DCA Alumni
Make sure you are getting all the info....the 65k does not give you 1000TT and 100ME unless you are hired or retained as an instructor. The hiring process at DCA is somewhat confusing and fluctuates rapidly. Even if you are a fortunate student to get hired the wait for standardization class varies between 2-6 months.Also, they may try to send you elsewhere to other campuses i.e. New Bedford, Ma . Now my position was different, I was 20 and did not have the money to sit around in orlando for that period of time nor move and return for the "stands class". So if you are retained Then you can expect your 1000TT and 100ME but plan on spending 3 years in your endeavor (10-14 months for training and 18-24 months instruc).Now the other thing is the lack of experience you will have as a grad through the program, you are looking at around 300 hrs total with maybe 20 hrs of solo time. 300 hrs is plenty of time to learn how it works but when you are with an instructor for 280 of it you are not making decisions and you always have the comfort of knowing there is an instructor to bail you out. So my point is, if you spend that much money there is still the risk of ending up with only 300 hrs for 65K. I went part 61 thru commercial and 141 for multi thru CFII and there is a major difference. 141 such as DCA will get you a level of knowledge that you could only get from other high ranking (expensive) schools but again lack of flight experience. Part 61 is the exact opposite and much less expensive. DCA is still a good school and was a fun place to be excluding the pressure of stage checks and FAA rides, but there was always a big secret about everything and it kind of felt like we were being suckered.