Questions for PRC students...

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**DONOTDELETE**

New Member
I am heading to PRC for summer session B in 4 days and I am looking for some information on how to proceed best once I am there.
How quickly can I gain my certifications and what factors might slow my progress? (I am most interested in how long it will take me to get my CFI) Once I am a CFI, can I instruct at ERAU immediately? Are most ERAU CFI's also students?
What is the summer session like and how can I best take advantage of it?
What are the nicest dorm's on campus? What about living off campus?
What is FA 110 like? A lot of classroom stuff or just flying and a private computer terminal?
Finally, what is the best way to get from SkyHarbor to PRC? Please also mention any information that I might find useful upon my arrival and initial weeks at PRC.

Thanks.

eads
 
Ha ha ok, take a breather there buddy. Ok, let's see if I can answer some of these for ya.

Umm...slowing your progress might only be the fact there aren't a lot of instructors and it takes awhile to get one that they do have. Not sure how long it takes to get CFI though. I'm pretty sure that you can be a CFI here ALMOST immediately, I'm sure there's standardization classes and stuff like that you might have to take. A lot of the CFI's here are graduated Riddle students and I think a few might still be taking classes part-time. Sorry I can't be more informative in that area.

As for summer school. All the classes I just got over with are VERY easy because everything isn't as in depth as it is during the fall or spring. My best advice would be to do all your homework (that's what kills most people) and go to class every day. If you do all that, there's pretty much no way you can fail.

Right now only the "new dorms" are open. Basically because they cost more than the "old" ones. They definately are nicer though. They have kitchens and neato stuff like that in them. Plus, the old dorms hold 6 people and new ones only 4. So, less crowded. When I came here in the Fall last year, all the guys I knew were crammed like 3 people to a room (i.e.- 9 to a suite which normally holds 6) so they're in the process of building new dorms now to hold all the incoming people. Living Off Campus kinda has it's perks but, there is the commute every day and apartments cost a lot more than Riddle charges. Plus, at Riddle you get a super-fast T1 internet connection and anywhere else you're stuck with a stupid modem.

FA 110 is really easy. The school portion is pretty basic. All the ground school's start at different times in the year (ex - won't just start and end like the regular semester does, I started it in Jan and we finished before Spring Break). They teach you all the stuff you need to know to pass your FAA written exam and stuff. The flying part is just as basic. You start a little on cross countries but will do the majority of those in FA 208.

As for instructions from PHX. Do you have a car? or what? If you're the one driving then you just...

Start out going West on E SKY HARBOR BLVD. Take the I-10 WEST ramp towards CENTRAL PHOENIX/SQUAW PEAK PKWY. Merge onto I-10 W. Take the I-17 SOUTH/I-17 NORTH exit, exit number 143A-B, towards FLAGSTAFF. Merge onto I-17 NORTH RAMP. Merge onto I-17 N. Stay straight to go onto I-17 N/N BLACK CANYON HWY. I-17 N/N BLACK CANYON HWY becomes I-17 N. I-17 N becomes I-17 N/N BLACK CANYON FRWY. 2Stay straight to go onto I-17 N. Take the AZ-69 NORTH exit, exit number 262, towards CORDES JCT RD/PRESCOTT. Merge onto AZ-69. Take the US-89 SOUTH ramp. Merge onto E GURLEY ST/US-89. Stay straight to go onto E GURLEY ST. Turn RIGHT onto GROVE AVE. GROVE AVE becomes MILLER VALLEY RD. Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto WILLOW CREEK RD. And look for the ERAU sign.

If you're asking about how can you get here, there are a number of shuttle services that pick you up right from the airport and can take you straight to Riddle. The cheapest one is about $50 bucks round-trip, not sure about one-way though. Their phone number and all that is:

Mountain High Shuttle Service (520)772-9700

Ok, so there, I've finally answered everything. Whew! Hoping I helped a bit.
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Anything else, I'd be happy to try to explain.
 
PilotKitty,

Are you an Aeronautical Science major yourself? So how does it go with instructors... Do I have to go through the administration to get paired up with one or can I make arangements myself?

Thanks for taking the time to answer all the questions I unloaded on you. I've only got one more, and it may be the most important... Have you got raquetball courts?

eads
 
Yes, I'm an AS major. I started out in STG (science, technology, and globalization) when I first got here but, when I found out how much money I could get from the gov't and school I decided to switch off to AS. The only reason I picked STG in the first place was because I didn't think I'd have enough money to pay for flight and all that.

As for picking an instructor...they give you a form to fill out in your FA 110 class and you put in your availabilty for flight and some info and there's also a spot for you to put the name of an instructor if there's a specific one you would like to work with. Then they give those forms to your training manager (depending on which level of flying your at, you'll be put into Teams, and the training manager is in charge of the teams' students and instructors) and your training manager will try to get you that instructor if they're available during your availability times also. Does this make any sense? Sorry, if it's kinda confusing. If they pair you up with an instructor that you just don't like or can't get along with then they will get you a new instructor if you request it. Don't think just because this is the one they gave you you have to stay with him/her.

And I think I have heard somewhere that we do indeed have a raquetball court. I haven't seen it myself though so don't hold me to that statement.
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I seem to remember them saying something at orientation that when you go into the weight room you can check out different stuff from them like tennis rackets, work-out videos, etc. etc., and I THINK they said something about raquetball.

I wish I'd found out about the raquetball myself, I haven't played in forever and it's such a great workout.
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Well, I hope any of that instructor stuff makes sense to you. What classes are you taking when you get here for "B"? Just the regular freshman stuff or do you already have some credits from H.S. or Community College? Sorry, for just going on and on, I get kinda carried away sometimes.
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Oh yeah, if you don't have your medical/student pilot certificate then get one ASAP, that can really hinder the process of getting you an instructor if you can't even fly if you had one.
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You say that you can get a lot of money from the government and school for being as major. Can you explain some, that is part of the reason that Embry strays me away, because the amount of money that it will cost,
 
Well, I don't get tons of money but I get enough for me to handle the rest. I have two grants from Riddle (total $3500) and then there's some gov't money ($3000/yr) because my mom's the only with a job (dad had back and neck surgery). My grandparents take out parent loans for the rest. I also have a student loan that I won't pay until I graduate ($5000) And then I work part-time for paying for flight and my grandparents help out a little with that too. I even got a $500 scholarship from the Riddle flight department to stay during the summer and fly. I was going to stay anyway so, what the hey? My family's been really supposrtive in paying whatever they can to help me out so I suppose that's part of it. The school financial aid office is really great about finding people loans and scholarships too. Then banks also offer student loans where you don't start paying or even collecting interest until after you graduate. I know it'll be a lot to pay off when I graduate but hey, I really want to do this. So what does money matter? I even looked up on the internet how much it would cost for going to a State school in my hometown and I'd be paying MORE there even being in-state and not flying. So, I decided to stay here. Sometimes, all it takes is exploring your options and talking to people about your situation.
 
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