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ehnus posted:For Canagoons, apparently the Air Cadet glider program has been shelved starting September 1st due to cost cutting. I inquired about this with the officers of my squadron and apparently the rumor started because a few other summer training programs are possibly getting cut. From what they said the glider program is off limits as far as cost cutting goes.
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Apr 30, 2013 02:14
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helno posted:I inquired about this with the officers of my squadron and apparently the rumor started because a few other summer training programs are possibly getting cut. Yeah I heard that rumour and dismissed it pretty quickly. For all it's faults, the air cadet gliding program has been a stepping stone in a lot of very important peoples careers in aviation.
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Apr 30, 2013 04:07
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Just saw the video of the National Air Cargo crash. Sure looks like a cargo shift induced stall. A dispatcher friend of mine knew two of them. Sad day for sure.
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Apr 30, 2013 18:06
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AWSEFT posted:Just saw the video of the National Air Cargo crash. That was a very eerie video to watch. Anytime you can tell there was time to assess what was happening my heart sinks.
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Apr 30, 2013 18:58
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Just passed CFI
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Apr 30, 2013 19:55
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AWSEFT posted:Just saw the video of the National Air Cargo crash. I just came in to post about this. Is that GTI (Giant)? If so I have worked that plane, a LOT. Apparently National Air Cargo. Doesn't seem to have GTI livery. Tommy 2.0 fucked around with this message at 20:53 on Apr 30, 2013 |
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Apr 30, 2013 20:47
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Tommy 2.0 posted:I just came in to post about this. Is that GTI (Giant)? If so I have worked that plane, a LOT. Callsign: "National Cargo" Giant is Atlas Air
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Apr 30, 2013 22:41
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AWSEFT posted:Just saw the video of the National Air Cargo crash. I moaned uncontrollably when I watched that. It's tough to watch something like that and KNOW that there was absolutely nothing that the crew could do to get out of it. Reminds me of the Fine Air accident in MIA back in 1997. A load of denim shifted and brought down a DC-8.
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Apr 30, 2013 23:41
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AWSEFT posted:Callsign: "National Cargo" Yeah, I was looking up the tail number on this. I mean yeah, I'm sad and horrified watching this. It just would have been REALLY weird if it was GTI. The fireball and "suddenness" of the crash reminded me of the B-52 at Fairchild back in 1994. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjFIB1L3BPU The co-pilot ejected in that video, it's just very hard to tell. Sadly, he landed in the fireball. Ugh that 747 video is horrible. It just seems so obvious that poo poo HAPPENED that was no one's fault flying that plane. At least in the B-52 video you can blame the rear end in a top hat pilot and not just the sheer fact that flying can kill you so quickly. Tommy 2.0 fucked around with this message at 00:00 on May 1, 2013 |
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Apr 30, 2013 23:54
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This was the aircraft in question: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=949CA A controller friend of mine said he got to tour it at Fresno, I guess they used to work it in and out periodically and the flight crew was friendly (no idea if it's the same crew).
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May 1, 2013 01:00
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Stupid Post Maker posted:Just passed CFI Hey congrats! I'm going to do mine in a couple months, what was the checkride like?
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May 1, 2013 01:04
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The NAC video was probably the worst thing I've seen online.  The helplessness... 
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May 1, 2013 02:32
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Watching that video made me sick to my stomach; it's one of the worst things I've seen on the internet in a long time.
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May 1, 2013 03:55
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helno posted:I inquired about this with the officers of my squadron and apparently the rumor started because a few other summer training programs are possibly getting cut. The letter I saw in Pacific Region was from someone official sounding (RGS LCol) and mentioned a cessation in gliding starting September 2013. If it isn't happening then that's good to hear, though hopefully the rest of the program isn't affected too much by cuts.
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May 1, 2013 05:16
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At least an entire generation of loadmasters will see that video and learn, right? Maybe?
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May 1, 2013 13:37
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Stupid Post Maker posted:Just passed CFI Which one?
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May 1, 2013 13:43
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hobbesmaster posted:At least an entire generation of loadmasters will see that video and learn, right? Maybe? I'm sure it will make an impact with a lot of them, but as always...there are always the ones.
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May 1, 2013 13:58
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Stupid Post Maker posted:Just passed CFI That's wonderful! If you could, please post a write up as I am going to take mine in July and would like to be as prepared as possible....
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May 1, 2013 14:08
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Rolo posted:Hey congrats! I'm going to do mine in a couple months, what was the checkride like? Not too bad, more in depth below AWSEFT posted:Which one? Initial Captain Apollo posted:That's wonderful! If you could, please post a write up as I am going to take mine in July and would like to be as prepared as possible.... To be honest, it was the easiest oral and check ride I've ever taken. Granted, it was also the most prepared and nervous I've been going into an oral and check ride as well. I think it helped that I'm at a 141 school and I think the hardest part is actually getting signed off by a CFI. I had 70 hours of ground discussion with my instructor and probably 20 more with other CFI candidates in my class. The oral was more of a conversation than anything. We spent a good amount of time talking about grease pencils and how they should be used on a student's first flight before even leaving the parking spot. The examiner that I went with is pretty notorious for giving quick orals and wanted things brief and concise. He'd give me a couple topics and would say he only wanted 1 or 2 minutes to explain them. I explained a couple maneuvers to him and went into more detail about airspace. Honestly, it seemed like a joke in comparison to the amount of depth I'd been going into these topics all semester. The biggest part of the oral was just talking about his previous experiences with students and to get me thinking about when I would feel comfortable soloing a student. The checkride was a little bit more difficult but still pretty easy. I actually thought I failed it because he had me do an accelerated maneuver stall and the way he performs it is different than I had learned with my CFI. I didn't realize the PTS specifically mentioned the airspeed must start at 20kts above unaccelerated stall speed. But I was able to just talk throughout the maneuver like I would to a student explaining how we should look it up when we get back to the airport. My biggest issue on the check ride was being more specific about things, especially landing. Instead of being specific on how to correct for crosswind with aileron and rudder I'd just say "keeping the nose straight" and things like that. Once we were parked we talked about how this was all a learning process. He said that I was a really safe pilot and how I'd learn to be more specific once I got an actual student and had to actually teach. The oral was only 3 hours and the flight was 1.4. My experience might not be the best to learn from since it seems like a complete 180 from any others that I've read online. The biggest advice I would give is just be over prepared. I was prepared to go into any little detail he wanted to. I brought in about 10 books with me along with a 400 page lesson plan binder I made throughout the semester.
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May 1, 2013 14:55
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My first bird strike!
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May 1, 2013 19:34
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Anybody in here have experience as an air traffic controller?
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May 1, 2013 19:55
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Ron Don Volante posted:Anybody in here have experience as an air traffic controller? Why.
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May 1, 2013 19:56
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gigButt posted:My first bird strike! Ouch! I hope it isn't going to be too expensive! I'm trying to get current this week, we'll see how it goes.
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May 1, 2013 19:57
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Stupid Post Maker posted:Initial Now do your CFII in 3 days like I did. =D Edit: I went rear end backwards: MEI, CFII, Comm Single, CFI Ron Don Volante posted:I'd like to know what the training's like, what the work's like, and whether there are any job prospects whatsoever. We have a few ATCers that post often. I'm sure they'll be around. AWSEFT fucked around with this message at 20:07 on May 1, 2013 |
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May 1, 2013 20:00
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Tommy 2.0 posted:Why. I'd like to know what the training's like, what the work's like, and whether there are any job prospects whatsoever.
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May 1, 2013 20:05
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Ron Don Volante posted:I'd like to know what the training's like, what the work's like, and whether there are any job prospects whatsoever. Training sucks. Straight up. Is it worth it in the end? Yes. Dear god...yes. Stupid fat paychecks, benefits, paid days off, paid sick days. In some facilities you get stupidly generous breaks for 2 hours or less of work. At least with the FAA. The work is hard to describe. If you are a gamer I'd say the center/approach environment (radar controlling) is something like Starcraft. Lots and lots and lots and about lots to the 4th power more rules. It is very black and white in terms of the rules you apply. Not a lot of wiggle room. The difference between tower and radar may as well categorize them as completely different jobs. Tower is more enjoyable, IMO, but to each their own. It has a LOT less rules, more grey areas...but it is about 100x easier to kill people. In the air or on the ground. It's probably one of the most unique career fields in the world and isn't meant for everyone by any means. For those that can do it, they normally enjoy it a great amount and can't see doing anything else. I highly recommend getting a tour of a tower, approach control, and center if you can. As for job prospects? Lots of them out there. The difficult part is getting qualified to be hired. The military is how I got in to the field. I couldn't afford student debts. If I had the money I most definitely would have done a CTI school. The benefit of doing the military route is that it's free and that when you get out you qualify for a LOT more jobs as opposed to just doing CTI school. The thing is though, most people's ultimate goal with ATC is getting picked up with the FAA, so if you take a DOD/Contract job out of the military the pay is almost never as good with the FAA (unless they have you doing work over in the sand box...but then you can't even enjoy your money). So yeah, if you got the cash and decide this is a thing you want to do, CTI school. You HAVE to be hired before your 31st birthday with the FAA though, and it can take up to three years to get hired after you qualify. I know people that have waited 6 months and people that have waited 5 years. Both those extremes are very rare though. Also this is a very simplified post regarding the things you asked. I'd need a few hours to go over all the stuff individually to give a REALLY good idea.
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May 1, 2013 21:28
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Ron Don Volante posted:I'd like to know what the training's like, what the work's like, and whether there are any job prospects whatsoever. The training is loving terrible, especially in the simulators. I just finished my last graded R-side problem today and I couldn't be happier. The problems flat out suck, they aren't realistic, and you shouldn't be more nervous running problems in the Dysim lab than you are working live traffic. poo poo needs a revamp that it will never get. The work itself is fun and you get paid a lot of money to do it. Good luck getting in, whatever you do, don't spend a bunch of money on a CTI school. Nothing like having some fancy Embry Riddle degree and 6 figures of debt to either never get picked up or to fail out of the academy. On the plus side, I'll be back on the floor in about 1.5 weeks and I'll finally get to learn how to do the job.
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May 1, 2013 22:15
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fknlo posted:The training is loving terrible, especially in the simulators. I just finished my last graded R-side problem today and I couldn't be happier. The problems flat out suck, they aren't realistic, and you shouldn't be more nervous running problems in the Dysim lab than you are working live traffic. poo poo needs a revamp that it will never get. The work itself is fun and you get paid a lot of money to do it. Good luck getting in, whatever you do, don't spend a bunch of money on a CTI school. Nothing like having some fancy Embry Riddle degree and 6 figures of debt to either never get picked up or to fail out of the academy. Hear loving hear. Also, not all CTI schools are 6 figures of debt. I know of some in the SE region that are cheap and only two years. Embry Riddle is a straight rip off.
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May 1, 2013 23:36
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I'm just about finished with training at my second Tower/TRACON facility and I'll agree to an extent that training is the worst part of the job. The job itself presents many challenges, and being new and inexperienced only compounds those challenges. You'll also find that you train under people who might barely have a grasp of the job themselves, let alone the extra stamina to properly watch and mold a trainee. Whether it's rule knowledge, ability to explain technique, or even competency at the job itself, there isn't a whole lot done by the agency to ensure that trainers are constructively guiding trainees to success. This leaves most of the burden on the trainee. And sure, much of the burden SHOULD be on the trainee. You should be studying all the time, and not be seen goofing off in your free time at work. You should show that you're motivated, monitor positions instead of taking breaks, know the book better than anyone else, etc. If you have a great work ethic, any shortcomings you might have while working a control position will be more easily tolerated by your peers and supervisors. However, even with perfect ethic, you may get paired with people that aren't good teachers, or even good controllers. It's your job as a trainee to accept that condition and succeed anyway, and it can be a crapshoot, because those people you're relying on for instruction are already certified and they don't really have to do anything but keep airplanes separated. Many trainees who show promise will fail out of training, many who aren't quite as strong might succeed anyway. It can be somewhat political. Other barriers to successful training include scheduling, staffing, inconsistent traffic, and trainee backlog. And yes, sims are always terrible. But don't complain about them at work, as your coworkers hate bitchy trainees. Ironic, considering controllers are some of the biggest man-children I've ever worked around. I can't speak with authority on the hiring outlook. The sequester has really thrown a wrench in the gears of a process that was already getting pretty saturated anyway. I don't know how wise it would be to start at a CTI school today, hoping there'd be positions open in 2 years. vvvvvvvvvv I don't envy your non radar eval. I only had one pass/fail evaluation at the academy (tower cab) and it was pretty intense. 2 weeks of simulations and then a nice big test where you get fired if you fail. Thankfully when us terminal guys go back for radar class (assuming it's also a radar facility) the eval isn't graded. Turns out I would have passed that one too, but I'm glad I didn't have to. The Ferret King fucked around with this message at 00:02 on May 2, 2013 |
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May 1, 2013 23:44
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Ron Don Volante posted:I'd like to know what the training's like, what the work's like, and whether there are any job prospects whatsoever. I'm at the academy for enroute initial currently, so any specific questions you have, I'll do my best to answer, but the others have covered the majority of the basics, already. The academy is currently closed (I'm in the very last enroute initial class  ) and there is no solid information on when it will reopen. There's going to be a LOT of CTI grads with diplomas and no job prospects, if it stays closed until October. (End of the current fiscal year.)In other news, non-radar evals are on Friday. I require a live goat, three chickens, and a twenty one year old virgin for the sacrifice to the crossing-restriction gods. I accept paypal. (Goatpal?)
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May 1, 2013 23:56
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Thanks for the responses! So it's probably not the best time to enroll in a school?
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May 2, 2013 05:47
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I don't think there's a definitive way to say. Stuckmic.com has a forum that's reasonably active with students and applicants. It's good for a rumor mill but not much else. It'll be interesting to see when the academy opens back up: http://www.stuckmic.com/atc-employment-general-discussion/23862-hiring-freeze-continues.html I got hired off the street back when they were still doing that, so I can't speak with authority on making a go/no-go decision on actually spending money to get this job. The Ferret King fucked around with this message at 11:09 on May 2, 2013 |
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May 2, 2013 11:04
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The Ferret King posted:I don't think there's a definitive way to say. Stuckmic.com has a forum that's reasonably active with students and applicants. It's good for a rumor mill but not much else. It'll be interesting to see when the academy opens back up: http://www.stuckmic.com/atc-employment-general-discussion/23862-hiring-freeze-continues.html Pretty much this. Stuckmic is fairly difficult to get solid info from outside of looking at actual information charts. Everything else is opinion or rumors. A lot of times the real answer you need/want isn't going to be discussed for fear of the FAA coming down on the replying poster. That's why you will see a lot of folks go "PM me". As for schools? If the two year schools were available at the time I would have 100% done that instead of the time I did in the military. Even with prior qualifications and almost a decade of live experience training managers still told me they wanted people from CTI schools instead. That won't be the case for every facility, but it was for the one I was aiming for. Obviously, to each their own, but I'm of the opinion that most degrees these days are worth barely anything, and considering what you can get out of the CTI programs their value is head and shoulders above the rest. Getting hired off the street is like winning the job lottery. Being a CTI grad is a guarantee hire assuming you don't bomb the ATSAT. So is the military. It just takes time.
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May 2, 2013 13:44
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I just spent a not insignificant portion of the last 24 hours watching videos of people having stupid amounts of fun flying gliders. Can anyone come up with a good reason not to go blow a significant amount of money learning to fly something with no engines?
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May 4, 2013 00:55
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KodiakRS posted:I just spent a not insignificant portion of the last 24 hours watching videos of people having stupid amounts of fun flying gliders. Can anyone come up with a good reason not to go blow a significant amount of money learning to fly something with no engines? I was asking earlier about cheap gliding school. You can apparently join some clubs out in AZ or OH and get ridiculous cheap flights. They offer winch flights for $15 w/instructor. It may end up being cheaper just staying out in the middle of nowhere for a couple weeks. It makes the transition cheap with something like 10 landings and a $350 checkout flight.
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May 4, 2013 01:39
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KodiakRS posted:I just spent a not insignificant portion of the last 24 hours watching videos of people having stupid amounts of fun flying gliders. Can anyone come up with a good reason not to go blow a significant amount of money learning to fly something with no engines? A coworker and I are gonna join a glider club here in Michigan. Its ridiculously cheap and having no engine seems like a pro, not a con
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May 4, 2013 02:00
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KodiakRS posted:I just spent a not insignificant portion of the last 24 hours watching videos of people having stupid amounts of fun flying gliders. Can anyone come up with a good reason not to go blow a significant amount of money learning to fly something with no engines? Gliding is a ton of fun, and far cheaper than powered flight. I have been meaning to get back into it once the pay goes up a bit. It's great at learning and improving your energy management, and I had a ton of fun progressing from a 2 seat trainer that flew like a brick up to some of the higher performing ones.
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May 4, 2013 02:03
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SCOTLAND posted:Gliding is a ton of fun, and far cheaper than powered flight. I have been meaning to get back into it once the pay goes up a bit. I think my main problem would be remembering how to use a rudder. My last 1500+ hours have been in an airplane with a yaw damper. Literally the only time I use rudder pedals is on TO/Landing rolls and x-wind landings. Energy management may be a bit tricky as well. We're supposed to use an ILS whenever one is available (90% of the time) so I can fly an instrument approach like nobodies business but visual approaches are anything but graceful. Back in my CFI days I could put a power off 180 down within about 15' of where I wanted it every single time, now I start sweating if I have to make an approach to a runway that doesn't have a glide slope. The systems and aircraft management part of my brain is stronger than ever but my actual stick and rudder skills are atrophying at an alarming rate. Now I know why sully put his 'bus down in the Hudson. It was the only runway he knew he wouldn't under/over shoot.
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May 4, 2013 02:23
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KodiakRS posted:I think my main problem would be remembering how to use a rudder. My last 1500+ hours have been in an airplane with a yaw damper. Literally the only time I use rudder pedals is on TO/Landing rolls and x-wind landings. Energy management may be a bit tricky as well. We're supposed to use an ILS whenever one is available (90% of the time) so I can fly an instrument approach like nobodies business but visual approaches are anything but graceful. Back in my CFI days I could put a power off 180 down within about 15' of where I wanted it every single time, now I start sweating if I have to make an approach to a runway that doesn't have a glide slope. The systems and aircraft management part of my brain is stronger than ever but my actual stick and rudder skills are atrophying at an alarming rate. You don't work for a company that allows you to handfly? Not sure about the States but here in Australia most airlines allow handflying up to 10,000' in benign conditions.
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May 4, 2013 04:46
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Animal posted:A coworker and I are gonna join a glider club here in Michigan. Its ridiculously cheap and having no engine seems like a pro, not a con Which club are you joining? Been thinking a commercial glider rating would be a fun add on. KodiakRS posted:I think my main problem would be remembering how to use a rudder. My last 1500+ hours have been in an airplane with a yaw damper. Literally the only time I use rudder pedals is on TO/Landing rolls and x-wind landings. Energy management may be a bit tricky as well. We're supposed to use an ILS whenever one is available (90% of the time) so I can fly an instrument approach like nobodies business but visual approaches are anything but graceful. Back in my CFI days I could put a power off 180 down within about 15' of where I wanted it every single time, now I start sweating if I have to make an approach to a runway that doesn't have a glide slope. The systems and aircraft management part of my brain is stronger than ever but my actual stick and rudder skills are atrophying at an alarming rate. brendanwor posted:You don't work for a company that allows you to handfly? Not sure about the States but here in Australia most airlines allow handflying up to 10,000' in benign conditions. 1000x this, plus in the US I could hand fly 100% of the flight no matter the conditions depending on how much I like watching my PM working. Kodiak, in all seriousness start hand flying the airplane, start hand flying it all the way to cruise altitude, and to conquer the visual approach dread just start doing them. Some tips I give my IOE guys are imagine an ILS overlayed on the twisty course you are going to take to get to the runway, and then pick out visual reference points along your course and make little mental gates, speed, alt, and config wise to be at these points. If you're flying with a captain that's cool, just tell them you're trying to get better with visuals and see if you can't steal the visual legs, or get in an extra. If a guy told that to me I would gladly give up a few legs to see if I could help out. The visual approach is where pilots can show off their talent, so a bit of practice is worth it. Ferris Bueller fucked around with this message at 12:56 on May 4, 2013 |
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May 4, 2013 12:45
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