Heading to Higher Power on 2/28...

[matchthehatch]

and am finalizing my plans. A search of previous threads leaves most of my questions unanswered.

I believe I will stay at Amerisuites because of what I perceive to be their superior fitness center and the cost. Is it possible to spend the entire two weeks at this hotel without a car? Are there sufficient bars, er I mean dining establishments within walking distance of the hotel? How is the hotel? Is their shuttle service to HPA timely and efficient?

Any comments are greatly appreciated. Anyone else heading to HPA on that date?

Thanks,

D

 

[p3hawk]

Hey D, I stayed at Ameri-Suites when I went to HPA. They were satifactory. If you dont have a car you fall dependent on their shuttle service. It is below par. yes the rooms are good and it is within walking distance of HPA, I found the Holiday Inn across the street to be better. Plus I also got points. membership reward points that is.

Just my 2 cents worth, P3hawk

 

[Osmosis]

I was at HPA two weeks ago. I found Amerisuites pretty darn convienent. Although many times I had to wait on a shuttle (They were not and could not be at my beckon call), I did get to any place I wanted to go to eat within a timely manner. If you stay there just understand that simulator pickups take precedence over personal shuttle service... as it should. The fitness room is satisfactory, but better than nothing.

The holiday inn is just as close, but you may not have a guarentee to get to your sim. Amerisuites has a contract with HPA, so you will not miss your training. On off shuttle hours, they hire and pay for a taxi to your sim.

I hope this helps...

 

[cathal]

best avatar i've seen.

 

[FracCapt]

The fitness room is satisfactory, but better than nothing.

What do you consider satisfactory? What kind of equipment? Decent shape?

I'm headed out on Mar 21st...but will probably rent a car. I plan to make a couple of trips to different parts of Dallas to visit friends for a few hours.

 

[Oakum_Boy]

I think you mean beck and call.

 

[p3hawk]

hey fracCapt, If you rent a car dont go through ENTERPRISE. They'll rip you off big time.

 

[Osmosis]

I probably didn't give the equipment enough credit. The fitness room is pretty nice... full nautilus, mats, bike, treadmill and if remember correctly some dumb bells (Don't quote me on the dumb bells). None of the equipment was broken, unlike most hotels. Plus, there is a nice golf course behind higher power you can run late in the evening without dodging too many golf balls.

If you are planning on spending time with friends during the week, I highly suggest memorizing everything on the cds they send with the cockpit layouts before you get there... otherwise you will find yourself wanting to study. I didn't take the pre-study very seriously, and was way behind from the start.

Yep, it is probably beck and call. Hence why I am a pilot and not an English teacher... my bad on the spelling everyone.

 

[matchthehatch]

Thanks for the replies.

What do you consider satisfactory? What kind of equipment? Decent shape?

I called the front desk to ask about the fitness center. The girl put me through to the maintenance supervisor who told me that the dumb bells go to 50 # and that they have all sorts of Nautilus machines. Who am I kidding anyway? Ground school is always when I start getting fat.

I think you mean beck and call.

Actually either is correct. "Beck and call" is an Americanized version and an idiom for "beckon call". (yeah, I researched it) Beckon call is the more correct of the two.

Sounds like I'll survive the Amerisuites. Looking forward to it. Osmosis - you're scaring the crap out of me. Da%$. I guess I have to study now.

best avatar i've seen.

Thanks cathal. Brown trout from the Madison in MT. Best day of fishing I've ever had. If only I could feed my family by standing in a stream all day...

 

[FracCapt]

I probably didn't give the equipment enough credit. The fitness room is pretty nice... full nautilus, mats, bike, treadmill and if remember correctly some dumb bells (Don't quote me on the dumb bells). None of the equipment was broken, unlike most hotels. Plus, there is a nice golf course behind higher power you can run late in the evening without dodging too many golf balls.

Sounds like it'll do the job. It'll be strange actually staying in a hotel, AND being able to get on a consistent workout routine....that never happens at work!

If you are planning on spending time with friends during the week, I highly suggest memorizing everything on the cds they send with the cockpit layouts before you get there... otherwise you will find yourself wanting to study. I didn't take the pre-study very seriously, and was way behind from the start.

Yea, I've already spent 20 hours or so in the books in the past 2 weeks since I got the books, and still have more than 6 weeks until I go. Unfortunately, it was the soonest I could get off of work. I don't plan on spending a lot of time visiting...maybe a few hours on a few different nights. Then again, I may find that I need to focus more on studying, and scratch those plans...I'll make that decision when the time comes.

In any case, I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully the type will be enough to push me over the edge for an interview.

 

[Osmosis]

If you are polite to the staff at Amerisuites and patient with the van... they will reward you by going the extra mile (pardon the pun). Tips to the drivers are probably always appreciated when they are driving you on personal trips.

The oral is pretty much the cds going through preflight flow. If you write everything Lynn says as he goes through the system and memorize that, the first week will be a breeze. The oral is in depth, but at least I walked out of the class knowing the 737. The sims are pretty easy as long as you can deal with very old flight directors and autopilot systems. No matter what you will have time to see friends and family during the sim phase.

Don't be scared... HP over prepares you and they do a great job! The oral and sim check will be a piece of cake by the time you get to them. The anticipation is what sucks. You will walk out of the class very fufilled and be happy to have your $7300 hat. The training at HP is free, the hat unfortunately is not.

Good luck! If you have anymore questions don't hesitate to ask. I hope SWA calls you soon after.

That is a beautiful brownie. I can't wait to get fly fishing again!

(Sorry still learning this website, so I am not up-to-speed on the whole quote thing)

 

[FracCapt]

If you are polite to the staff at Amerisuites and patient with the van... they will reward you by going the extra mile (pardon the pun). Tips to the drivers are probably always appreciated when they are driving you on personal trips.

Well, looks like the trips to hang out with friends are out, and I'll be relying on the shuttle to get me to/from class, sim, and places to eat(if not in walking distance). I priced rental cars, and they're nearly $500 for 2 weeks(that's from DFW, about $400 from Love), with well over $150 of that in taxes, concession recovery fees, facility usage fees, and registration fees.... Anybody else remember when all those fees were PART OF the rental cost, not IN ADDITION TO?

 

[wasp junior]

Actually either is correct. "Beck and call" is an Americanized version and an idiom for "beckon call". (yeah, I researched it) Beckon call is the more correct of the two.

I chuckled at the "misspelling" because it seemed a more accurate description of the definition.

Thanks for learning me something...I guess I'm American.

 

[Maharba]

I stayed at the Amerisuites and there were about six other people in my class staying there. Just hook up with them in the morning and you should be able to ride with them to class. They are also good transportation for food and errands.

For the simulators, if your partner has a car, it won't be a problem riding with them for training.
Good luck

 

[Aubie]

Some good advice...

1. Stay at Amerisuites. The gym is fine, no bar but honestly you are probably not going to have a lot of free time anyway. Anyone who shows up without doing a lot of pre-study is in for a rude awakening. HPA is a short walk away. There really aren't any bars anywhere close anyhow.

2. *** VERY IMPORTANT*** Be very nice to everyone at HPA. Treat it like the first part of the interview. Don't be rude or talk down to anyone there. And don't make an ass of yourself when the SWA people dept come and talk to you. Some guy actually got into an argument with a rep from SWA about the type of hours they accept and made her very upset. Think he's gonna get the call? It would suck to drop $8300 and then piss off the people you want to hire you.

3. The people at HPA are absolutely great. Treat them as such and they will help you out. They are completely a first class outfit and want to help all their grads out. If you have a hard time treating non-pilots as equals, or think guys from other backgrounds are inferior to you, you'll want to check your attitude at the door. The whole 2 weeks is in some ways part of a job interview. And get to know all the guys (and gals) in your class. Some of the finest people I have met I met going through that class at HPA. And keep in touch with them.

4. The manuals they give you leave a lot to be desired. Study the flows and take good notes in class. The CD's are good. A guy in our class made an excellent overview of the systems panel by panel and left it on the computer there in the room behind the classroom. They go into much greater depth (and at a pretty quick rate) than that practice test they mail to you suggests.

Have fun, work hard, and enjoy it.

 

[iflyfred]

Restaurant and a bar across the street at the Holiday Inn.

 

[beytzim]

The Amerisuites gym has 50 pound dumbbells and is better than most hotel gyms, but is still a 'hotel' gym. For a better workout, call the YMCA and get a two week 'pilot' rate for $30 . The van will take you there. The driver/hotel may not know where it is, as it's brand new.

Places to eat are Chili's and place to drink are Humperdink's. Humperdinks is where I recommend going. You should have no problem going there and having a few drinks after day 3 or 4 of ground school. Shuttle van will take you there.

I would recommend the Amerisuites instead of Holiday Inn simply for the fact that the rest of the class will be there. If you're an extrovert and like hanging out with your classmates and having a beer with them, then stay at Amerisuites. If collecting points is more important to you then Southwest may not be what you're looking for anyway.

 

[iflyfred]

If collecting points is more important to you then Southwest may not be what you're looking for anyway.

I think that is being just a bit dramatic. When it comes down to choosing between the two hotels (Amerisuites vs Holiday Inn), pick whatever aspect is most important to you. The Amerisuites has a better gym and is four minutes closer to HPA. The Holiday Inn has an indoor/outdoor pool, a restaurant and a bar on the premises and has room service. Van services are essentially the same. The two hotels are about a four minute walk apart, so getting everyone together for a beer in the evenings in no hassle.

 

[fandango]

Higher Power 2/7 class...Anyone else?

I got my class set up the day I was notified I was gonna be furloughed from Independence. I will be there on the 7th. I live about an hour and a half away, and am gonna try initially to drive rather than hotel it. Any other 7th guys, let me know. I will have a car there obviously, and would be happy to share with class mates. Good luck guys, and see you there.

 

[Enterprise]

Higher Power Feb 21st class

I am going down there on the 21st. I am driving down there so I will have my car. I would be happy to share my car and help on the transportation issue. I am staying nearby in Ft. Worth with some family. How far away is the YMCA that I saw mentioned a few posts earlier?

 

[maxpwrset]

FWIW, I live locally(about an hour away), and stayed at the Amerisuites for groundschool when I attended training there. When we started doing the sim, I went back to staying at home, as the sim sked was more conducive to that.

I know finances might not permit that for some, but I think you'll find groundschool a lot more enjoyable and less stressful staying locally. It was much easier for me to study with and get to know my classmates, sleep in, spend more time in the books, and not stress about Dallas traffic staying nearby. I tried driving it for a day. That was all it took for me to realize that for me, it wasn't gonna work. JMO! Good luck in training!!

 

[milflyboy]

I am going the 14th and staying at the Amerisuites

 

[Mr Hat]

I will be down at HP on April 4th with my good friend and co-worker Mike. I think we decided on the Amerisuites mostly because they have a Fridge, microwave and breakfast in the morning. I gotta have my Pop-Tarts before a long hard day of learning! I have my books already and I will start studying on Tuesday (I have a PC on Monday)
My very best friend lives in Dallas....I am not even going to tell him I will be in the area! I'll call him as soon as the type ride is over and we can have a few beers. But during training, I will be LIVING the 737-200.

If anyone is going down on April 4th...we shall see you there.

 

[AMRCostUnit]

Try Al Grant Auto Rental 1-800-278-4037. HP is right down the street from the AA Flight Academy and they rent for 18-20 a day for used but decent cars. They will deliver to your hotel and pick up when you're done. I get one a few days a week when I do a full school (4-5 weeks) for the flexibility and mental health. BTW there is a Humperdinks a couple of exits down Hwy 360 behind the Sleep Inn (one AA training hotel) and they have excellent happy hours, microbrews and food.

Unit

 

[falcon20driver]

Amerisuites is a sh!thole, old, worn out beds, I stayed there for a few days and than moved to the brand new Comfort Suites http://www2.choicehotels.com/ires/en-US/html/HotelInfoGeneral?hotel=TX651&section=2&sid=QHlSg.cWwc2g97zg.2
a half mile down the road for the same price, was $41. a day, a heck of a lot nicer and they also have fridge, microwave. I had my own car, it's not within walking distance to HPA but they also have a shuttle to take you to and from HPA.

 

[PC12Cowboy]

Ok I'm a newbie....whats HPA?????????????????????

 

[falcon20driver]

http://jetcrew.biz/

 

[PC12Cowboy]

falcon...thanks

 

[vetteracer]

I am on the Books for March 14'th.

Anyone else going down and starting class on this date?

I may be going by myself if my friend cannot get Mil Leave.

So I may be looking for a study partner. Maybe share a rental car?

Mark

 

[FracCapt]

I am on the Books for March 14'th.

Anyone else going down and starting class on this date?

I may be going by myself if my friend cannot get Mil Leave.

So I may be looking for a study partner. Maybe share a rental car?

Mark

I'm going a week after you....and suprised I haven't heard about anybody else on flightinfo going the same week. Anybody? Anybody? March 21..