Delta Connection Academy...THOUGHTS????

[CX880]

As a current instructor for MAPD, I recommend it highly. What Bobby S said about it being a disciplined program is true. The program produces quality pilots while always keeping the students best interests in mind. The program works and in my 16 months here I have seen the results of hundreds of satisfied graduates - from both ab initio and PACE.
I don't want to hijack this thread, but if you may be interested feel free to contact me, and I will be happy to talk to you about it - from an inside point of view.

yea you forgot to mention that you'll end up at MESA after the program..

 

[JRSLim]

yea you forgot to mention that you'll end up at MESA after the program..

Yep - exactly, but for someone with 300 hours, they are pretty happy to be working for Mesa - gaining turbine time with which they can later move on with.

 

[CX880]

Yep - exactly, but for someone with 300 hours, they are pretty happy to be working for Mesa - gaining turbine time with which they can later move on with.

Yea right, I'd rather set my own schedule, wake up whenever I want, make 40 per hour as a CFI. Sure beats $20 per hour working 14 hours per day with 8 days off per month, turbine or no turbine. MAPD grads have to be FOs for a long time anyways rendering that turbine experience useless. Do mapd grads even have enough pic to get the ATP?

 

[JRSLim]

Yea right, I'd rather set my own schedule, wake up whenever I want, make 40 per hour as a CFI. Sure beats $20 per hour working 14 hours per day with 8 days off per month, turbine or no turbine. MAPD grads have to be FOs for a long time anyways rendering that turbine experience useless. Do mapd grads even have enough pic to get the ATP?

No, they don't (have enough PIC for ATP) - when they graduate after 19 months. They are trained to be first officers for the airline - the ATP isn't an issue at that point.
Everybody has their own path. What the program does is take relatively low time/no time pilots, and give them the training necessary to be an asset as a first officer. I have flown with many 1000+ hour pilots outside the program who would not be as well suited for a FO position as MAPD grads. Sure they have to be FOs for a while, but pretty much everyone does. How many years does the $40/hr CFI have to work to get the minimums to be hired for the same job? The MAPD program gets you to interview standards in 19 months.
The reality is turbine time is turbine time- and is rarely 'useless' unless your career goal involves being a bush pilot in Alaska.
MAPD isn't just another quickie flight school that takes your money up front and closes down the next week. We are the training academy for the airline. Students still have to meet the standards, and still have to pass the interview, but they are interviewing for a job they have been specifically trained for - the first thing that happens is they get a CFM - modelled after the MESA CFMs. They do flows and checklists from day one. Line pilots request MAPD grads because they know the quality of the person they are flying with. Thats the difference between finding your own route as a CFI and going through the program - you get there faster, and your skills are specific to the job.

Thanks giving me the chance to answer your questions.

 

[bknight_c50]

Line pilots request MAPD grads because they know the quality of the person they are flying with.

I'm gonna have to disagree with that sentence of your post. I'm a line pilot, and I fly with a lot of other line pilots. For one, we never request a specific person to fly with, because we can't...whoever shows up that morning to start the trip is who you're flying with, like it or not.

The general opinion from the captains I fly with is that a new hire is a new hire...No real differences between them, they're all kinda green, and the captain has to be on his toes and verify everything regardless of the new hire's background as far as where they got their licenses. No one school better than the other, and no certain route better than the other. They're inexperienced, and to some varying degree, they're behind the airplane a little. Not that this is bad...it's gonna take awhile for anyone to catch up in a new airplane...The point of this all is that if a line pilot could "request" any type of pilot to fly with, they're going to request an FO that's been at the company for a year or two that's up up speed with everything, and has some experience under their belt to be able to help make decisions with knowledge that you can really only get by doing the job. That said, you gotta start somewhere, and almost everyone on the regional and majors board was once a green new hire, that made captains suck on the seat cushions every now and then. Regardless of your school, when you're a newhire you're going to make some captains nervous...I know I did.

I'm not bashing your post or your school, but that line about pilots requesting MAPD grads just kinda sounds like what the admissions people feed you when they're trying to get you to sign on the dotted line. Nothing wrong with that...it's their job, but that's one of the many not quite 100% accurate things that students are told when they check out a school with the hope that the students will believe them.

 

[Grey Ghost]

Just go to Sheble's aviation and save all your money to get the same training and ratings!!!!!

 

[SSMOWS6]

I don't know what she was driving when you were there maybe she toned down, but that AMG Mercedes she had when I was there was easy over 100K. In case anyone was interested where the money goes it goes into the pockets of the admissions guys (ie salesman), clever marketing, and the guys with the offices.

I'm going to get on a soap box and vent again:
Blowing my money there pisses me off to this day; 4 years later flying and for the USAF, I still send a $500 a month payment to Key Bank. I don't know what they do now but I was straight lied to about the costs and time involved. I was shown an average cost chart which was completely flawed. Once I got it figured out through pulling teeth with my instructors how much the real average cost is, I got out. It cost me about 46K through single commercial. Flying garbage planes that I would be scared to fly these days.
This had nothing to do with lack of skills and most anyone one who has flown with me military and civilian can honestly say that I am a good stick. Although that was what DCA told me when I inquired as to why my fees were way high. The only guys who came close to the average costs and this was very few people. Were those who were #1 good pilots and #2 had instructors who made sure to cut corners so they didn't get raped by the costs. I had this during my instrument phase and mad it under average costs but got raped during private and comm. After not flying a plane for 8 months a was able to get my Multi comm in 7 hours including the FAA ride. So my skills were not the issue in my opinion.
Off soap box back to trying to forget that POS place.

In case anyone is still up for suing this place I'm still for it but I will not be the one organizing. I don't have the time or the legal connections.

Agreed. I got raped in private and commercial there as well. I eventually ran out of money and had to stop after commercial. They also refused to help me find financial help elsewhere. I too will being flying for USAF. I'll take my C-5A Galaxy over their piece of ******************** planes anyday.

 

[JRSLim]

I'm gonna have to disagree with that sentence of your post......

You're right, bad choice of words. Instead of request, I should have said 'prefer'. And even though anyone is going to be behind a new aircraft, the school's graduates have been trained in the procedures which does help over a perosn who hasn't. Even when I came to the shool as an instructor, I had no concept of flows etc.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Bryan D]

They do flows and checklists from day one.

I attended Comair Academy. They have the flow and checklist market cornered. Something they are even better at is seperating a student from their money.
The thing to remember is this; there are only two kinds of people in Florida, crooks and victims. I'm glad to be out of there. Save your money and go to an FBO.

 

[Ray Finkle]

I work with a CFI who went through DCA and needless to say he got raped big time. I think he's in for over $60,000 for everything up through his CFI. I did all mine for under $30,000, through a good ol fashioned community college program at the local airport. Now I chose to go through that type of program because at the time I didnt have money lying around to pay for just the flight school, so I had to enroll and take some basic classes. But still, I did it for less the half of what my friend got taken for and got another degree out of it in the process. Steer clear.

 

[The_Russian]

Stop bumping this thread!

 

[acaTerry]

yea you forgot to mention that you'll end up at MESA after the program..

I don't know why, but that was so funny I almost fell outta my chair! BINGO!!!