how much time and how many hours at DCA sanford

[hobo]

I think it would be a great service to all prospective students if some of the guys from DCA posted the hours, money and how long it took you to get ratings and get hired thru DCA. some of you like fabio and matt could help people make a more informed decision by letting us know
1)how much total time did you get for each of your ratings?
2)how much did you spend as a student and does your total include your mei?
3)how long did it take you to get your ratings?
4)if applicable how long have you been an instructor and how many hours of dual given do you get in an average month?

ive posted all my stuff in the other thread but this might be a good way to get a broad picture of dca

 

[hobo]

just adding to the first post here. it would also be good if other people who didnt attend DCA put their numbers up. make a little side by side comparison. my numbers are
136.3 Total time
51.7 for instrument
46.6 for private
38 hours on commercial single so far and i have 10 lessons to go.
i broke my numbers down more in the other thread that i started.
cost so far $37200.24 plus $2016.37 on books and materials so $39216.61 and i think it will cost me about $5000 to finish csel but ill update it when i do.
I have been here since jan 28, 2005 so 7 and 1/2 months
I have 119 logbook entries on 94 dates in that time so ive managed to fly or be in a sim just 42% of the time that ive been here. I am in the part141 full time program and have tried to schedule something for every day ive been here but due to weather, scheduling mishaps, and a/c availability things have been kind of slow.

so anyone who wants to put their numbers up just include your school and ill keep track of everyones stuff and try to post averages for any school. thanks hope this is helpful

 

[Red_Baron]

The Real Story

My Loan = $100K $75K spent on flight training. I was quoted $46K
Total hours when I finished my training was 312.
It took me about 12 months (due to 3 hurricanes)

I finished in Dec of 2004 and I currently teach at American Flyers Cleveland.
The training at DCA is good, the school is stressful when it does not need to be. They have alot of people there that think they are big stuff. When really they are big fish in a little pond.

I would be happy to talk to anyone about DCA. email me at:
adracka@hotmail.com

 

[DE727UPS]

Knowing what you know now, what would you do different with respect to your flight training?

 

[hobo]

three words F B O

ive been flying at one for a week now and ive never been happier

 

[husky16]

Hobo-

I like your idea here. It would be great to see, not just DCAS but other schools (actual) times and costs. I just recently completed my private at DCA. Fortunately, I was under budget (for DCA). I don't have the exact figure but it was around $8,250. I budgeted around 10-11K for it so i am pretty happy. I finished it with 42.9 hrs. So far i have enjoyed my training and experience. My instructor has been great.

 

[hobo]

thanks husky

Well as of wednesday I am officially no longer enrolled at DCA having finally gone up for and completed my CSEL. I met lots of good instructors there and I hope everyone there is successful and have great careers. pending the audit of my account i will be able to tell you to the penny how much i spent there but the rough estimate is $42,700 plus between 2-2500 on books and supplies for around 165 hours and three ratings (pvt, inst, csel). i guess i could have had a bmw instead.

 

[FO_SHIZZLE]

So where are you going to go now?

 

[hobo]

im doing my multi training thru sunstate aviation. www.sunstateaviation.com
I have one more flight to go before my check ride and the total cost will be less than 3k. Its a really solid school and there are two instructors there that did most of their training thru DCA and me and one other student thats working on her cfii. its not a big school only about 10 instructors and 20 students at any time but the a/c are perfect. all the 172s are 2002 or newer and have gps moving map and they have one with the g1000 and four more on order with the g1000. they have a couple 52s one that just got detailed and painted and is really nice. for multi they have two duchesses. one is coming back today with a new paintjob. the other is going for new paint soon. The instruction is as good or better than DCA. Im really happy that I switched.

 

[Wannabe2]

Knowing what you know now, what would you do different with respect to your flight training?

I dont know the exact breakdown, but I got pvt-cfii in 13 months at a cost of $70,000 or so. As far as what i would have done differently, i would have chair flew procedures more which would have saved me quite a few unsat lessons. I studied quite a bit with friends etc., but i should have been practicing the procedures/maneuvers more in the air instead of learning them in the air. Learn on the ground, practice in the air.

I would do it all over again here at DCA.

Only 15.4 hours to 1000 TT!!!!!

 

[FO_SHIZZLE]

I think when I was there I spent about 50,000 or so but then you got to add on a car, a motorcycle, and a copious amount of food and beverage tabs that I managed to wrangle up...so I've got a spending problem, what of it.

 

[dcapilot]

I think when I was there I spent about 50,000 or so but then you got to add on a car, a motorcycle, and a copious amount of food and beverage tabs that I managed to wrangle up...so I've got a spending problem, what of it.

SO TRUE. I bet the the "Dirty" thinks Key Bank is about the best thing out there.....

 

[JAM]

85 hrs to start and a PP-ASEL.
VFP ~ 2 wks
Inst ~ 2months
COM-ASEL ~ 2 months
ME ~ 3 wks
CFI ~ 2 months
CFII ~ 2 wks
8 months as student

CFI for 1 yr
MEI for ~$1600
MEI for 6 months-ish until summer '03

Total cost for me (training cost) was right under $40k for all of that. The rates were probably a couple of dollars less than now, but this was after the big price hike in Jan 01.

Oh, and about 60hrs/mo as a CFI. Right after 9/11, enrollments plummeted.

 

[FO_SHIZZLE]

SO TRUE. I bet the the "Dirty" thinks Key Bank is about the best thing out there.....

Yeah, I without Key the local economy would probably fall about 30%.

People always seem to quote their loan amount as what they spent on flight training at DCA. Yah, it's what you spent but they forget all the things they "needed" when that fat check was sitting in their bank account.

 

[mnixon]

Those trips to south OBT add up. Thank god I got out of there when I did, I would have died!!!!

 

[hobo]

just an update

just to compare how much faster the part 61 school i am at now is to dca i left delta officially 3 and a 1/2 weeks ago and have already finished my multi and am halfway or more thru my cfi(probably 1 more week) and I took 5 days off for thanksgiving. oh and my multi cost less than 3k. i believe thats a little less than what they advertise at dca

 

[DE727UPS]

"just to compare how much faster the part 61 school i am at now is to dca"
"i believe thats a little less than what they advertise at dca"

Hobo, you keep posting stuff like this here you're gonna start getting called names. The DCA guys don't like it...

 

[FatBastard]

Be a bastard!!

Hey hobo, don't mind UPS, he wants to instigate stuff!! I say, be a bastard!!

I kid, I kid!!

 

[mnixon]

UPS your a moron. Hobo, I won't call you a name for posting bad stuff about DCA, it might be true. UPS your a propaganda spreading moron.

11.5 months for ppl - cfii
54,000 total for ratings (including MEI)

Instructed for 1.5 years, and now work up north.

Oh yea, UPS your a moron.

 

[hobo]

thanks matt. i try to only tell the truth and not just advertise my opinion tho it happens b/c im human. who are you working for that youre flying a baron? I thought you finished the whole dca program why didnt you go to the regionals or are you still going there? if you want you can pm me.