DCA Advertising

That is pretty close. They require 800 hours of dual given instruction on DCA Airplanes. 1000 hours total airplane time and 100 hours Multi engine time, with at least 50 hours of Mulit engine dual given.

If the current student load remains, it will take an average of 12 to 14 months for new instructors to get that time.
 
Planediveguy - please use the quote function in the upper right corner of the post you're replying to! Drives me batty trying to determine what you're refering to! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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It's more than office politics. What it is...is....DCA wants to keep milking CFI's at $10/hr until they have put in their "time" at the 800 hour mark. So...it's "no you can't leave" until you pay your dues to them for the 800 hours (not to mention that YOU paid big bucks to get your CFI, be standardized, and all that)

Man...the more I learn about this place the more I laugh and shake my head....

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Thinking through the situation a bit more, you might rethink your conclusion. The school has plenty of instructors and people in the pool to be instructors that are willing to work for the $10/hr. What the school doesn't have an overabundance of is the experienced instructors that have the qualifications to teach CFI's (one of the busiest courses). Once you get to teaching CFI's, you get hours very quickly and are gone to the airlines before you know it. When I was there teaching CFI's, it was typical to be flying 100hours/month. If all of the instructors bailed before they concluded their signed contract, they would run into a major staffing problem. It kind of reminds me of Delta's situation of early retiring pilots. If too many bail early, there wouldn't be enough Captain's trained to fly the trips. Parked 777's is not the way to do business. It looks like the same type of situation. Not enough qualified instructors equals parked planes and very slow progressing CFI students. Nobody wins except the guy/girl that doesn't feel obligated to fulfill his contract. But from what I understand, they did allow the people to inteview if they really wanted to. Was it the best move for all involved? Only time will tell. Hopefully Skyway does get those DoJets, if not, the people looking for the shortcut shafted themselves.
 
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Planediveguy - please use the quote function in the upper right corner of the post you're replying to! Drives me batty trying to determine what you're refering to! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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You mean like this? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/insane.gif
 
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You mean like this? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/insane.gif

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Yes sir! Thanks! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I will say one thing to DCA's credit. The training now that I look back is probably some of the best training out there. I will admit I have made some negative posts regarding DCA since I didn't get hired, but all things aside.

Many people will get a laugh out of this. To be short, I am doing the 5-day CFII/MEI program at another school and it is a joke. My instructor is like a wet cat on a sheet of ice. If the GPS crapped out in the seminole it would be bad news. I am glad DCA doesn't have GPS in most of the planes. I am glad I learned the hard way.

The guy spends more time pulling his hair out over violating a reg than flying the plane. For example I was yelled at because I was not following the course on the GPS when I was lined up on about a 12 mile final with the runway in sight and cleared to land because he could't see it (VFR conditions).


"Your 200' off your altitude I am going to get a letter in the mail from the FAA" (exact words)

I think the advertising needs to be toned down a little bit. Most people read the ad and think it is the only way to an airline job. Well it's not. Oh well what do I know. By the way this guy is a gold seal instructor.
 
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"Your 200' off your altitude I am going to get a letter in the mail from the FAA" (exact words)

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Were you on an IFR flight plan or under an ATC clearance in controlled airspace?
 
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"Your 200' off your altitude I am going to get a letter in the mail from the FAA" (exact words)



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Should've reached over and squawked STBY......to shut him up.
 
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"Your 200' off your altitude I am going to get a letter in the mail from the FAA" (exact words)

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Should've reached over and squawked STBY......to shut him up.

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Airspeed below Va, then full control deflection to recover that 200'.
 
We were on an IFR flight plan in IMC in an airplane I haven't flown in a year . It has been my expierence in the past ATC will say something and you just correct your alt. They are usually pretty cool about it. I would bet you "big iron" guys do it occasionally. No one is perfect.
 
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It has been my expierence in the past ATC will say something and you just correct your alt. They are usually pretty cool about it. I would bet you "big iron" guys do it occasionally. No one is perfect.

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That's the attitude. I wish all my students looked at it that way.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
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It has been my expierence in the past ATC will say something and you just correct your alt. They are usually pretty cool about it.

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They're only "cool" about it until you accidently cause a conflict. Then things get a little testy.

Don't be content with anything other than being "right on" altitude.

Especially if you want to be a professional.
 
I take it very seriously don't worry. We were enroute to go shoot practice approachs and I got a little high. I pulled a chop and drop and got myself back on altitude. It is a little bit different flying a 3800lb aircraft that gets pushed up like a balloon versus a 100,000 lb plus airplane with a full load. I have learned over the years that there is no need to panic just fly the plane. This course is a cake walk compared to my multi training at DCA. I have to know one checklist versus about 10 at dca from memory.
 
I wouldn't judge a training program on checklist memorization. When I started on the 727 about 15 years ago, we had to know about 10, really complicated, checklists. It was silly. In the heat of battle you'd just sit there and think....how'd that go again?

Then, somebody in the training dept realized how silly memorization of long checklists was and the greatly simplified them....along with the memory limitations we had to know.

On the 757/767...it's even simpler and easier.

In my view, it's always better to pull out the checklist and make sure you do it right.

Perhaps the idea is that you can't fly and read a checklist at the same time in a single pilot operation....I don't know.

I have no doubt that you current training program is easier and cheaper than DCA. In the end, though, you meet the FAA's standard and get the same certificate.
 
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It has been my expierence in the past ATC will say something and you just correct your alt. They are usually pretty cool about it.

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They're only "cool" about it until you accidently cause a conflict. Then things get a little testy.

Don't be content with anything other than being "right on" altitude.

Especially if you want to be a professional.

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Agree. Never settle for second place.

Second place is the first loser.

Anyone see "The Great Santini?" He never accepted anything other than extreme professionalism.
 
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A new hire I know instructed for 2 weeks before he got hired at ExpressJet. He had the hours from a weather mod internship.



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Hey, that was my instructor (for 2 weeks) ;-)
 
You are right about the checklists. The simpler the better, and I would guess that it would also reduce mistakes in high workload phases of the flight.

The checklists that he mentioned are for the Mulit-Engine course. there are more items on engine-failure, engine restart, feathering and shut down. These items are commited to memory and performed as a flow. The checklist is then used to make sure that no item was forgotten. And the reason for the above is that the student is being certified for single pilot operations.

On all flights there are a few items that we like students to memorize: Line up, climb, cruise, descent, pre landing and after landing. And these are not "long" checklists.

Some students memorize the items and use the flow concept to their advantage and the flight usually goes a lot smoother and it saves them money in the end.

As far as meeting the standard and getting the certificate... You can get the certificate anywhere... Heck all yo have to do is memorize the Gleim and get a 75% on the written, and then fly within PTS limits and you get "certified". Getting and feeling "qualified" is another matter though...

wink.gif
 
"Getting and feeling "qualified" is another matter though..."

Well....the FAA says a 61 guy is just as "qualified" as a DCA guy. Is your assertion that one shouldn't "feel" qualified unless one went to DCA?
 
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As far as meeting the standard and getting the certificate... You can get the certificate anywhere... Heck all yo have to do is memorize the Gleim and get a 75% on the written, and then fly within PTS limits and you get "certified". Getting and feeling "qualified" is another matter though...

wink.gif


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You're talking nonsense here.
 
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