Click to expand...

dmlong,

It seems that jobs offers are starting to line up for you. Is that because the school is helping you out or are you doing the footwork on your own? As I said previously, after paying for my tuition, housing, and traportation expenses to get there, my wife and I are going to be pretty thin on cash reserves. I'm extremely flexible with where we can relocate to work. I JUST NEED to find a job quickly. After attending the school, have you found job offers or opportunities to come your way fairly easy since IFOD?
 
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