Delta Connection Academy

Go Back to the Books!

During ground school, homework is very structured. With flight homework, you have some guidelines to go by. But it doesn’t stop there. If you’re having difficulty with anything, go back to the books! 

Work ahead!

2-20 You know by now that you don’t want to miss any scheduled time at the academy, but weather, airplane maintenance, and sickness are unavoidable. If you know something’s coming up, work ahead. You can ask to fly on Saturday, complete parts of navigation logs ahead of time, and complete homework before it’s due. I’m planning a wedding out of town and will have to miss a few Fridays. These are a few things I’m doing to make those missed days not hurt so much. Today I’m sick – I have been all weekend – and probably won’t be able to fly tonight. As long as I call four hours before my flight I won’t get charged as a “no-show.” This doesn’t have to be a wasted day even if I don’t fly. I can complete homework and study for upcoming stage checks. It will be a bummer if I don’t get to complete my lesson today, but I could miss more later if I don’t take care of myself now. I’m not going to beat up myself if I sleep a lot, that’s necessary to get better. It’s also necessary to eat right and drink lots of water and orange juice. If you’ve been out on your own for a while, using your common sense will usually work, but if you’ve just left home in the past year, you may need to call mom for some guidance. She’ll hate to hear you’re sick but will love that you called her. Moms like to feel needed! If you’ve been feeling bad for more than 4-5 days it may be a good idea to visit a doctor. If you have a virus it will only get better with a prescription. If you’re far from home and can’t get to your doctor, check with your insurance (or ask your parents if you’re on their insurance plan) to see if there’s a specific place you need to go. Most insurance plans allow you to visit urgent care type facilities, or pharmacies with clinics (located inside stores like Walgreen’s or CVS). Do you have topics you’d like me to blog about? If so, let me know at my academy email, JessicaCooper@dcamail.net.

Houston's New Building!

We’ve moved into our new building in Houston! Everyone has been looking forward to this move for months. Prior to the new building we were in a double-wide trailer, but now we are in half of a new hangar. There is one entrance for pre-flight planning and pre-and post-flight flight briefing and another for classrooms and offices. Simulators are in both parts of the building. There is also increased security since the only way to get to the planes is through the building. We knew the old place was tight, but now that we’ve moved, I can’t imagine how we made it before! Now, every area is specifically designed for its use. We have ample space to spread out as well as use the weather radio, computer, and phone to get briefs and file flight plans in the planning room. The post-flight briefing area has cubicles, some with computers, and some with workspace. The new classroom is fantastic. We have eight individual tables with two seats per table. The projector screen used to be right on top of the whiteboard. Now they are on different parts of the wall. Even though I haven’t used it yet, it will be much easier to concentrate in class when we’re not being interrupted by the beeping simulator through the very thin walls! This is a much better space for Delta Connection Academy students and instructors. On a personal note, I passed my stage check, lesson 37 and am moving on! The next one is 47 – I’ve heard it’s very similar.

Stage Check Saturdays

When it comes to stage checks, Saturdays are a working day at the academy. Sunday is the only day you will have guaranteed off. A helpful tip is not to make plans near your stage check. I've been waiting to be scheduled for a week and unfortunately it landed on the day I made plans. I'm thankful that my friends understand. It may sound like I'm complaining - I am frustrated, but my job here is to learn to fly. That's it. It's not to meet up with friends, and it is not limited to five days a week, during the time spent at DCA. You will make friends with your classmates and they are on the same crazy schedule as you. My classmates and I rely on each other for studying, backseating each others' flights, and celebrating with each other when we've been successful. Next blog - We've moved into our new building in Houston!