Info about DCA from an employee

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Sleeping with students, yeah probably not too professional but I'm sure the school is not beating down instructors doors to fire them because they heard they were sleeping with so and so.

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Was that wrong? You know, I'm going to have to plead ignorance on this one.
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I wasnt refering to you philosopher. And dude! There was no mistake on ATC's part.

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I was there on that day too. And I can say that the particular controller who was issuing holding instructions (at least when I was in the area) was giving conflicting information...telling to hold as published, then when asked for confirmation giving isntructions to hold on a completely different radial. It was a busy and confusing time....there were way too many aircraft in the air, and I still think that ATC and pilots did a good job. However, I myself witnessed much confusion, and am dissapointed to see that anyone got punished over it.
 
chrisdahut, its a shame people get disciplined for alot, but in that case, its the pilots responsibility to adhere to a clearance and if in doubt, ask....he did indeed ask but asked the wrong question. It was his responsibility just like it was the responsibility of the pilot to check the MX sheets instead of trusting the dispatch numbers.

For FooShizzle, the reason I get sensative is because you stated I should get remedial training. If you havent seen the VFR navigating problems you havent been paying attention. For the record NONE of my stories were heresay unless it came directly from the mouth of the individual responsible. One of the three medical guys were fired. Sleeping with students. It was brought up by the student and admitted by the instructor and while not professional it is a FIREABLE offense as quoted in the standz class, as it is a policy in the ops manual. When the seat of the pants pilots gloat on the ground about their conduct, and ge a slap on the wrist by their boss, they arent rumors anymore, its admission.

I didnt say the 130,000 was for tuition. It costs money to live here and when DCA work wont pay it, other means must be secured. And what I have experienced is the FIRST thing I posted on this forum, but that has quikly been dismissed from conversation. As for bloated numbers, you are welcome to check my math for yourself, or that of l82av8, but they are right and on the low side for that matter. You would be hard pressed to find ANYONE there who isnt independantly wealthy in less than 50k of debt.

Yeah DCA does go to the airlines, but so does airwest in california, or eagle in texas etc...and much quicker for the career pilot...thats my point...DCA is no quick route anymore. Any legally I cant work for RAA!!! Its in the contract!!

I wish we hadnt been distracted from the origional point of DCA managment and tactics and forced to alienate my fellow instructors, but I will argue my points.

Wheelp, that ought to do it, fire away

p.s. please forgive my finger errors and spelling errors
 
To answer your question, lruppert, yes is is a bad thing. You will find at pretty much any institution where you have teacher/student situations, that it is very much a bad thing for instructors to get involved with students. well on another point, I have finished the hourly rates for all the aircraft except the seminole they are as follows
FTD(simulator): $76/per hour
PCATD: $55
C-152: $86.40
C-172: $93.40
PA-28R: $123.27
This is the cost for each piece of equipment per hour, and does not include the fuel surcharge, or the instructor.
Another story to show you the cheap the academy is
about four to five months ago, it came time for the chinese student that DCA took a contract to instruct to recieve King Air C90 Simulator training. The academy decided to use SimCom down in Orlando for the training and booked quite a few sessions in the 12-4 am, as it was the cheapest. But instead of paying full price for an instructor to teach them the aircraft, they decided to use the student's own DCA instructor. The only problem was that none of these instructors knew anything about the aircraft or how to fly it. So they gave each of the instructors 1 hour each, and that, according to the academy anyway, qualified them to teach students. They did pay the instructors for all of their time spent teaching including I believe driving to or from orlando (I think but not entirely sure on that individual part) However; I dont think that the training was exactly what one would call excellent training, despite the fact that that was what the students chinese airline sponsors had paid for. Yes I understand that a qualified instructor was brought in for the actual flight portion of their training, but that is beside the point. Like a said the airline paid for somthing they didnt recieve and I find it humorus that the academy would even for a second think that 1 hour qualifies an instructor to even fly an aircraft that is much more complicated than anything they have ever flown before, but to actually instruct in it.
 
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I guess time will tell you that both I, and luv2av8, are in fact, two seperate people.

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Cybil...Is that you?
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Read my post it said if you or someone can't fly VFR then they need remedial training. So since you can fly just fine VFR, I'm sure that you don't need the training.

Fireable offeneses mean just that, you CAN be fired for it. It does not say you Will be fired for it. If you had a guy/girl working for you that was great, worked really hard, did a great job, etc., and they screwed up and committed a fireable offense, would you fire them? What about if you had a guy that is not really a hard worker and does not seem to care about his job or the people around him, would you fire him for the same offense? See what I'm getting at? There is a lot of background information on these offenses that you are not hearing, just the end result. Also a lot of it depends on their attitude after the fact. Did they admit they screwed up, or did they deny or blame someone else? There are many extinuating (sp?) circumstances in all of this.

As for working somewhere else do you really think they are going to follow you around and see where you get a job after you leave here?

I've got a ton of debt too but I was not exactly frugal with it outside of school either. When you have your hands on a large sum of money, some extensive purchases will tend to be made.

As for not paying attention to our VFR issues. Well I'm out there every day flying VFR, even the dreaded VFR cross country which 70% of our instructors can't do, and I just don't see it at all. Now if by not paying attention, you mean listening to all the rumors about what so and so did, then yeah, I don't pay any attention at all, or at least try not to.
 
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chrisdahut, its a shame people get disciplined for alot, but in that case, its the pilots responsibility to adhere to a clearance and if in doubt, ask....he did indeed ask but asked the wrong question. It was his responsibility just like it was the responsibility of the pilot to check the MX sheets instead of trusting the dispatch numbers.


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Unless of course, ATCs airspace is saturated, the frequency is hopelessly congested and when you do manage to get a hold of ATC, they say give you 3 different holding instructions that make no sense. Only so much you can do in such a situation.
 
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Unless of course, ATCs airspace is saturated, the frequency is hopelessly congested and when you do manage to get a hold of ATC, they say give you 3 different holding instructions that make no sense.

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Three different holding instructions? M'kay.

"Make no sense" to whom - ATC or the pilot?

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Only so much you can do in such a situation.

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Yep. Might as well give up.
 
Im much more familiar than you think. I dont substantiate rumors...What I "SEE" is what I tell. I know much about the extinuating (sp?) circumstances...but ill call the few individuals, and maybe have them post their story on here
 
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Unless of course, ATCs airspace is saturated, the frequency is hopelessly congested and when you do manage to get a hold of ATC, they say give you 3 different holding instructions that make no sense.

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Three different holding instructions? M'kay.

"Make no sense" to whom - ATC or the pilot?

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Only so much you can do in such a situation.

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Yep. Might as well give up.

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OK here was one particular situation I heard:

"Cessna X hold west of TFT as published"

Published hold on the low enroute depicts a hold on the 090 radial, right turns. I was not the aircraft that was issued this, but am following what was going on as it seemed imminent that I was about to hold. The confused pilot queries ATC and gets:

"Thats right, Hold west as published!" and cue hopeless frequency congestion.

So, what did he mean? As published or west of the VOR? Which one are you willing to bet your tickets and safe separation on? How do you get to query again when the frequency is totally congested?

And as for:

"makes no sense to whom- ATC or the pilot?"

Well, we all know that it couldn't possibly be ATC confused or in the wrong.....only pilots screw up!
 
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OK here was one particular situation I heard:

"Cessna X hold west of TFT as published"

Published hold on the low enroute depicts a hold on the 090 radial, right turns. I was not the aircraft that was issued this, but am following what was going on as it seemed imminent that I was about to hold. The confused pilot queries ATC and gets:

"Thats right, Hold west as published!" and cue hopeless frequency congestion.

So, what did he mean? As published or west of the VOR? Which one are you willing to bet your tickets and safe separation on? How do you get to query again when the frequency is totally congested?

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Well, here is what the AIM says about issuing holding instructions for charted holds (5-3-7 b.): "If the holding pattern is charted and the controller doesn't issue complete holding instructions, the pilot is expected to hold as depicted on the appropriate chart. When the pattern is charted, the controller may omit all holding instructions except the charted holding direction and the statement as published; e.g., hold east as published." (note: emphasis as originally published, not added)

According to this, "Hold west as published" is the correct terminology for the hold you have described since the "charted holding direction" is inbound on the 090 radial, i.e. westbound. I'm guessing that the original instruction was worded a little differently, such as "Cessna X, hold TFT, west as published".

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And as for:

"makes no sense to whom- ATC or the pilot?"

Well, we all know that it couldn't possibly be ATC confused or in the wrong.....only pilots screw up!

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See above.

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Really, I'm not trying to bust your chops here. I had a suspicion that this was the type of scenario you were talking about concerning holding instructions, and the terminology that ATC uses can be *misleading* if you are not aware of some of the gotchas in the system. The one listed above is a perfect example, and has excellent potential to be a learning experience for everyone.

Thanks for playing.
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Actually, the correct terminology would be hold east as published, not west. The direction specified is to be a cardinal heading from the fix, not to it.

So the pilot can either hold west, or hold on the 090 radial, but not both. The controller was clearly the confused party, and might I add no expect further clearance time was given.
 
I'm thinking you're right and I was wrong. Oh well, guess I'll have to stick with "almost perfect".
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DCA suspended an instructor for getting 85% on a 152 standz test this week. This I admit is rumor, but one I deem credible enough to mention
 
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For FooShizzle, the reason I get sensative is because you stated I should get remedial training. If you havent seen the VFR navigating problems you havent been paying attention. For the record NONE of my stories were heresay unless it came directly from the mouth of the individual responsible. One of the three medical guys were fired. Sleeping with students. It was brought up by the student and admitted by the instructor and while not professional it is a FIREABLE offense as quoted in the standz class, as it is a policy in the ops manual.

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Good thing not all students talk about their extra-curiccular activities!
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DCA suspended an instructor for getting 85% on a 152 standz test this week. This I admit is rumor, but one I deem credible enough to mention

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And your point is...?

If you can't get 100% on these standz tests (especially the '52), you've got issues, or you don't care enough to want to do well, which is pathetic.
 
lmao!! Yeah something is pathetic thats for sure. Comeon pirep, a suspension? Thats a bit dramatic for being unable to achieve your 100%. Im sure you are in the top 5 best pilots of this earth, but in your high wisdome, do you think a suspension (meaning a diciplinary action in your HR record) is ultimately necessary? So another 10 days with no pay, when coming out of the instrument group most cant make rent anyway, will rectify this poor test grade? This is the mentality that causes my animocity for this place!
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nope, the 85% on the standz test suspension is quite real. for a written standz test the instructor is required to know at least 90% of the limitations and emergency checklists. in my opinion it should be 100%, but that may be a bit unreasonable to most folks. if, as a professional instructor, you can't study your checklists and limitations for a plane you have already flown and get at least a 90%, i really don't think a week off to study is out of line.
 
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lmao!! Yeah something is pathetic thats for sure. Comeon pirep, a suspension? Thats a bit dramatic for being unable to achieve your 100%. Im sure you are in the top 5 best pilots of this earth, but in your high wisdome, do you think a suspension (meaning a diciplinary action in your HR record) is ultimately necessary? So another 10 days with no pay, when coming out of the instrument group most cant make rent anyway, will rectify this poor test grade? This is the mentality that causes my animocity for this place!
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Has nothing to do with being a good pilot it has to do with putting forth a little bit of effort. No skills are involved, just a little bit of studying, very little. I'm not the brightest and I've yet to make lower than a 100 on a standz test...so, I'm sure that a 90 is attainable. Actually that is the first I've heard of anyone busting a standz test in quite a while, and the 152 test is the easiest so, hopefully they will put forth some effort on the next one.
 
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