Primary Students @ Lewis University

[Metro752]

Warning: The following consists of a great deal of new pilot dorkyness, which I am, but yet I still find things such as the below shocking. (no I don't go to Lewis)

Soooooooooo, I go to this "function" at Lewis U last Saturday, and I see these guys looking at the Huey in the MX training hangar they have, and two of them proudly announce they are flight students, they ask me what my major is is, History, wooop de doo. Anywho, so I ask em how far they are in their training, what's it like flying.

The one has 17 hours, and the other had 15 hours, all in C152s, it's a 141 program, and NEITHER

NEITHER KNEW WHAT THE HELL FLYING "SOLO" meant. One said he thought he had to have 40 hours to fly solo.

I doubt these guys were lying, they were student pilots, one offered to show me his certificate, because I just could NOT believe they had not soloed within 15 hours, or even knew what it was.

I go, three take offs and landings, without anyone on the plane but you, is normally what a first solo consists of. They looked at me like I was talking Chinese. They've been in class 4-5 weeks, and fly about 1-1.5 hours a day, MWF. So I don't know what to say, they haven't soloed yet, 15 hours, and have not even been told by their instructors what soloing is.

One of the dorks thought the Huey was a Cobra..................and well I don't know what to say, I asked if they even owned a FAR/AIM....NO, their instructors told them they didn't need that book yet.

Anyway, I'm still in shock over them not even knowing what "soloing" is respects to your first solo take offs and landings by 15 hours, and 4-5 weeks into the flying program.

What's my point, is this normal for 141 flying schools, and universities?

I soloed with 7 hours.

 

[aucfi]

I wonder if they have the same instructor?

The 141 school I work at uses the Jepp syllabus along with a course syllabus (AV113) for begenning primary students. Both syllabi are reviewed on the first day to give the student a "heads up" of whats to come and what is expected of them.

Not all schools are the same though...

au

 

[Almerick07]

8 hour solo at a 141 cessna program

 

[BoilerUP]

These people are not representative of the high quality of pilots that I know from Lewis. Don't judge the entire program off of these two dolts.

As far as the Huey being a Cobra, "The Kid" would not be amused...

 

[Illini Pilot]

you would be suprised at the idiots that come through pretty much any program...especially collegiate programs that some kids look at a shiny brochure and say "crap! i need a major...uhhh...cool, i'll fly airplanes!"

i'm pretty familiar with lewis' program, their private syllabus, pre-solo written, etc. and these two are certainly in the CLEAR minority. the syllabus is designed to get students to solo in about 10 hrs, but that obviously is going to depend on how fast they pick up all the skills

 

[flydrummer]

Maybe they thought you meant Han Solo.

 

[Metro752]

Well what I was trying get across, these guys didn't even know about soloing, besides the fact they are already 15 hours in.

 

[siucavflight]

That is on par with Lewis, it has to be one of the worst aviation schools around. Even worse than where I went(see name). Lewis produces some of the worst, most dangerous pilots I have ever run across, how you can have a 141 school at an uncontrolled field blows my mind.

 

[Metro752]

Well I'm finding out these clowns I talked to are most likely the dumbest of the 75 flight students they have over there.

Suprising how tied into aviation flightinfo.com is, everywhere

In general I've never heard anything but good stuff about Lewis, regular University flying program.

 

[BoilerUP]

how you can have a 141 school at an uncontrolled field blows my mind.

You don't have to have a control tower or TRACON to be Part 141, especially when Chicago is less than 30 miles up the road. How far are they away from DPA or ARR again?

 

[Metro752]

They're very close to ARR & DPA. I wasn't trying to put down Lewis' program. Just that how these two managed to be so oblivious to the very basic stuff of becoming a private pilot, when I'm sure most of us were just dieing to make our first solo, these guys didnt even know about it!

 

[LewisU_Pilot]

Just like any other 141 school it has its pros and cons. I have never had a problem with the program and as far as I know Lewis produces some very well trained pilots. I can guarantee a stage 3 private probably knows more than a stage 3 commercial down at SIU (cheap shot to siucavflight). Please tell me you are joking when asking "how you can have a 141 school at an uncontrolled field blows my mind." Are you serious? That is a pretty dumb question coming from a CFI/II. The two students you encounter Metro were probably maintenance students. I have learned the maintenance guys like to walk around and pretend they are pilots.

 

[siucavflight]

Just like any other 141 school it has its pros and cons. I have never had a problem with the program and as far as I know Lewis produces some very well trained pilots. I can guarantee a stage 3 private probably knows more than a stage 3 commercial down at SIU (cheap shot to siucavflight). Please tell me you are joking when asking "how you can have a 141 school at an uncontrolled field blows my mind." Are you serious? That is a pretty dumb question coming from a CFI/II. The two students you encounter Metro were probably maintenance students. I have learned the maintenance guys like to walk around and pretend they are pilots.

I know it is possible to have one, but as a student why would you want to go to a 141 school and fly out of an uncontrolled field. I have had many ocassions to work with "Lewis U" pilots, and as a whole I was not impressed, not for the 30K a year price tag, for 30K a year I would want a control tower.

And dont worry I am not saying anything good about where I went to school ( although we did have a control tower at KMDH so at least those students know how to work with a control tower.)

 

[Metro752]

Lewis is like 19-20,000 a year for tuition, then throw on the flight "lab" tab.

 

[350DRIVER]

That is on par with Lewis, it has to be one of the worst aviation schools around. Even worse than where I went(see name). Lewis produces some of the worst, most dangerous pilots I have ever run across, how you can have a 141 school at an uncontrolled field blows my mind.

Had the privilege to fly with two or three former grads from there over time and needless to say I wasn't impressed at all to put it mildly. To the defense of the above mentioned school "lemons" exist and come through many different schools/programs. To be fair it is better to judge one's skill and ability level independent from where they were trained and schooled at. The "school tag" isn't fair in all cases, better to put it aside and judge the ability and skill level of each particular person regardless of whether they went to Embry Diddle, Harvard, USC, or Hent State.

 

[BirdCatcher]

That is on par with Lewis, it has to be one of the worst aviation schools around. Even worse than where I went(see name). Lewis produces some of the worst, most dangerous pilots I have ever run across, how you can have a 141 school at an uncontrolled field blows my mind.

Hmmm i've seen crop dusters fly a few feet off the ground and pull up just in time to avoid a row of trees, bush pilots do things i didn't think were possible. But those 152/172 pilots flying out of a uncontrolled airport, i draw the line there.

Give me a break.

Ok so the whole University is going to pack up and move because it does not have a tower? Or maybe they should just build one (because they can just do that and all). Having a 141 school at an uncontrolled airport must not be too horrible, i do not believe Lewis has had any midairs or accidents related to an uncontrolled field.

As far as the program, it has come a long way. It is a private school, students (tuition) keep them in business. The aviation program just about takes anyone, which sometimes leads to students who don't quite "get it" or really do not want to be in it. They usually get weeded out after the first semester/year.

The flight schools provide the tools/knowledge, what the students do with it is up to them. I've flown with exceptional LU pilots, poor LU pilots, and everything inbetween. Just like the purdue, SIU, ERAU pilots ive flown with

 

[LewisU_Pilot]

Well said bird... Lewis also has a tower(looks more like a camper) one weekend out of the year. You should see all the NASCAR traffic we get. Rumor has it that Lewis will have a tower on the field by 07.

 

[siucavflight]

Hmmm i've seen crop dusters fly a few feet off the ground and pull up just in time to avoid a row of trees, bush pilots do things i didn't think were possible. But those 152/172 pilots flying out of a uncontrolled airport, i draw the line there.

Give me a break.

Ok so the whole University is going to pack up and move because it does not have a tower? Or maybe they should just build one (because they can just do that and all). Having a 141 school at an uncontrolled airport must not be too horrible, i do not believe Lewis has had any midairs or accidents related to an uncontrolled field.

As far as the program, it has come a long way. It is a private school, students (tuition) keep them in business. The aviation program just about takes anyone, which sometimes leads to students who don't quite "get it" or really do not want to be in it. They usually get weeded out after the first semester/year.

The flight schools provide the tools/knowledge, what the students do with it is up to them. I've flown with exceptional LU pilots, poor LU pilots, and everything inbetween. Just like the purdue, SIU, ERAU pilots ive flown with

Whoa, you have flown with good ERAU students????? Where, find me one.