Some OKC info

teetee

New Member
Since we have been here a week, I thought that I would give some information about how it has worked for my husband so far.

Day 1:
Arrive 7:00. DO NOT BE LATE!!! 7:01 is considered late. This day my husband described as being 1001 ways to get your butt fired day. It is a LOT of rules and regulations. What is tolerated, what is not. That sort of thing. They will introduce you to your class, give you a paper with all the names and numbers of people in your class. You also give a brief introduction of yourself that day.

Day 2 -5:
Air rules and regulations
Runway numbering
Airway Separation started

My husband has said that if you have aviation experience you will be pretty bored. Those without experience have already been studying quite a bit. Even the instructors have commented that they should do a separation of those that have aviation knowledge and those that don't. My husband has 33 students in his basics. 2 people in the class are actually newlyweds that met in CTI school and applied OTS and were both accepted for the same facility. They got the same training date (which was 3 days after their wedding). They lucked out!!

Tonight my husband is studying for his test tomorrow. He has known all the information this week so far. Mainly he is just trying to make sure he has it down pat. Tomorrow is the first test. My husband came home with a HUGE binder full of information. That is the information he will be tested on tomorrow and information that they went over this last week. Some are having huge study groups tonight. My husband's biggest concern was HR protocol and making sure he has that down because it is part of the HUGE binder and can be part of the test.


I have had SEVERAL PM's about where we live. We do not live in FAA housing. We chose to go with a place called Villas on Meridian. Our rent is $625 with our 3 month lease and it goes month to month following that. We have 875 sq ft with 2 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths. The pool is outdoor and opens in March. There are several other apartments here, some are 1 bedrooms and would run you about $525-550/month. With rent, electricity, internet and cable we will run about $26.66 a day. We did have to get some furnishings but that wasn't too bad either. We are sleeping on elevated air mattresses with foam toppers (about $50 for the bed). Our couch is a cheap futon from wal-mart ($100) and I brought a couple pots and pans from home. You could purchase 1 pot and 1 pan for about $10. We purchased the $1.00 plates, $0.50 cups and bowls and $1.00 for 4 spoons, knifes or forks. We purchased a card table and some nicer chairs that we will be taking home with us. We also purchased a desk from wal-mart that is really rather nice for $40. We would have purchased the $16 one but they were all out :( We aren't living in the lap of luxury but we are wanting for anything either. With everything purchased the first month (including what we will pay for electricity and cable when the bills come next month for this months usage), we will be paying about $36-38/day so close to FAA price for a 1 bedroom in bad areas price. Next month we will go to the $26/day price.

There is a fully furnished place just a couple blocks down from us. Still decent area. It is called Warren House. They rent fully furnished rooms for $430/month. If I had known about that place BEFORE we signed the contract for this place I would have thought seriously about going there. It is still in a nicer area but a lot cheaper than FAA and a bit better than what we had to pay and furnish and all. I am not sure how they work electricity. I am thinking you have to pay your own which would bring you to about $600 per month for internet & cable (a $50 special is going on right now for that) and then electricity of about $100/month. That would be about $20 per day. I will go and look at the rooms there this week and give a review on here. I kinda have "Monk" like characteristics when it comes to germs and cleanliness and such so I will be brutally honest on the cleanliness and liveability factor. I will also check with that place about short-term (3 month) leases.:D Hopefully this will be able to help some of you on here save some mega MULLAH!!
 
YES! We just have to wait. The credit card plan was implemented to help people that didn't have liquid cash for deposits and first months rent. We had to pay first months rent and can't turn in the receipt for rent until next monday. We have to float that money for a couple weeks. If we had stayed in FAA housing we wouldn't have had to float any money, it would have been paid for immediately with the FAA credit card.

If you place does accept credit cards then you will be given the choice by the FAA to pay with your own credit card and then be reimbursed later in the month the full $80.40 per diem OR you can choose to have the FAA pay with their credit card then you will get the extra $30 whatever per day after you have been here a couple weeks.

I REALLY stressed the credit card and per diem thing and it was something I could have NOT stressed. At least from what we have seen and learned so far. Also, you will be called out by the FAA if they think something is "fishy" with where you are staying such as they suspect you are staying with family/friends and have a fake lease to get the full per diem rather than the $30 per diem. They may request you to move to another location. I know that has happened to some people that have rented rooms in private residences. If you stick with an apartment complex you should be fine.
 
I just wanted to add that we are staying at the same appartments and that they are so nice to work with! We are staying in the unfurnished because we are moving from Utah and after academy going to Texas. So we have to move our whole house anyways and thought it made more sence to stay unfurnished than in a furnished one and pay for a storage unit.

cant wait for the warmer weather... the freezing 18 inches of snow outside in Utah is getting really old.
 
Since we have been here a week, I thought that I would give some information about how it has worked for my husband so far.

My husband has said that if you have aviation experience you will be pretty bored. Those without experience have already been studying quite a bit. Even the instructors have commented that they should do a separation of those that have aviation knowledge and those that don't.

True, any pilot will breeze through ATC basics without trying. Any instrument rated pilot will sleep through basics. Unfortunately pilots do not get a special spot like CTI's and still have to take a full 5 week basics course. I agree completely that there should be a much shorter accelerated course for pilots.

My husband came home with a HUGE binder full of information. That is the information he will be tested on tomorrow and information that they went over this last week. Some are having huge study groups tonight.

Also true, you get a huge binder of information every week, and take a test every week. Your required to make 90% (3 wrong only) but these tests do not count. The only thing that counts is a 70% final which is a joke after having to make 90's on the weekly tests. Lowest score in our basics was an 83 I believe, class of 18... 15 people were 90+.
The same thing happened with our basics class, a huge study group was formed for the first test. People realized it was much more advantageous to just find a few people to study with and bounce information off of each other... or even study alone.

Moral of the story here is any newcomers into basics should have an easy time getting through it. Even though it is easy, pay attention to detail as you will use the information learned in basics in level 2 courses.
 
Moral of the story here is any newcomers into basics should have an easy time getting through it. Even though it is easy, pay attention to detail as you will use the information learned in basics in level 2 courses.

Is this Rich or John? You are right though, basics was cake compared to level two. I have no experience in aviation whatsoever and got a 90 on the final test. Anyone worried about basics..........shouldn't be.
 
how long do you stay in OKC for the academy?

Roughly, for OTS, Terminal option is 3 months and En Route is four months. I don't remember the exact amount of days right off but its pretty close. For CTI grads, subtract a month for the ATC Basics class.
 
Do any of you guys have CTI grads in your basics class? My husband has 2 and I am friends with a lady here that her husband started last week and is a CTI grad. He was hired faster OTS than CTI and is having to take basics. I am just wondering if these 3 people just happen to be the exception or if this is happening more than was thought.
 
Do any of you guys have CTI grads in your basics class? My husband has 2 and I am friends with a lady here that her husband started last week and is a CTI grad. He was hired faster OTS than CTI and is having to take basics. I am just wondering if these 3 people just happen to be the exception or if this is happening more than was thought.


Btw Barry its John.

Military controllers or CTI grads if they apply under a PUBNAT still get stuck taking basics. We did not have anyone who fit that bill in our basics class. The poor CTI grads that get hired and have to take basics are going to feel cheated.... when they realize they just spent $40,000 for an education they could have gotten paid to learn in 5 weeks. Ouch...
 
btw barry its john.

Military controllers or cti grads if they apply under a pubnat still get stuck taking basics. We did not have anyone who fit that bill in our basics class. The poor cti grads that get hired and have to take basics are going to feel cheated.... When they realize they just spent $40,000 for an education they could have gotten paid to learn in 5 weeks. Ouch...

they get a freakin degree
 
Not sure what your arguement is Mr. Fent, but I have a degree too, just not in ATC. If this doesn't work out for me, I have something to fall back on. I feel for those CTI grads for spending their time and money on something they didn't really need. I am kind of curious about what they learn in those two years and how the material could be condensed into 5 weeks of Basics training...
 
they get a freakin degree

They get a degree in something I just spent 5 weeks of my life to obtain the same knowledge (and got paid for). Sure I did not get a degree in it, but I'm going to do the same damn job and get the same pay for it. Not to mention I have a 4 yr degree in Aeronautics and a Commercial rating to show for it if this does not work out.

It just simply makes so much more sense to skip CTI school and get hired OTS at this point in time... now a year ago it was a completely different story.
 
All I'm saying is that those who go the CTI route shouldn't complain that they had to pay for something that those who got hired OTS did not. They ended up with a 4 year degree. If by chance they wash out, they still have the degree.
 
All I'm saying is that those who go the CTI route shouldn't complain that they had to pay for something that those who got hired OTS did not. They ended up with a 4 year degree. If by chance they wash out, they still have the degree.

Just incase you forgot. Some of us went to CTI school because at the time there wasn't OTS hiring... I myself would have still gone to college to get a degree but I have a bunch of friends who have 2 degrees. One from a CTI school becasue at the time there wasn't any other way you could become a controller.
 
Was wondering if it would be beneficial to bring a lap top to the academy. also backpacks... will they be necessary? I haven't had a back pack for 5 years.
 
Was wondering if it would be beneficial to bring a lap top to the academy. also backpacks... will they be necessary? I haven't had a back pack for 5 years.
Laptops are not allowed at all. I don't know about backpacks but you really won't need one. All they give you is a spiral notebook, a pen and a pencil, and a bunch of handouts that you take home and probably never look at again (except maybe the end of lesson tests). Get one of those portfolio folders and just put the handouts/notebook in there and that's pretty much all you'll need. And you don't need to bring anything at all to class. They give you all you need.

Oh also they give you all of the lessen plans/study materials on a CD-ROM so at least have a laptop back in your apartment.
 
Get one of those portfolio folders and just put the handouts/notebook in there and that's pretty much all you'll need.

Trapper Keeper.. CHECK!

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I got one for HONU as well...


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We had to go and purchase a backpack (actually it is a courier bag) for class. His class is sharing a classroom and they can't leave anything there. They have these HUGE 1" binders full of information and he was sick of carrying it back and forth so he just got a bag to keep it in. I really wish we would have brought a bag rather than spending $15 on something we had at home!
 
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