Sierra Academy?

born2aviate

born2aviate

Well-Known Member
:deadhorse::deadhorse: I know...I'm just wondering if they are still doing things the same old way or if things have changed. Is QOL any beter for instructors out there? Just sent in my resume and hoping for some good info.

Thanx
 
I got a friend who just started working there. Instructors can get furnished housing for something like $150 a month which is pretty sweet. He said the only downside is that it is in the middle of nowhere is there isn't much to do. And I think the weather there gets marginal quite often.
 
at1024 said:
He said the only downside is that it is in the middle of nowhere is there isn't much to do.
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That's right, Atwater is nothing exciting. But, Yosemite is 90 minutes drive east and the bay area is 90 minutes drive northwest. So, daytrips to places like that on days off are nice.

All recent job details aside, you take this job to fly. Others can give info on what the latest is on working there but when a bunch of us were there a few years ago you could fly a lot and make a lot of money by CFI standards, and have basically no bills other than your own living expenses.

at1024 said:
And I think the weather there gets marginal quite often.
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It does this time of the year, but around March it switches to 30SM and CLR for about seven continuous months. Flew 100+ hours a month for months on end.
 
I think we have a member onboard that used to work there, they had a fatal a year or two ago with a student running into a prop, the housing is cheap but you get what you pay for, super basic, and the pay is crazy stupid. You get paid based on your students passing stage checks, first time passes, etc...no hourly rate, no salary, your first pay check shows up after your students finally pass stage 1 ppl.
 
at1024 said:
I got a friend who just started working there. Instructors can get furnished housing for something like $150 a month which is pretty sweet. He said the only downside is that it is in the middle of nowhere is there isn't much to do. And I think the weather there gets marginal quite often.
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Don't forget the lovely central valley heat as well during the summer. I don't know if it gets as bad up there as it does down here in BFL but it will make you think about putting a gun in your mouth at some point after 5 hours of continuous sweating.
 
Currently work at Sierra.
Housing $125/mo. New hires will share a room ($62.50/person/mo).
Pay $17/hr.
On Campus Cafeteria $3/meal.
Weather typically IFR-MVFR until Mar.
Flew <50hr in Dec.
Guaranteed start w/ 4 students.
 
This place will ruin your credit. Go there if you have money and a high credit limit. Atwater is a pretty nasty place. I lived over in the newer apartments which I think they closed not sure.. Pretty sad they double up instructors in rooms. You live in the old barracks furniture and beds are all left over from what the airforce left behind. Thus seem to always have a bad flea problem and bed bug problem with all the cats roaming around there... You can fly a lot. But I think they started regulating that. Planes are all very old 152's, some scary alarus's and about 5-6 Seminoles. Ifr in the 152s was pretty interesting. The engines like to make some weird noises and some have cut out. Korean owners are crazy. But like I said if you have the money already go ahead and go. But just hope and pray that you don't have any accidents or inccidents when you get out of there. The FAA loves to come hang out there...
 
Current conditions at KMCE:
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Looks like they lowered the rent but two to a room just like the Chinese students? Yeah, I don't see that lasting. No, you won't stay in the nice looking rooms they show on the website. Watch out for your valuables as they are located on an abandoned USAF base and the empty buildings are magnets for unsavory characters who will come by the dorms and try and sell you back the things they stole the night before.
 
well i saw a couple tricks looking for some treats but that's a whole other story right there. Goood thing Dan Yoon was in china
 
It would seem there have been some changes since I was there in 2006! As adventurous as it was with accommodations and the free food on the ground, the flying was a lot of fun, especially when instructors would team up to take students to various places for instruction (eg. the night IMC "train" to Salinas or Santa Rosa, Oakland, and back.)
 
That place owes me 6 grand in back pay. They didn't like us very much after our 3 or 4th CFI strike. So some of us didn't get payed. Currently this place is the very bottom of the barrel. If you go to Sierra Academy to work, your not looking hard enough where you are. Live at home, enjoy the free food and laundry and use your CFI as much as you can. Get a second or third gig if you must. But after my 3rd engine failure in a duchess. I was done.

In short.......DONT GO!
 
SFCC/UND said:
What happened with iasco?
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Didn't make it to the flight. They were asking a lot of questions that I couldn't have studied for, like: If your student shows up unprepared for a flight, what do you do? I thought the best response would be to say that I would tell the student that I am not about to waist time, money and company resources by going up with him/her since he/she is unprepared and will not gain much from the flight anyways. To go home and study and we will try again the next day. This is not what they wanted to hear. When they tried to hint it to me by saying that the student was on a strict schedule and the flight had to be completed that day, I told them that if that is what had to be done...I'd do it but they were looking for something els. Seemed like anything i would have said was bound to be wrong.

When they asked me how to motivate their students I gave the answer of reminding them why they got in to aviation in the first place and to reinforce the love of flight. They told me that their students don't get in to aviation for the same reason we do, they do it to make money for their families. like I said, I don't feel like studying would have made a difference. I would be able to answer these questions after I had experience working with their students, not before.

It's too bad, it seemed like a really good place to work and I would have loved to work there.

Ps. Sorry for the half assed write up, I'm on my way out the door and wanted to get back to you guys before I left.
 
born2aviate said:
Didn't make it to the flight. They were asking a lot of questions that I couldn't have studied for, like: If your student shows up unprepared for a flight, what do you do? I thought the best response would be to say that I would tell the student that I am not about to waist time, money and company resources by going up with him/her since he/she is unprepared and will not gain much from the flight anyways. To go home and study and we will try again the next day.
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Wow.... You could have said, TEACH them the subject matter before you fly...
 
Inverted said:
Wow.... You could have said, TEACH them the subject matter before you fly...
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I'm assuming you've never taught Chinese students before w/ this remark? Born2aviate I agree 100% w/ your answer and after teaching Chinese students I'd do the exact same thing.
 
jhugz said:
I'm assuming you've never taught Chinese students before w/ this remark? Born2aviate I agree 100% w/ your answer and after teaching Chinese students I'd do the exact same thing.
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Yes I have, I am not saying what I would actually do, but do you think any company wants to hear a potential employee say the words "I don't want to waste my time"?
 
jhugz said:
I think we have a member onboard that used to work there, they had a fatal a year or two ago with a student running into a prop, the housing is cheap but you get what you pay for, super basic, and the pay is crazy stupid. You get paid based on your students passing stage checks, first time passes, etc...no hourly rate, no salary, your first pay check shows up after your students finally pass stage 1 ppl.
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I was there for that, along with a few others on this post. Grim, I predict a lonely grim future for you if you go this route.

How many people does it take to tell you not to go work at Sierra?
 
For those of you that take this job, I just want to thank you for helping continue the race to the bottom. Its only a matter of time before an instructor dies or get seriously violated. I was there, and ive been back to MCE and MER on a cargo run. The Yoons don't care about safety, aviation, or anything else. You die in an Alarus, they wont even send your last paycheck to who ever, or flowers to your funeral. It was a great place back in the day. If Jonathan Ornstein ran a flight school, it would be exactly like this.
 
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