X-Country phase

[Ryan110175]

I'm currently deciding on which location to attend the 90-day program at. What are the x-country legs out west compared to the one's in Florida compare? I used to be seriously set on Stuart, but would rather fly in a part of the country I haven't really seen before. It seems the x-country legs in Stuart aren't very long. Atlanta and Dallas are the furthest they go (I hear). Anyone have any opions on the Sacremento location?

 

[Pfly]

I can't speak for any west coast locations specifically, since I did the program in Jax, but you will likely fly roughly in the geographical half of the country where you are training. I flew as far north as Trenton and as far west as Dallas. It depends entirely on where dispatch needs planes and when they need to be there.

 

[Ryan110175]

Ah thanks Pfly. Whenever I talked to someone on the phone they made it sound that coast to coast x-country's were very common, but when I talked to former students and reading online diaries, it was more like they flew just in the region they were trained. Did you regularly fly that far north and west, or did was it a "once-in-a-while" thing? I'd like to stay relatively close to home, so my wife could possibly visit, but I'd really like to do my training in a part of the country I haven't seen yet

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[Pfly]

My cross country phase lasted about 11 days and i was in several different places every time I flew. Some people have the opportunity to see both coasts, some see only a few cities, and others get everything in between. Again, it's all a matter of what locations need aircraft, which ones are close to being timed out and need to get to a MX facility, a student needs an aircraft for their initial CFI ride, etc, etc. Everyones experience is unique, which to me was one of the things I looked forward to. A word of advice - if you're looking into the 90 day program, don't plan too many visits. It's intense. Spend every minute you can studying. It goes by fast, trust me.