FAA CRASHPADS Just 5m from the FAA Academy!

Academy Post-COVID

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ONE

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Hey guys, going to (Enroute) academy at the end of this month so I wanted to ask some questions for those who have been there. I thought making a separate thread would be better since we have so many Online Basics threads but none for those are at the academy right now (and individual class date threads get moved to Discords/other chat groups anyway).

Answers from those who attempted Academy pre-COVID and then got sent home would be the most helpful! Since they have something to compare Academy to.

So here are my questions for those who are at academy:
Are mid/night shifts for classes common?
Places to see/things to do on the weekends besides study that are still open?
Are gyms still open?
What should I be studying before arriving (I've been memorizing the map)?
Are the classes faster paced? Do the instructors expect more because you took virtual?
Did you guys take Uber/Lyft directly from the airport?
What should I be working on in the first week of classes? (Since I assume there is some downtime because we haven't gotten too heavy into material yet)
What is most of your guys' schedules like?
Will I have enough downtime to take a weekend off if I'm not in danger of failing? I'd like to visit family once in the middle of Academy.

Thanks for answering!
 
Can’t speak to the post-Covid stuff specifically, but to your last question, do not try and take a week off while at the Academy. In Initial Enroute, 2/3 of your time will be spent running problems that you are generally never allowed to make up if you miss them. The rest of your time is spent doing hyper accelerated academics.

Not to mention the stigma of trying to put in for annual while you’re there. The Academy is, in reality, a 4 month extended job interview to see if you have the general skills, and the drive to do the job. Asking for vacation in the middle of it is not a great idea. Plus, with 66% of your grade coming during radar evals, there’s nobody who can avoid failing out until your last 2 days there.

If you absolutely have to get away, Labor Day will be a 3 day weekend.
 
ClearanceClarence said:
Can’t speak to the post-Covid stuff specifically, but to your last question, do not try and take a week off while at the Academy. In Initial Enroute, 2/3 of your time will be spent running problems that you are generally never allowed to make up if you miss them. The rest of your time is spent doing hyper accelerated academics.

Not to mention the stigma of trying to put in for annual while you’re there. The Academy is, in reality, a 4 month extended job interview to see if you have the general skills, and the drive to do the job. Asking for vacation in the middle of it is not a great idea. Plus, with 66% of your grade coming during radar evals, there’s nobody who can avoid failing out until your last 2 days there.

If you absolutely have to get away, Labor Day will be a 3 day weekend.
Click to expand...
Oh I don't plan on going requesting annual lol, I plan on hoarding leave like they're lucky charms. I plan to visit for a day and fly out late night/early morning for a day on the weekend.
I wouldn't be able to do a week lol.
Just don't think I'd get much studying done during that weekend due to travel and whatnot.
 
ONE said:
Oh I don't plan on going requesting annual lol, I plan to visit for a day and fly out late night/early morning for a day on the weekend.
I wouldn't be able to do a week lol.
Just don't think I'd get much studying done during that weekend due to travel and whatnot.
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Yeah like a day trip should be fine if you’re not actually taking any annual, I chose not to leave when I was there, but a couple buddies did. Just a personal choice I guess. You can always take your iPad with.
 
I would be really careful about flying during your pass/fail class. If your flight gets cancelled, delayed, etc, and you don't make it, they won't care and you'll have some explaining to do. We had a guy in my initial class at OKC who was 45 min late one day and he was on thin ice. I wouldn't mess around with it unless you fly out friday night and spend all day sunday getting back... which leaves you with one day. not worth it imho.
 
mnsalty said:
I would be really careful about flying during your pass/fail class. If your flight gets cancelled, delayed, etc, and you don't make it, they won't care and you'll have some explaining to do. We had a guy in my initial class at OKC who was 45 min late one day and he was on thin ice. I wouldn't mess around with it unless you fly out friday night and spend all day sunday getting back... which leaves you with one day. not worth it imho.
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I have 0 concern about getting back on time, I have some options available. But thank you for the advice!
 
Shikaka said:
Whatever you've studied, data dump that. Academy is fairly spoon fed and had its own special rules that practically change every class.

They'll tell you everything to study.

Go to Braums...


You're ready for the academy now.
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Is that like the Shake Shack of Oklahoma?
 
Horny4Vectors said:
Jesus tap dancing Hussein Christ. Wanna come to N90?
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I asked so many questions because I wanted the thread to be about the people going back to Academy rather than just having our small little subgroups in Discord/Groupme/Facebook. Better to share information about a city when COVID is happening before getting there, no?

I think I'd be eligible for the pension before becoming CPC, no thanks lol
 
I have been at the Academy since January.

There were less night shifts on my previous schedule compared to now. They split classes to make them smaller. More classes seems to mean more night shifts. It's about half and half now.

OKC is mostly open including gyms and because of this cases are on the rise.

Don't study anything the Academy hasn't given you. If they gave you the map just study that. I'd recommend not studying anything you'll have plenty of time.

Coursework shouldn't be any different than normal. They have to keep everything standardized even if that means repeating things they already taught you.

You can ride share from the airport.

The first few weeks you should be busy learning phraseology, the map, and studying for the first knowledge test. Your instructors will constantly tell you what you need to be doing, if not ask them.

My schedule M-F is go to work, study for a few hours, take my dogs to the park and relax before falling alseep (order varies depending on shift). On the weekends I study leisurely as much as necessary.

You should be able to visit family over a weekend just choose wisely. Before covid I spent a weekend outside of OKC but I still studied. Probably not the best idea given that you could be exposing your family to covid or exposing yourself and then bringing it back to the Academy. I'm not telling you what to do but keep in mind that it will take very little to get everyone sent home mainly due to the fact most instructors are in the at risk age group. From someone who has been at it for almost 9 months, you want to get in and out of the Academy as smoothly as possible.
 
I have no idea about post academy land with all this covid but I spent a lot of time down at the Wichita Wildlife Refuge... awesome area to hike around and explore. Also, if you go there make sure to hit up the restaurant Meers Store & Restaurant.. some epic cobbler and good burgers, not far from the Refuge. Other then that I pretty much studied my ass for Enroute.... word of advice, know your map, phraseology, and LOA/SOP’s cold. I mean know them so you can regurgitate them so you don’t even have to think about it. Your mind will be running so much on separation and 8 moves ahead of itself on what to do. Don’t confuse it by having to think about airspace, LOAs, and phraseology.
 
ONE said:
Will I have enough downtime to take a weekend off if I'm not in danger of failing? I'd like to visit family once in the middle of Academy.
Click to expand...
That is up to you to decide. IMO I would be more focused on studying than visiting family, even more so with the covid going around. Before you travel make sure you look at state restrictions because if you have to quarantine for 14 days you is screwed.
www.cnn.com

Covid-19 travel rules, mandates and safety guidance state by state

Planning a trip within the United States during the pandemic? Check CNN Travel's state-by-state guide with any remaining restrictions plus links to Covid safety guidance and mandates.
www.cnn.com www.cnn.com
P.S. If PushingTin comes in and rants about me quoting a CNN article, it's not politically related so he can pump the brakes.
 
A few nuggets of wisdom for you.
-If you do travel, don't post anything on social media showing you are out of town.
- stop studying now, you will have plenty of time in OKC to do that, and you don't want to memorize the wrong info.
- don't spend all day after class studying, at the end of your time studying ,just relax do something to take your mind off classwork.
- if you like animals I hear there is a great zoo about an hour away from the MMAC.
The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park
 

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