Delta Connection Academy

John Herreshoff said:
I learned to fly instruments without a GPS, not even a VFR one. My instructor made me do no gyro NDB approaches with the published missed and a hold at the NDB until I was blue in the face...
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Perfect. Scrap all the other crap, fu'k the little purple lines, and do that. As for the S.H.I.T., I never had any formal training. The first time I did it was an act of desparation to get a student over his airsickness. Then I taught it to him. Ask Ryan about Pukey.
 
FlyChicaga said:
I got a letter about two weeks ago from DCA asking if I've ever considered a job as an Airline Pilot. 'Nuff said. Do some research!
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I visited there a few years ago and about a week or so after my visit I got a call inviting me to come down and visit the school and then got all kinds of stuff in the mail.
 
I had three instructors at Air Orlando that went to DCA for thier training. All three said it was WAY overpriced for what you got. Having the non-rev benefits is about useless in Orlando during the summer. I used to have a hell of a time getting anywhere on SWA when I worked there, and getting back was even worse. And to those instructors that can live in Orlando without staying in a hovel on $10/hr, you are MUCH better at saving than I am. :)
 
CapnJim said:
I'm all about Skymates- I wish I had gone there instead of ATP, but my friend still sold on the "preferential hiring" and the "flight benefits". I think it's a load of bollocks, but I dont want to turn the guy off.

husky16, FO SHIZZLE, you guys got the straight dope on those two things?
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I would not call it preferential hiring, because I'd like to think I had something to do with that but I would absolutely, with out a doubt say they do get preferential inteviews. When I interviewed, I was the only one without previous turbine time and one of three that was flying something smaller than a 737.

The flight bennies were the same as anyone else at DAL/Comair/ASA which are pretty good. However, nonreving now with flights like they are, sucks and MCO is even worse. If you were at another base it would definately be more useful.
 
kellwolf said:
I had three instructors at Air Orlando that went to DCA for thier training. All three said it was WAY overpriced for what you got.
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Was one of their initials B.M.? If so, he was my initial sim partner and a solid guy.
 
FlyChicaga said:
I got a letter about two weeks ago from DCA asking if I've ever considered a job as an Airline Pilot. 'Nuff said. Do some research!
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What's funnier is I went to that school and recieved the same advert after having been an airline pilot for two years. Now that I am no longer an airline pilot, if find it hard to think of going back.
 
launchpad said:
I find it hilarious that DCA has "all the connections" and they have more people going to express jet than anywhere else........kinda ironic dontyathink?:confused:
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"The Academy has placed pilots with 26 airlines including, but not limited to, all the Delta Connection carriers, American Eagle Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines and Cape Air/Nantucket Airlines" (Source: DCA)

The DCA Instructor chooses the airline(s) at which he/she will interview, based on personal preference and other factors. DCA "opens the door".
 
So what kind of times does a typical DCA guy have by the time he gets the guaranteed interview? What are the mins for that?

How many hours do you have to instruct there before you get the interview and what do they pay CFI's?
 
Bell47 said:
"The Academy has placed pilots with 26 airlines including, but not limited to, all the Delta Connection carriers, American Eagle Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines and Cape Air/Nantucket Airlines" (Source: DCA)

The DCA Instructor chooses the airline(s) at which he/she will interview, based on personal preference and other factors. DCA "opens the door".
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Yes, they have placed people at express jet.....but DCA didn't open the door to them. They have these interview agreements with asa, comair, chittykitty, cape air, and transstates (from their website). The guys hired on at expressjet weren't offered a preferrential interview......yet they're the majority of the people hired from DCA. If there were prefferential interviews at their partner airlines, why aren't that many people getting hired at those places???????????

edit: and where does NW/Pinnacle come into the entire delta connection system?
 
i work for DCA at our new houston base. Went to the location in Sanford for my training from instrument on, got my private 61 in my hometown.

is the training here overpriced? yes!
is $10/hr. to instruct ridiculous? yes!

the bottom line is though, as a student at the academy i had a great experience. never once did i have a single problem with aircraft, mgmt. or an instructor. i think i was really lucky and had some of the top instructors there, guys that didnt take longer than a year to build there hours and move on to the regionals. i do think that this place is no different than anywhere else though, you get out what you put in.

as an employee of the company, its getting better. we still only make $10/hr. which anyone who instructs knows that means i get to work at 8 am leave hopefully by 8 or 9 pm (minus the night cross countries) and probably get paid for 6 hours of that day, so i really make about $5/hr. they have however implemented bonuses for flying a lot the raises the pay to over $12 if u do your job well. on top of that i find ways around the school to make a couple extra bucks, washing planes etc. i would be doing the same thing if i stayed pt. 61 and i would be flying less. i pay my rent living downtown and bills, im not saving money but im getting by.

also using the benefits...everyone keeps saying theyre worthless. well to give you an idea i go back home to buffalo just about every weekend as ive managed to get them off. and outside of 2 times having to spend an extra day at home theyve been great. ive already saved myself and my parents thousands of dollars in plane tickets if i had to pay for a penny.

DCA has its pros and cons, it is certainly not perfect, but the grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side. Im getting my hours and making progress, if i find some other great gig before the regionals becomes an option i will strongly consider it, but for now im happy where im at instructing....
 
mccube5 said:
i work for DCA at our new houston base. Went to the location in Sanford for my training from instrument on, got my private 61 in my hometown.

is the training here overpriced? yes!
is $10/hr. to instruct ridiculous? yes!

the bottom line is though, as a student at the academy i had a great experience. never once did i have a single problem with aircraft, mgmt. or an instructor. i think i was really lucky and had some of the top instructors there, guys that didnt take longer than a year to build there hours and move on to the regionals. i do think that this place is no different than anywhere else though, you get out what you put in.

as an employee of the company, its getting better. we still only make $10/hr. which anyone who instructs knows that means i get to work at 8 am leave hopefully by 8 or 9 pm (minus the night cross countries) and probably get paid for 6 hours of that day, so i really make about $5/hr. they have however implemented bonuses for flying a lot the raises the pay to over $12 if u do your job well. on top of that i find ways around the school to make a couple extra bucks, washing planes etc. i would be doing the same thing if i stayed pt. 61 and i would be flying less. i pay my rent living downtown and bills, im not saving money but im getting by.

also using the benefits...everyone keeps saying theyre worthless. well to give you an idea i go back home to buffalo just about every weekend as ive managed to get them off. and outside of 2 times having to spend an extra day at home theyve been great. ive already saved myself and my parents thousands of dollars in plane tickets if i had to pay for a penny.

DCA has its pros and cons, it is certainly not perfect, but the grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side. Im getting my hours and making progress, if i find some other great gig before the regionals becomes an option i will strongly consider it, but for now im happy where im at instructing....
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Has a former DCA student that was told I would never make it without them, just want to let the DCA "GODS" know I am at COEX as an internal employee. Our mins are 500/100 (internally)look forward to seeing you all on the line soon Congrats to all who left DCA and are at COEX. So no, you don't have to flight instruct put up with the DCA crap if you dont't want to. If you are at DCA, I would leave, and go over to Falcon Flight Sanford or Skymates. Build your time, and put in your App. Oh and by the way, just as Doug said, the Airlines don't give a DAMN about where you trained at, just can you fly the plane, do you play well with others, and what are your instrument skills like. If you have all 3, you'll make it. (For Pilots the wait for benefits is 3 months) Not sure about big Cal though......

Reckon its time to change the Fat Bastard Moniker, DCA has exposed themselves quite well for what they are, so its' time to put the "Bastard" to bed.

BUT SHOULD EVIL AND VILLANY EVER THREATEN THE PEACE OF GOTHAM "JETCAREERS" CITY, AND THAT THREAT IS FROM DCA, CALL ME, AND ONCE AGAIN THE FATMAN A.K.A FATBASTARD WILL ARISE TO DESPOSE THE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVIL!!!!!!!!!!! (AS SOON AS I FINISH OFF THIS BARBECUED BABY!!) One for UPS, who just hates my baby jokes!! :)
 
FatBastard said:
Has a former DCA student that was told I would never make it without them, just want to let the DCA "GODS" know I am at COEX as an internal employee. Our mins are 500/100 (internally)look forward to seeing you all on the line soon Congrats to all who left DCA and are at COEX.
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What is an internal employee and how does that differ from a regular employee? Are there external employees? Does this mean you are not flying for them? I thought you said you got hired at Comair after you had spoken personally to Fred Butrell about your plight at the Academy.
 
mccube5 said:
also using the benefits...everyone keeps saying theyre worthless. well to give you an idea i go back home to buffalo just about every weekend as ive managed to get them off. and outside of 2 times having to spend an extra day at home theyve been great. ive already saved myself and my parents thousands of dollars in plane tickets if i had to pay for a penny.
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every weekend? going thru CVG or ATL? friday and back on sunday? i find that hard to believe actually plus we on an S2 can't even get to/thru CVG or ATL on most fridays much less sundays....plus, your flying on an S4 right which means paying for the taxes on the ticket... so someone is paying for those tickets...they are not free. But I digress....

I don't know why everyone at DCA still keeps saying those tickets are free....
 
I certainly wouldn't brag much about non rev benefits at Comair.

Once they're sold, they'll probably all be on S3C status depending on who they're sold to.

Using an S3 is hard enough, and if you want to even think about flying somewhere during a weekend or during a medium-peak travel period, I wouldn't dream of leaving home without an S2 pass.

S3C to Europe or during a moderately busy travel period? Fuggedabowdit.
 
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