Georgia Aviation & Technical College offers private in just under a year??? WOW!!!

[helipilot06]

Ive got to say that Georgia Aviation and Technical College has got it going on. You can go from zero time to private in just under a year (11 months)!! WHAT A DEAL!!

 

for your hard earned savings, you can get all this:

 

Helicopter Maintenance issues!!!

Fly partial panel from day one!! instrument students dont need stinking DG's or attitude indicators!

Getting onto the flight schedule will remind you of your days pushing up to the front of your favorite rock concert!!

Fly a total of two days a week max!!! AWESOME!

 

BUT WAIT!! THERES MORE!!

for just a little extra,

You can fly with some of the most condescending pilots known to man!

Wait for your instructor to come back from vacation!!!right before te 3 week quarter break!! thats dedication!

No weekend flights here, maintenence will do the oil change on monday!!!

4 day weeks means you'll never finish the program!! gotta love that loan interest baby!!!

 

 

(15+ students)+2 broke helicopters+Broken promises= a wannabe silver state helicopter program

 

I will stop at nothing untill everyone considering this school goes somewhere else

Edited January 15, 2007 by helipilot06

[Rotorookie]

Helipilot

Wow, you don't sound very happy at all! Let me cheer you up.

Go to to the (now closed) High Sierra Helicopters thread. Read it all.

See! There are people worse off than you!

Hope this helped.

 

Roger.

PS If I had my PPL in 11 months I would be doing backflips! (I started in July 2005 and am on my 6th instructor and at my second school, still no PPL).

[james28]

you can go zero to cfII in under a year at vortex. but all you do 5 days a week is helicopters. very intense and hard, but if you want it fast that's the way. they say it's not uncommon within two years of training with them to be flying profffessionally in the gom. might check them out since that school is a little rough.

[FlyNHighNFast]

Thanks for the review, I actually had that school on my list. Key word being "had."

 

Marlon

[helipilot06]

really glad it helped.. that was my intention of saving someone from going through the crap i went through

[KeallaS]

I am sure this has been said, or asked before, but I am trying to figure out why it is so hard to find a good school?

At least it seems that it is hard to find a school that will meet all of the student's needs and expectations. Why is this? Are our expectations set too high?

Is running a helicopter flight training school that difficult? I am sure it could be.

From what I have read and experienced, it feels like the students are sometimes put second due to some other agenda that is never openly discussed.

Does anybody else feel this kind of frustration that you are speding a large amount of money for not a great return? Why does it also feel that everyone all the sudden wants to become a helo-pilot?

Just ranting....

[fry]

At least it seems that it is hard to find a school that will meet all of the student's needs and expectations. Why is this? Are our expectations set too high? Is running a helicopter flight training school that difficult? I am sure it could be. From what I have read and experienced, it feels like the students are sometimes put second due to some other agenda that is never openly discussed.

 

Yes it is difficult to run a flight school. The aircraft are expensive, the operating costs...fuel, maintenance and insurance...are high and, customer flow is not consistent. Unless a new school has enough outside investment capital (from the owner because bank lending is generally not available) to see it through the low spots its chances of survival are slim.

 

Does anybody else feel this kind of frustration that you are speding a large amount of money for not a great return? Why does it also feel that everyone all the sudden wants to become a helo-pilot?

 

Silver State hit on a marketing pitch that appeals to the masses at just the time that bank financing became easy to get. Other schools started up or ramped up when they saw SSH methods were bringing in the bodies. It is the kind of fad that will probably end badly...like the dot.com stock market nonsense and the recent housing bubble. People are sheep and sheep get shorn.

 

Here's what the folks in Arizona went through:

 

http://originalforum.justhelicopters.com/D...4720&page=1

[helipilot06]

yeah, i am pretty thankful because it could be alot worse but luckily i did find a robbie school where the prices are very reasonable.. tell me this.. who on this forum wouldnt go for 152 dollars an hour dual/solo?? The school has the potential to dominate the training market... But when you factor in the cost of living in a crappy little town for 2 1/2 years with no work to get on the side (unless you're ok with 6/hr walmart wages) then its nothing special at all.. We've got this guy from canada that came down this quarter who was horribly misled into thinking he'd get done in the 5 quarter time frame he allotted and i can assure he will be very disappointed.. Thats what makes me the maddest---its the whole bait and switch that schools do to the little guy :promising big things, selling off all you have, making you move thousands of miles and in the end, not meeting any of your expectations with the least bit of empathy. I sat and talked with the president and vice president for an hour with another student in the program only to find out that they might as well be the king and queen of England because the only thing they're able to do for the helicopter program is sit back and look pretty on their throne.

 

forgive for my rant but i just want people to pick wisely and dont necessarily go for the school for the cheapest price tag..go for the one thats going to make you feel like the very important customer that you are!

[fry]

forgive for my rant but i just want people to pick wisely and dont necessarily go for the school for the cheapest price tag..go for the one thats going to make you feel like the very important customer that you are!

 

The practical problem with that approach is how does a prospective student determine in advance that a school will "make you feel like the very important customer that you are"? He can't. Better to evaluate the school based on objective criteria...how long have they been in business & how many aircraft do they have available relative to the number of students. And even then, never pay in advance any more than absolutely necessary because you may want to change your mind later.

[helipilot06]

Ive got to say that Georgia Aviation and Technical College has got it going on. You can go from zero time to private in just under a year (11 months)!! WHAT A DEAL!!

 

for your hard earned savings, you can get all this:

 

Helicopter Maintenance issues!!!

Fly partial panel from day one!! instrument students dont need stinking DG's or attitude indicators!

Getting onto the flight schedule will remind you of your days pushing up to the front of your favorite rock concert!!

Fly a total of two days a week max!!! AWESOME!

 

BUT WAIT!! THERES MORE!!

for just a little extra,

You can fly with some of the most condescending pilots known to man!

Wait for your instructor to come back from vacation!!!right before te 3 week quarter break!! thats dedication!

No weekend flights here, maintenence will do the oil change on monday!!!

4 day weeks means you'll never finish the program!! gotta love that loan interest baby!!!

 

 

(15+ students)+2 broke helicopters+Broken promises= a wannabe silver state helicopter program

 

I will stop at nothing untill everyone considering this school goes somewhere else

 

Ok, I'm not trying to be annoying and bump this thread, but on behalf of every helicopter student attending GAVTC currently, I am standing up for every hallway discussion, every chat on the ramp, and every phone conversation about the inadequacies and broken promises of the administration to provide for a "world-class program" -President Lundell

 

It has come to my attention that an instructor or two has reviewed this thread and felt that I was not telling the whole truth. As this was not my intentions to mislead the many would-be GAVTC helicopter pilots, this hearsay has provoked me to elaborate on my previous post and dispell any issues if someone so chooses to debate against me.

 

"Helicopter Maintenance issues!!!"

This is one topic I brought up in the initial post and I believe it leaves a massive grey area. President Lundell (who by the way I was amazed was at my meeting because i was told 3 months ago by several people {staff included} that he had packed up his bags and left like many of the other GAVTC staff.) enlightened me on the pure coincidence of 2 massive undertakings to replace both engines in our helicopters back to back. I too believe this is a run of bad luck but 4 months to replace an engine?? Meanwhile ,to rake in money, it seems like more and more students are allowed into an already un-equipped program. A 2nd grader would know that if you take away 1 helicopter and add more students it equates to less flight time!

Many options could have been considered, even a rental possibly but once again the students at GAVTC were put behind the politics and left in the dark to wonder what the hell was going on. The point isnt that GAVTC couldn't convince the state's budget to allow us another helicopter; the point is that they still continue to mislead students into thinking that we have adequate equipment for a "world class program" and they do not..not even close to the time frame you are led to expect. As of last week, one schweizer300cb in the shop, one with 10 hours left before the 100 hour (which takes a week) .This, my friend, is the story of the last year of my life.

 

"You can fly with some of the most condescending pilots known to man!"

Day before my checkride, I was told "maybe this isnt the business for you" by the now self appointed chief helicopter pilot because I didn't strive for perfection by typing out my 8710 on the computer. (instead of filling it out by hand). Real confidence booster eh?? Well I held my breath and was considering an instructor change but toughed it out until I started instruments. I will say that he is ,in my opinion, an excellent stick but as for perfection, I do believe he is the same guy who forgot to teach me how to track VOR radials and caused me to fail my ride in the first five minutes. Oh yeah remember when I mentioned my instructor that took off the week before a three week break to go on vacation? That was him. It was like a vacation/business trip for his weekend flying job but nevertheless he wasnt fulfilling his duties at the school. Its not that a guy cant take off for a week but I was informed by the President that he was fully aware of him taking off any time he needed for his other job...Niiiiiiiiiiccceeeee real nice. Oh, but to all who is still reading I failed to tell you that

after that three week quarter break i recently mentioned, (which there was no flying)that this same chief pilot took off the first week of the next quarter to attend the Bell Helicopter School in Texas. Hmmm, I'm not sure I see the first Jet Rander on GAVTC's ramp. One word DEDICATION. Oh and you better wear the right black boots or you're not going to fly. Dont come in looking like no "slab driver" (fixed wing pilots in epaulets white shirt and navy trousers) you gotta wear the military issue nomex cw 27/p summer weight flight suit (which sucks in summer, hard to get and until recently cost $120.. no green allowed just desert tan).. Why? because the

chief pilot said so! Who's paying who?

 

I'm having way too much fun and many thanks to a certain instructor's griping for motivating me to revisit my original post. By the way, why did you stand up for me the other day in the office only to talk about me behind my back now? It sounds like you're too scared to speak up because you wanted someone else to get online and do your dirty work and I can't respect anyone for that. Remember how you told people that it was my fault that there wouldn't be any more students sitting in on instrument ground?( because I didnt show up for the last three weeks of class) Looks like I learn better on my own, especially since only about half the class passed the test (including me thank you). Bring it on because any bickering from the school (or you on behalf of the school) only adds fuel to an already burning fire.

 

FLAME ON

[bigduke-6]

In response to the article on Georgia Aviation Technical College by Nic Weaver , aka helopilot , I just have a few things I want to get cleared up for any innocent people who might not know any better and might have been mislead by you.

First, any problems you had with the school should have been between you and the school. The school doesn’t go around posting articles about what a terrible student you were while you were enrolled. You never should have posted anything bad about the school. If you had a problem and wanted to let other people know you could have simply told them to check it out before they enrolled. Oh but not you! You had to attack with a bombardment of insults and lies not only on the school but on the instructors. What you did is just plain wrong. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me with what you did, knowing what kind of person you really are, but anytime a person mercilessly slaughters another for no reason I get upset. This brings me to my next point.

Second, truthfully I probably wouldn’t have ever replied to your post until I saw the way you attack the chief flight instructor at the school. This I will not stand for. I know I can’t ever talk any sense into you but I will correct the public out there who may be reading this about this instructor. I have never in my life met someone who was more willing to stay over long after anyone else was at the school to help a student out whether it be to fly with a student or to take the time to teach a class to help out a student on a subject that they might be having trouble with such as TRACKING VOR’s!! Which reminds me, I sat in on that class taught by the instructor several times with other students but I don’t ever recall seeing you attend. The class was announced that it would be taught to any student fixed-wing or helicopter who wanted to attend. I personally attended it 4 times because I had problems. By the way doesn’t your PTS tell you what’s going to be on your private check ride? I do believe that radio navigation is one of the things on there. Hmmm, maybe that’s why you failed your check ride. Maybe so? We’ll get back to that one later.

The chief flight instructor has flight experience in all kinds of aircraft ranging from military to civilian. He not only is one of the best instructors I have ever flown with, and learned from, but he takes time out of his personal life to stay over any day of the week or come in on the weekends to work with any student who needs help. I wouldn’t be surprised if this instructor puts in nearly twice the amount of time as any other instructor at the school. I have flown just as much on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays as I have weekdays. Let me give one word to you “DEDICATION”!! It seems to me you have no idea what the word means. Maybe you should have learned from this instructor what it means. If you needed help on something or you didn’t understand something don’t you think you should have asked before you went out and failed your check ride?

Oh yeah and are you aware that this Instructor only takes one, YES I SAID ONE, vacation a year which is with his family when they all get to spend some time together. One time a year when he can have a family vacation and relax. You would fault the man because of this? As hard as he works he should take a vacation every other month! I have only known this instructor for 13 months but I have never met a guy so willing to give you the shirt off his back if you asked him. In fact you don’t even have to ask. If he thinks you needed anything he would go out of his way to help. Not only has he helped me with flying but in my personal life also. Without him and his family in my life I don’t know where I would be. They have had me over to there home, fed me, and let me stay in their house. Does this sound like a person who doesn’t care about his students? I guarantee I’m not the first or the only one they have helped out either. How dare you attack this man’s character with your lies! If it wasn’t because he is so dedicated, honest, and classy, he probably would have responded to your article and defended himself. When I found out that this instructor wasn’t even going to respond and defend himself against your lies I decided something needed to be done. I’m sure I won’t be the only one that will come to this instructor’s defense either. You have uncorked a hurricane in a bottle by choosing to attack this dedicated instructor for no reason at all.

As for the instructor attending Bell school let me respond to that in this way. Do you know the reason he went to Bell school? He went so he could fly commercially and take a student with him to fly left seat and receive FREE, yes I said FREE, turbine time. I have over 15 hours of FREE turbine time in a Bell Jet Ranger A and a Bell Long Ranger L3. I’m not the only one either. There are at least 3 other students who have received free turbine time and there will be more. Tell me anywhere in the civilian world where you can go and receive free turbine time? If this instructor hadn’t of gone to Bell school I know of at least 4 people right now who wouldn’t have an hour of free turbine time. How much do you think that saved us in money? I tell you one thing, I would pay for this instructor to go on vacation just to get turbine time!! How much turbine time do you have? Yeah that what I thought, you don’t have any! I for one am glad you’re gone. That only means more free turbine time for me and the other guys! You aren’t going to mess up the deal we got helopilot! I love this Instructor and his family and I’m not the only one who feels this way. I can assure you are making a terrible mistake by trying to hurt him in any way. Maybe you are just picking on him because you are unhappy with yourself and your life. I think you are mad at the school because you don’t have anyone else to blame for your shortcomings but you won’t accept responsibility. You turned in sorry work and the chief flight instructor gave it back to you to redo. You got mad and smarted off at him and mentioned that you just do enough to get by. Is it any wonder that he asked you if you were in the right profession? My god I don’t want a pilot flying over my house with my family inside knowing that he is only doing just enough to get by.

I noticed also you were complaining about having to wear tan flight suits. Well didn’t you know that before you got there? I have 6 tan flight suits and I didn’t pay more than $40 for any one of them courtesy of Ebay. Seems to me I remember that’s how you got yours also. Don’t you be trying to lie to those people out there like that. Not one student at the school has bought a $120 brand new flight suit. Every one of us has bought them used and in great shape for under $50. As for the black boots, I don’t see what your problem is. That’s the rules of the school and if you didn’t like it you shouldn’t have been there. Boots are not uncomfortable and they are not expensive. I can see you have never spent anytime in the military or you wouldn’t have a problem. Have you ever really done anything with your life other than attend somewhere then quit and talk about the school? Are there any schools that you have finished without quitting when you got mad because things didn’t go your way all the time? Before you start pointing fingers at me and asking me what I’ve ever done you just let me know and I’ll gladly compare resumes with you. I would be happy to post mine and you can post yours and we will let the public decide who might know a little bit more about what they are talking about. If you have a problem with a little dress code how are you going to make it in the real world? This little dress code at the school is nothing compared to what you would have gone through in the military. Anyone out there who is a veteran will back me on that. Do you know that a lot of the agencies out there require flight suits and all require some type of uniform? Even the military wears flight suits! Point of the matter is when you grow up and get ready to join society in the work place you will have to wear some kind of uniform. Get used to it.

 

Bottom line of this post, you need to quit picking on a great instructor, who is too classy to respond to your lies, wake up, and move on with your life. Act like an adult and not a kid. I hope you find a new place to fulfil your aviation dreams because after reading what you said about the school and instructor there I can’t help but believe that you have burned all bridges at Georgia Aviation and I don’t know anybody that will want to fly with you. Knowing the class of the instructors though I’m sure they would put their personal feelings aside and do their best to help you succeed. Can you find any classier people anywhere else? I don’t think so. Anyone who is interested in attending Georgia Aviation Technical College should check it out for themselves and not take the word or one disgruntled person who has already showed what kind of character he possesses. Anyone is welcome to contact any other helicopter student or me if there are any questions about the school and its instructors.

[Bristol]

helipilot06,

 

You are way out of line.

You're not displaying a very mature command of the english language either. It's one thing to have a heated discussion as adults, but you are now out of line and not within the spirit of what this board is about.

My advice to you is to move on with your training somewhere else and think before pushing the "post" button again.

[helipilot06]

helipilot06,

 

You are way out of line.

You're not displaying a very mature command of the english language either. It's one thing to have a heated discussion as adults, but you are now out of line and not within the spirit of what this board is about.

My advice to you is to move on with your training somewhere else and think before pushing the "post" button again.

 

No worries..

 

The seed of doubt has been planted. I am very confident about my use of language and do not need any adult supervision on this forum. I am very proud to have the courage to stand up for my friends and shake things up at GAVTC. For once, instructors will think twice about their actions and hopefully the aspiring students on this board will listen to the 90% majority and not the sole person who had an excellent experience at GAVTC. I'm not blowing smoke just for the sake of doing it and would be glad to give you the information you need to contact most of the students in the rotorcraft flight program (participation willing of course).

 

Bickering aside, there's still about 13+- full time flight students and another 5 or so that work other jobs and come in when they can. One helicopter is currently operating and the other one was promised to be up yesterday (surprise surprise, it's not). I think I have a duty to provide not only my opinions but more importantly, the facts about GAVTC and the last year of my experience.

 

Any post painting me as a whiny little rebel, however, couldn't be further from the truth. I believe strongly in standing up for one's rights and would rather die than to brown-nose my way to the top (sorry bristol, if you find a more politically correct phraseology please let me know). Let it be known also that I wouldn't last one minute in the military. I did not take out a fifty thousand dollar loan only to be treated as if I were

in a morning formation. I would suspect that any other potential student wouldn't desire to be treated that way either.

 

I would also like to say that I never minded the flight suit until the weather was 90+ degrees. I mentioned to the "self appointed chief flight instructor" that I would like to wear a white shirt with tan slacks, as some of the dual rated students were doing. As a matter of fact, the actual chief flight instructor (over the entire flight department--fixed wing and rotorcraft) had no problem with, as this had been custom for quite some time. But alas, it was declared to me by the self-appointed chief of the helicopter program (see I never mentioned his name!! classy of me huh? BTW at this time there was still no formal title to his job) that anyone who did not wear black boots the following quarter or a military flight suit in desert tan would not be allowed to fly. About four people still wore their brown hiking boots/cowboy boots (including myself) and wouldn't be pushed into a new dress code on a complete and utter WHIM. (Note: this happened 9 months after I arrived at the school).

 

My apologies for any witty remark about a man/boy love relationship--it was easy to use and probably not the most professional thing to say. Nevertheless, in my time at GAVTC I strove for nothing less than professional relationships with my instructors. This just goes to show that the instuctor we are refering to, obviously leaked enough information(shady at best) for his buddy to do his dirty work (classy I agree!).

 

The truth hurts, and as cliche' as that might sound, it's the only reason any irrational opposition to my previous posts could have occured. My intentions were not to defame a certain person or to question his ability as a helicopter pilot, only to point out that he is not the dedicated instructor big duke is trying to portray him as.

 

Could I just mention that I didn't even know what the PTS was at my first checkride? Also I would like to point out that I thought the Jeppesen Schweizer 300cb/cbi information manual was a POH!??

 

Furthermore, I would like to clarify that a continuing ED student taught me how to preflight (big duke, I'm sure you were there), a fellow classmate showed me how to work the radios, and 95% of what I know is self-taught. My scores were almost PERFECT and I studied enough to not have to cheat on a knowledge test, buddy!! Motivation was my middle name and if it wasn't for that determination, I wouldnt be anywhere close to where I am now. Oh and 15 hours of turbine time ( I know of one other full time student who got 3) doesnt mean jack with just a commercial ticket (did you ever get that? instrument too hard?) and under 500 hours. You quit flying for another job-- you have no room to talk about someone who is passionate about becoming a helicopter pilot.

 

Resumes and flight hours aren't the same thing. Employers want to know what kind of time you have and how much of it. If you cared enough about these forums you would have:

 

1. Not created your account yesterday

2. Know that your perfect resume gets you nowhere without the flight time to back it up.

 

This profession probably isn't for you anyway.

 

I'm finished and honestly don't plan to entertain the masses with anymore responses to nonsense. Any private discussion is more appropriate, as forum chatter will only enhance the negative shadow GAVTC's rotorcraft program already has. I would also like to point to any fixed wingers out there, I would gladly endorse this school as having some EXCELLENT (not sarcastic) training!

 

Students: fly safe, demand respect, and strive for equal and fair treatment.

 

Nic

[bigduke-6]

First of all I want to say I didn’t post my comments to argue with a 21 year old punk who doesn’t know his tail from a hole in the ground. I posted my comment in defense of one of the finest men and instructors I have ever known and had the chance to fly with. When this young punk attacked the Georgia Aviation Chief Flight Instructor’s character, I had to come to his defense because he is too classy to take up for himself. By the way this Chief Flight Instructor wasn’t self appointed. I have seen the paperwork from the college president myself appointing this instructor chief flight instructor over the helicopter division. If this kid wants to talk about self appointing he ought to look at himself. I see he has appointed himself spokesperson for the flight school saying he represents 90% of the school? I know my math isn’t that good but has anybody seen anyone else complaining other than this idiot? I sure haven’t! I haven’t seen one other person posting anything negative about the school but him. So much for the 90% huh? Maybe he ought to take some more math lessons!

 

As for me, I see you want to throw stones at me now just because I am something that you will never be, LOYAL!!. Well junior, I am flying for the federal government making $65,000 a year. What are you doing with yourself?

 

I want everyone who reads this to know that my goal for posting these messages is not to argue with helopilot because I don’t care what he thinks. My goal was to show everyone out there that he doesn’t represent 90% of the school like he says. He doesn’t even represent 10% of the school. This is one person who is mad at the school and the chief flight instructor because they tried to hold him to a high standard just like everyone else. He failed his private ride because he made a mistake not because he wasn’t properly trained. He doesn’t want to place the blame on himself where it should be. Its easier for him to point his finger elsewhere. I just don’t want anyone to make a mistake by listening to this guy and not checking into the flight school for themselves. Hey, don’t even take my word for it. Call or go by the school and talk to anyone there and make up your own mind.