"My Experience at DCA" by UCF

Re: \"My Experience at DCA\" by UCF

yeah its a great school if you enjoy havin your ass owned by Key Bank for the next 20 years.
 
Re: \"My Experience at DCA\" by UCF

Once I get throught the night stuff, it should go pretty smoothly. The weather is not cooperating with my schedule. Afternoon and evening t-storms are not letting me get out of Sanford VFR. I'd gladly file IFR to get out of Sanford, but the lesson calls for VFR, so I'll have to wait till thursday to try again. That will be the next day I have off from work. So till then, I'll do groundschool with my instructor before work, watch everyone else fly from the DCA maintenace hangar, and hope to get a maintenance flight. Not everybody has the Key loan. A lot of people like myself pay for it themselves. I'm paying for it myself and my Veteran's Assistance his helping pay 60% of each course, so that is a big help.

Oh yeah I fuess the school and Key Bank came up with a new plan as far as paying back the loan. It used to be that you had to start repaying the loan six months from the day you graduated from the CFII course. Now to make it easier on the wallet, they are now extending that to six months after you finish MEI. By then you're almost to the airlines.
 
Re: \"My Experience at DCA\" by UCF

Just to let everyone know, I went to DCA and enjoye the training. I had the best instructors and I think i was a good student. I never had the first no-show, passed all of my written test, both class and FAA first. I passed all of my FAA rides on the first time, and passed 9 out of 12 stage checks first time. I was always on time, and tried to be the best student i could be. It took me a little over 13 months to complete the program, and I was not offered a job as a CFI. I have know idea why. I hold no grudges, i just wish i couldve realized that nothing is guaranteed, even to the best of students. I firmly believe everything works out for the best, Im happy i wasnt hired, because now im at a school where CFIs and students are respected, and just a more pleasant environment to work in. Im sure for the eager student this post will go in one ear and out the other, as it did mine, but please dont be suprised if you find yourself thousands in debt with no job.
 
Re: \"My Experience at DCA\" by UCF

It is pretty interesting that the people that hold this amount of grudge against DCA do not post their real names...so Mr. Jimmy Fly... Who are you? when did you attend DCA? What happened? Did you ever get through with your ratings up to CFII? Where are you now? Still flying?...

If you want to complain... do that in the open.

Otherwise you could just be another school's admissions dept rep trying to give DCA a bad rep...

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/insane.gif
 
Re: \"My Experience at DCA\" by UCF

[ QUOTE ]
It is pretty interesting that the people that hold this amount of grudge against DCA do not post their real names... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/insane.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh man, take a peek in the Pan Am forum! I suprised they haven't filed a restraining order against that forum! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Re: \"My Experience at DCA\" by UCF

Now here is my experience at DCA so far:

I started from zero time at the end of June 2002. There were 14 people on my Private Pilot's ground school. It took me 65 hours to get my private and I did not bust any stage checks in that rating. I was 36 years old when I started and my frist instructor just 19! I remember vividly when he asked me if I had a problem with that. Of course I didn't and he did a great job. He is currently attending FO training at Chautauqua...

Instrument was tough... if they say that on Private it is like traying to drink from a fire hose... on Instrument they increase the pressure on it! I did bust two stage checks on that rating and realized that they are just lessons...

I loved the Commercial rating, the maneuvers are a lot of fun and flying a complex airplane was like getting a toy upgraded...During that time the school was having problems with the C-172 RG fleet and It delayed my training 3 months...I just stuck to it and made the best of my time

And then Mulit-Engine! I got through pretty fast and enjoyed the Seminole a lot. Also I really appreciate the GPS units on those planes...

CFI was not as difficult as I had previous teaching experience and CFII was pretty fast.

I had a 4 months wait for Standz and graduated on December 2003

I was selected for ground school and taught Instrument and Commercial ground school until February. It was great since I met a lot of students and it is nice to be on school and recognize all their friendly faces...

After that I taught instrument courses and Commercial... I am a pretty big guy at 270 lb and 6'4" so no C-152... which means that I don't have many choices teaching private... ( I used to weigh 230lb when I enrolled... lack of exercise and stress, coupled with marriage helped me get to my "Flabio" figure... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cwm27.gif)

I am now going through the motions to become a stage checck pilot and took a Group Leader position on the instrument group.

I have no complaints and enjoy every minute at DCA. All instructors helped me a lot when I was a student and I try to do the best I can to help our students now. I view the flight instructor job as a priority... the airline interview and job will eventually be a consequence of how well I perform as an employee and how well I do at the interview...

It took a lot of effort and a lot of studying... actually the study part never stops...

It is great to be part of the aviation community and in the end I think we all want to see this industry grow and all our peers to succeed...

If you have any questions please let me know I will be glad to help! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Re: \"My Experience at DCA\" by UCF

Hey Doug,

I really don't care what is happening at Pan Am or FSI or any other school. I won't post at their forums and I am pretty sure that they have their own issues.

Please don't get me wrong here, I know that in any business you always have a percentage of dissatisfied customers for whatever reason. DCA is far from perfect. However every coin has two sides... I am showing the other one!

I was peeking throug other areas of your website and I have to congratulate you on your efforts.. there is a lot of good info!

Thanks again,

Fabio
 
Re: \"My Experience at DCA\" by UCF

LOL, "Flabio" is just being modest, that is actually HIS body with Fabio's head attached. I may be kidding about that one, but I have been working pretty closely with him the last few months in the instrument group and he's one of the good guys at school that will bend over backwards for the students. Man, it is just one big love fest over here at the DCA forum now isn't it? Never thought I'd see the day....
 
Re: \"My Experience at DCA\" by UCF

Did anyone in here that went to COmair, nw DCA know of student named Kirin that went there in the 98-2000 timeframe? SHe's from Hawaii, blonde, has a large main gear set, lol? I just came back from Iraq and am trying to find some old friends that I lost touch with. ANy help would be appreciated! Thanks
 
Re: \"My Experience at DCA\" by UCF

Got your msg yankee_one! Thanks for the help. I'll call around and see if I can find her. Also looking for a friend that went there around the same time. Scott Rose, from New Jersey. I think he moved to Jacksonville, but not sure. He was my roommate in college for 2 yrs. IT sucked being in Iraq for 14 months. There was no e-mail over there, so I lost touch with a lot of friends. I'm out in Los Angeles instructing now, so it's even harder.
So Kirin is still at the acadamy, I'll have to look her up! Thanks for all of the help!!!!1 :-) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
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