Virtual On-boarding and Online Basics

[TheDerp]

Noooooooooooooooooooo. Dammit.

At first they were only scheduling online classes for people who had received FOLs / OKC class dates before corona cancelled everything. Then I saw a guy post saying he received a call for an online class date but didn’t previously get an FOL / class date before corona hit - so we believed that they finally rescheduled everyone who had been affected and that they could now move on to everyone else who was awaiting a date before corona hit.

Well within the next few days a bunch of other people started commenting saying they were getting calls too. Everyone was saying they got medically cleared early February. Then people started saying mid February. Then late February. Then early March. It seemed like they were giving virtual class dates based on date of medical clearance. Normally the faa has no rhyme or reason to their hiring process but this time it actually seemed to be in order. Maybe it was just coincidence. Hope not though ?

Edit: I’m a July 2018 applicant btw, for what it’s worth.

I am from the same bid, got cleared early March 2020 and have a class date of 6/17

 

[jenkins156]

I am from the same bid, got cleared early March 2020 and have a class date of 6/17

That’s good to hear. Glad you finally got in. Congrats!

 

[Roobtheloob]

That’s good to hear. Glad you finally got in. Congrats!

By the way, I'm from the same bid as well. And I turned 31 two months after the bid closed.

 

[TheDerp]

By the way, I'm from the same bid as well. And I turned 31 two months after the bid closed.

Nice! Buddy of mine aged out and wasn't able to make a switch to ATC from Aircraft Dispatching.

 

[jenkins156]

By the way, I'm from the same bid as well. And I turned 31 two months after the bid closed.

Oh nice. Wasn’t sure there were many people left from our bid. I never marked down the announcement bid number so I haven’t been able to find the thread for it.

after personally getting delayed for 6 months for breaking a bone, and then many more months for failing my MMPI, plus more time because of corona and the 2019 government shutdown, I’ve gotten so antsy ever since I received my medical clearance.

I know we’ll get in eventually. But like you said, I guess I gotta go back to enjoying the water. Can’t imagine it’ll be too much longer for you and I though!

 

[Citation_Needed]

I'm just sitting here hoping my turning down the online classes and telling them I'd wait for the school to reopen didn't totally screw my chances at getting this job....

The HR rep told me I couldn't work a second job during the week and I believed her at first, but now that I think about it I know that has to be wrong. How can they control what you do outside your working hours?

During my onboarding we were told that starting from that onboarding date we could not work another job 9-5 M-F. Leaving evenings and weekends as okay.

They don't want you working during the hours they're paying for which will also approximately be your Online Basics class time once you start that.

 

[32andBelow]

During my onboarding we were told that starting from that onboarding date we could not work another job 9-5 M-F. Leaving evenings and weekends as okay.

They don't want you working during the hours they're paying for which will also approximately be your Online Basics class time once you start that.

That’s super funny they chose 9-5 to dick up your day even more when the real academy runs from 7-3

 

[ClearanceClarence]

That’s super funny they chose 9-5 to dick up your day even more when the real academy runs from 7-3

7-3:30. Don’t forget about that unpaid lunch!

 

[Citation_Needed]

That’s super funny they chose 9-5 to dick up your day even more when the real academy runs from 7-3

There may be some online classes scheduled 7-3:30. There are other class schedules that have start times of 7, 8, 10 and 12.

 

[SIXTY-NINE]

There may be some online classes scheduled 7-3:30. There are other class schedules that have start times of 7, 8, 10 and 12.

It's mainly because of time zones. Having a three hour difference between West/East coasts can change the start time by a lot. Even more if you live in Alaska or Hawaii.

 

[32andBelow]

It's mainly because of time zones. Having a three hour difference between West/East coasts can change the start time by a lot. Even more if you live in Alaska or Hawaii.

Really they shouldn’t be braking people’s balls when they are paying them like 1 dollar an hour.

 

[SIXTY-NINE]

Really they shouldn’t be braking people’s balls when they are paying them like 1 dollar an hour.

I would have no complaints if they were willing to pay the food/living stipend. It's not like we magically stop eating food/paying rent because we're not going to OKC.

 

[LuckyCC]

Is there a thread with anyone documenting what happens after basics is finished virtually, while awaiting the academy re-opening?

 

[AJay]

Is there a thread with anyone documenting what happens after basics is finished virtually, while awaiting the academy re-opening?

I forget which thread I saw it mentioned, but I believe someone said they are working on their respective paths (enroute/terminal) curriculum, which is mostly self study, but they are going to go back over it when they get to OKC again.

 

[mollymauk]

Can anyone that finished Online Basics comment on the final, they were saying in class today today it was like 180 questions? Did they allow scrap paper for calculations or do they do the onscreen calculator, was there any aircraft ID questions ( I spent an too large portion of the time studying that for the block two test, then there was not a single question about it), did you get instant grades like in all the block tests, when you are done can you just turn off the camera and go lie down till time is up or do you have to stay on camera? Any info would be appreciated.

 

[WaterToGo]

Can anyone that finished Online Basics comment on the final, they were saying in class today today it was like 180 questions? Did they allow scrap paper for calculations or do they do the onscreen calculator, was there any aircraft ID questions ( I spent an too large portion of the time studying that for the block two test, then there was not a single question about it), did you get instant grades like in all the block tests, when you are done can you just turn off the camera and go lie down till time is up or do you have to stay on camera? Any info would be appreciated.

Ya it was about 185 questions. We were allowed calculator usage. There was about 2 aircraft ID questions in my exam, but the instructors told me that the question banks between terminal and en route has slightly different weights on each block. Since I was en route, aircraft ID is less important compared to terminal. When you finish, you don't get to see your grade. Someone will tell you your grade one on one after the test is done. In my case, everyone passed so the person just said it to the whole class. When you're done with the test, you turn off the camera.

 

[jenkins156]

Ya it was about 185 questions. We were allowed calculator usage. There was about 2 aircraft ID questions in my exam, but the instructors told me that the question banks between terminal and en route has slightly different weights on each block. Since I was en route, aircraft ID is less important compared to terminal. When you finish, you don't get to see your grade. Someone will tell you your grade one on one after the test is done. In my case, everyone passed so the person just said it to the whole class. When you're done with the test, you turn off the camera.

How many do you need to get correctly out of 185 in order to pass

 

[mollymauk]

Ya it was about 185 questions. We were allowed calculator usage. There was about 2 aircraft ID questions in my exam, but the instructors told me that the question banks between terminal and en route has slightly different weights on each block. Since I was en route, aircraft ID is less important compared to terminal. When you finish, you don't get to see your grade. Someone will tell you your grade one on one after the test is done. In my case, everyone passed so the person just said it to the whole class. When you're done with the test, you turn off the camera.

Thank you so much. Do you ever get to see what you got wrong and the right answers and do you remember any of the harder wording?

Since it is 185, 70% of that is 129.5 so you would probably need to get 130 right.

 

[Gooni79]

Thank you so much. Do you ever get to see what you got wrong and the right answers and do you remember any of the harder wording?

Since it is 185, 70% of that is 129.5 so you would probably need to get 130 right.

Your instructors should be telling you exactly how many questions there are and what to expect after the test. Ftom there you can do the math to determine how many questions you can miss and still get a passing grade. You will not be able to see what you missed cause you could screenshot and "ruin the integrity" of the test. You'll only be given your score in an email..that's it .

 

[32andBelow]

Has anyone failed the online basics tests yet? How awkward would that be.

FAA HR wants to FaceTime.