Delta Connection Academy

A day in the life of an academy student

0800 - Arrive at DCA for pre-flight planning & briefing

0900 - Meet with instructor and complete flight

1030 - Return to DCA for post-flight briefing

1100 - Study items from flight at school

1200 - Eat lunch

1300 - Ground school

1700 - Study for FAA written on DCA computer

1800 – Go home, eat dinner, study & relax

A typical day for me would begin with an early flight. Students are required to arrive at least one hour before your flight so whoever has the first flight of the day has to be there at 0500. It was nice when I had a few hours between a flight and school because I’d just stay at school and study or complete homework. During ground school, we were in class from 1300 - 1700 Monday through Friday. We flew once a day, as early as 6am or as late as 9pm or 10pm. As a rule, for each hour I spent in ground school, I’d spend an hour studying or completing homework. Three hours of ground school = three hours studying. The other hour of ground would include checking homework, instructor’s aviation stories and breaks. It’s important to study and finish schoolwork, but it’s also important to spend some time doing something you like. Whether going the gym, watching some television or keeping up with friends online, take a few hours each day to relax.

Frustration with instrument approaches...

I am so frustrated with instrument approaches! It seems that no matter how hard I study, instrument approaches elude me. Luckily, I have great instructors who are guiding me through various ways to study, directing me to appropriate activities to address different challenges. Before I even got in the plane, I had lessons in the simulator, which saves money and allows me to practice on the ground. The instructors can freeze the simulator and provide instruction if something doesn’t make sense or goes wrong. Currently, radio calls are preventing me from moving forward. In order to get more proficient, I have listened to the website, liveatc.net. This allows me to listen to the live air traffic control broadcast from selected airports online. As I listen, I try to reply as if I were flying the plane. I’ve also “backseated” flights of other students. This allows me to watch & listen to the student operate the radio as well as everything a student does while flying. This is a common practice – many students backseat other flights to aid in the learning process. Of course there are textbooks and other flying books that guide pilots through approaches (and any other maneuvers you’ll have to do in an airplane). Those are always good to read. Yesterday I told my instructor how frustrated I was getting and he was very encouraging. He reassured me that I would get it and he would think of things to help me learn. It takes a ton of studying and thinking outside the box, but I will get it.

Time management & studying

With all the excitement of learning new information and flying, it’s easy to let time pass quickly without thinking of other tasks. One “task” I've mentioned earlier was the Gleim study guide for the FAA written test. This is taken four weeks into school, after the official Private Pilot ground school course is complete. You must get 80% on an academy practice test in order to take the official FAA test (where you must get at least 70% to pass). *Please note – this time flies by – literally! The Gleim study guide gives you every question and answer that makes up the pool of questions for the test. It is imperative that you study this from day one. Start reviewing the chapters as soon as you get it. Even though you may not understand everything, look over the questions and read the explanations so that when it is introduced in ground school it makes more sense. If you wait until you cover the material in ground school it could be too late. Gleim sells CDs to use on your personal computer but the school also has them for practice on their computers – for free. There’s studying that goes with ground school – find a friend that you can work with. You’re allowed to do your homework together and it may be easier when someone else is there to help you stay on task! It's a good idea to exercise now and then - work it in! This can relieve more stress than watching TV and is important for health & clear thinking. At some point you may want and go home to visit – but don’t miss ground school! I missed one day to go home for my brother’s wedding – I missed a lot!

Beginning class & first flight

We bought our books on enrollment day, and since there was some time before class started, they told us to read the DCA standards manual. It outlines the program as well as expectations of the student. From what I understand, it helps ensure that the program is run the same at all the campuses and answers most questions about the Academy. I’m so glad I read it before ground school because we hit the ground running!

The first day of class was exciting and busy! We were scheduled for four hours with 15 minute breaks each hour. Our ground instructor was great. She was knowledgeable and kept our attention with interesting stories pertinent to the content being taught. My hand was cramped because I’m one who takes many notes. Much of what she taught was in the textbook, so some students chose to highlight information in the book. There was so much information to take in, and there was homework to complete each night. I figured out quickly to stay on top of studying. That first week zoomed by and we were ready to fly.

During the second week, we finally got off the ground! And with flying comes more homework (this is good homework because it gets you off the ground). DCA uses Cirrus SR-20s to train in. They are sweet little low-winged airplanes with “glass cockpits.” This means they have a primary function display (PFD) and a multi-function display (MFD) which gives the readings of all the gauges you would normally find in older type training aircraft. They are also equipped with an S-Tec 55 autopilot and Garmin GMA 340 GPS in addition to a few necessary gauges. You can learn more about the Cirrus SR-20 on the website. Flying was amazing! I had flown in a small plane years ago, but now my dream was becoming a more achievable goal. I was energized and encouraged, that although it was difficult to leave my friends and family, I was finally getting to pursue my passion to make me a better person.

Additional thoughts about moving

More thoughts on moving & starting class…

DCA has housing available in Sanford, however, in Houston you are responsible in finding your own housing. I highly suggest visiting the area and exploring your options! Search the web and call around before you visit so you have a good idea & a plan of action because you may not have much time. Consider deal-breakers such as: Are pets allowed? Do I need a washer & drier? Do I want a studio, one or two bedrooms? Is there a gym on site? Location also may be a factor. I live four miles away and I wouldn’t want to live any further. You may be particular about getting a first or second story level unit. Make a list of the places you visit and take specific notes. Talk to residents if at all possible. I knew which complex I wanted to live in, but they didn’t have a place available on my move-in date. I didn’t know my next favorite place because I was sure I’d get that one. Bailey, my 70 pound golden retriever, did not end up coming with me, and I hadn’t taken notes about the places that didn’t accept dogs.I ended up calling an apartment finder. I told her my preferences, and as happy as I am in my complex, it is not one I would’ve chosen for myself.

As for class starting, I would buy the Gleim study guide for whatever rating you’re starting with as soon as you enroll. Go online or to a local flight school and they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about. Even though you may not understand all the content, read through the questions (the correct and incorrect answers are explained) and you’ll be ahead of the game! This is a study guide for the FAA written test which can creep up on you at the end of the private course. Trade phone numbers with a classmate when you arrive and start studying together. All of these suggestions should help your transition go smoothly.

Moving and Starting School

There are so many options for moving! From loading a truck and driving it down yourself, to hiring someone else to move everything for you. I did a little of both. I found a company who let me load their truck, and pay for the number of feet I used. The company loaded their cargo in front of my load and after they delivered their load, they delivered mine to my apartment in about three business days.

My mother and I drove my car down with last minute packing items. Others in my class moved quite differently. One person flew here with his suitcase and bought essential furniture and a car when he got here. Another lived close enough to make a few trips with his brother, and another just moved with whatever he could fit in his car.

My timing was such that I unloaded the truck on the Wednesday before Ike came ashore. Mom and I evacuated to Dallas that night and I didn’t come back for a week. DCA was very understanding when we came back and moved classes back a bit because we didn’t all have electricity. When we finally started school, we were ready. Our first day was an enrollment day where we signed contracts with DCA, signed to get our loans started, and had our pictures taken for our airport IDs. We bought our first set of books and had the chance to meet our classmates. The subsequent week was intense. We began to learn seemingly everything about planes and flying and got to start our flight training on the ground and in the simulator. The second week we got to fly!

My Decision

Welcome to my student blog, my name is Jessica and I have just recently started the flight program in Houston with Delta Connection Academy.  If you’re reading this, you’re probably pretty serious about finding a flight school appropriate for you.