Heading to DCA tomorrow

[cforst513]

I know some of you will tear me a new orifice for saying this, but I am taking Delta Connection Academy up on their offer to fly me down to their facilities for "free" (I say "Free" b/c I have to drop $125 for hotel, transport, some grub, etc. $125 isn't bad, plus I haven't flown in a while ). So I wanted to ask you pilots 2 questions:

1) What should I ask the guy at my interview? I know the price is rediculous (in the neighborhood of $100K) but mainly I guess I need to find out my total time and multi time when I leave there, right? Is there anything else I should look out for? Maybe how new their equipment is (though I realize, with proper care/maintenance, an airplane can last seemingly forever) or anything like that?

2) I might have the opportunity to sit down in their CRJ simulator. What should I expect? Most of my flight experience is, unfortunately, through MSFS 2002, which is a far-cry from reality, I'm sure. Should I try a barrel roll? Heh heh, just kidding.

Any advice/help you guys and gals can give me would be greatly appreciated. I am about 99.9% sure that I will not be attending DCA (gonna visit Mazzei soon) but I figure I need to visit these schools to see what they really have to offer. Safe flying!!

~Chad

 

[FN FAL]

Back when I was looking at 141 schools in the early 90's, I took Comair up on their offer of a "free" trip to Orlando. Since I lived in GRB at the time, I had to drive down to MKE to get on a Comair turbo prop. If I'm not mistaken it was a three leg trip.

Unfortunately, the salesperson that booked me on this space available journey didn't take into consideration that it was "race week" in Daytona. I got bumped and had to spend the night in Birmingham Alabama. If you get bumped, you'll be expected to wait for a seat and if there are none, you'll pay for your own hotel room once again.

Don't let these guys make you think you owe them something because they gave you a space available ticket to come see their school. It didn't cost them anything, you're just filling up the empty seat.

Also, don't sign anything while you're down there...take time to think about it. A hundred grand is an awful lot of money to spend on a promise of an interview.

I chose a different 141 school and that was at the time, $19,500...PVT to MEI with lodging in a two bedroom apartment for six months and lodging in a company house with 5 guys for 3 months. Utilities included. I think at the time, Comair wanted $35,000 and guaranteed an interview with their flight school...which supposedly lead to a guaranteed interview with the airline.

The school I chose, was in the middle of negotiating a deal with US AIR to be their Ab-initio school. Thank gawd that never materialized.

 

[SMOE]

They don't have a CRJ Simulator. Its a half-assed FTD with a very nice visual system that makes all the students and instructors go ooh, aah!

Ask them what the percentage is of pilots who start out zero time and make it through CFI/CFII

Ask them what percentage of those new CFIs make it into the instructor pool.

Ask them what percentage in the instructor pool actually get hired on as instructors.

Ask them what percentage of DCA instructors get HIRED by an airline, and exactly which airlines by the numbers.

Ask them why some of their instructors saw the writing on the wall and found their own airline jobs before they had given the 800 dual.

The main thing to keep in mind when you go see the dog and pony show is THEY WANT YOUR MONEY and they will throw all kinds of guarantees your way. Just remember the only sure thing with that school is they WILL separate you from your money.


...and don't let them convince you they are the only ticket to an airline job!

Just $.02 from a former student.

(if you really want to attend this type of school check out MAPD)

 

[labbats]

Ask him if there really is a sucker born every minute, or if the clock just starts ticking when you walk in the door.

 

[Flechas]

go to a good fbo, and get a college degree, non-aviation, and that will save you a sh!t load of money.
i went to riddle after doin 2 years in a state university and did instrument, comm, and multi at riddle. got out of there as soon as i could (cfi, ii, mei).
im not saying the education at riddle was bad, they do have a good program together, but it's way too much money for what you get after.
think about it, you dump 100,000 in to a carrer and then have to instruct for a couple years living paycheck to paycheck, or not even that, but behind the paychek, not even knowing if you will get one netx week (bad wx, hurricanes, no students....). then you go fly cargo or go to a regional and still make nothing, the only difference is that you know for sure that you will get a paycheck as long as the company is still alive, which you never know whats gonna happen these days.

im not trying to get you out of aviation by any means, i would do it all over again, i would not change my office at FL370 fo any 9-5 job in the world. but be smarter then me and a bunch of us, got to an fbo and finish all your ratings faster than you would at comair.
bottom line is, what you learn is up to you, i met a lot of people at riddle that have no place in this business and think they are hot sh!t because they went to riddle.

FWIW

Flechas

ps pm me if you want personal recomendations on where to fly

 

[SlamClicker]

And wear your hip boots...

They don't have a CRJ Simulator. Its a half-assed FTD with a very nice visual system that makes all the students and instructors go ooh, aah!

Ask them what the percentage is of pilots who start out zero time and make it through CFI/CFII

Ask them what percentage of those new CFIs make it into the instructor pool.

Ask them what percentage in the instructor pool actually get hired on as instructors.

Ask them what percentage of DCA instructors get HIRED by an airline, and exactly which airlines by the numbers.

Ask them why some of their instructors saw the writing on the wall and found their own airline jobs before they had given the 800 dual.

The main thing to keep in mind when you go see the dog and pony show is THEY WANT YOUR MONEY and they will throw all kinds of guarantees your way. Just remember the only sure thing with that school is they WILL separate you from your money.


...and don't let them convince you they are the only ticket to an airline job!

Just $.02 from a former student.

(if you really want to attend this type of school check out MAPD)

^What he said^
I can just hear Lou now "aahh...I'll get those numbers for you. The truth is our program is not easy, not everyone makes it...blah..blah..blah our training is the best..blah..blah" and I'm thinking to myself his head is very shiny I wonder if he polishes it? Thats a nice model airplane on your desk Lou, is that a P-38?

 

[FN FAL]

They don't have a CRJ Simulator. Its a half-assed FTD with a very nice visual system that makes all the students and instructors go ooh, aah!

Ask them what the percentage is of pilots who start out zero time and make it through CFI/CFII

Ask them what percentage of those new CFIs make it into the instructor pool.

Ask them what percentage in the instructor pool actually get hired on as instructors.

Ask them what percentage of DCA instructors get HIRED by an airline, and exactly which airlines by the numbers.

Ask them why some of their instructors saw the writing on the wall and found their own airline jobs before they had given the 800 dual.

The main thing to keep in mind when you go see the dog and pony show is THEY WANT YOUR MONEY and they will throw all kinds of guarantees your way. Just remember the only sure thing with that school is they WILL separate you from your money.


...and don't let them convince you they are the only ticket to an airline job!

Just $.02 from a former student.

(if you really want to attend this type of school check out MAPD)

I see nothing has changed in a decade. I got the "willies" while I was there touring as well.

The clencher for me was, on all six legs I took the time to talk to our flight crew on those turboprops...and not one single pilot that I talked to, had gone to the academy. I'm sure that's different now days, but it really made me think about where I was going to spend my money.

 

[cforst513]

thanks for your help, everyone! i'll be leaving in an hour but i'll check back one more time.

flechas, in response to your post, i will graduate in May/'05 with a B.S. in biology. as i stated in my original post, i'm not going to go to DCA. i just want to get out of ohio for a few days. i'll go to a cheaper, supposedly family-owned place out in fresno called Mazzei (www.flymfs.com). i haven't considered mesa yet, however. problem is, around here, i have no good fbo options. there are a lot of private CFI's around where I live, and i know how to contact them, but i fear my training will be scattered and intermittant. that's why i am going to get it all done at once.

as for everyone else's warnings about them just wanting my money, i know this . i talked to an "admissions counselor", a.k.a. sales rep, on the phone, and he sounded like a dirt-bag. just that one convo, and the $100K thing, and i knew that DCA wasn't for me.

keep the advice coming! thanks everyone.

 

[mayday1]

i was there a number of years ago, so some things may have changed... but, my prediction... you will not be impressed by their facilities or aircraft. After seeing their glossy advertisements, and hearing their talk, I was expecting something else when i got down there... not a dilapidated building, with aircraft that didn't look airworthy. So, really made me question where my money would be going - it wasn't to facilities or aircraft, that's for sure.

 

[FN FAL]

i was there a number of years ago, so some things may have changed... but, my prediction... you will not be impressed by their facilities or aircraft. After seeing their glossy advertisements, and hearing their talk, I was expecting something else when i got down there... not a dilapidated building, with aircraft that didn't look airworthy. So, really made me question where my money would be going - it wasn't to facilities or aircraft, that's for sure.

Heheheh...have you seen those PanAm TV commercials on the new "Military Channel" ?

 

[mayday1]

Heheheh...have you seen those PanAm TV commercials on the new "Military Channel" ?

no, I don't get the military channel.. but I guess there's the typical disconnect between advertising and reality..? All the more reason to make sure you visit the school you're considering!!!

 

[l-ron]

pm me if you want details, i finished at dca in dec of 03.

 

[Oakum_Boy]

What a gay place. Their adverts say it all. Would anyone seriously consider this place with an ad like- "Being owned by Delta means everything!"? Well, I work for an airline owned by Delta and that is basically code for: "What an embarassing place to work."

Why not go to a reputable university and learn a skill that actually means something, should Delta, the big "D", go titz up as most analysts predict?

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

I checked out "DCA" (aka Comair, not Washington Dulles) when I first moved to Orlando a few years ago. I was looking for a place to rent a bugsmasher. It was a very busy place so I speculate you'll feel like a number. The planes did not appear to be in great shape as far as the outside/surface appearance. Their rental prices were a little higher than other FBO's.

Don't understand the uniform thing. Three guys packed into a 172 on a typical hot Florida summer day and here they are wearing a shirt and tie. There will be plenty of shirt and tie days after a person gets hired.

 

[chperplt]

I'm curious how the new DALPA deal that requires all new 70s to be staffed with a percentage of Delta pilots will affect the academy's ability to place students.

My guess is that the number of academy students hired in the future (next few years anyway) will be very low.

 

[indianboy7]

I would recommend you try and get around while you're down there....there are a few other flight schools within a couple hours drive from Orlando, and you'll be able to make a better decision. If you have extra time, rent a car and drive down to Vero, Fort Pierce, and even Daytona....You'll be surprised at the variety of environments that these different flight schools provide....