DVA2448
Senior Captain, MD-11
OLP
Joined on July 05 2005
Online Century Club
50 State Club
Triple Century Club
DVA Fifteen-Year Anniversary
Everett Century Club
Spring Lake, MI
343 legs, 971.5 hours
173 legs,
431.4 hours online
300 legs,
812.3 hours ACARS
7 legs,
36.1 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
August 21 2006 20:02 ET by Tim Fox
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I read elsewhere that management is looking at the training and testing aspects of DVA, so I merely wanted my opinion on the matter known.
My 2 cents on the testing and training aspects...please don't make them any more "restrictive" (for lack of a better term) than they already are. I feel that too much testing can detract from the fun of this hobby, as I am tested enough in the real-world.
I like the fact that the Training Academy is voluntary, and George and many others have put a great deal of work into it. Someday I may have the time to obtain the PPL, and I know that it will help me out. So I guess I would say please keep it voluntary.
Also, I would like to suggest that a person take a "General Flight Knowledge" type of test in their early stages of DVA, and once that has been passed, the rest of their written exams will have questions that are solely based on the aircraft they are testing for, and would not include some of the same general flight questions that have been asked on previous tests.
I also feel that EVERY question should have the answer in the DVA document library. If it is not, then a pilot who wishes to take an exam for a particular aircraft should be directed to the reference material that the CP used in making the test. I teach in real life, and I would never ask a question of one of my students without first providing them with the reference material in which they can find the answer. At times I have been unable to find an answer to a question on one of the written exams without having to search all over the Internet. even then, this can lead to errors as a large portion of the material on the Web is anything but correct.
This thread is not meant to flame anyone or the system in general, so please don't flame me. 
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DVA1385
Captain, B767-300
E-MAIL
Joined on November 09 2003
Century Club
"www.flyaoamedia.com"
Western United States
122 legs, 479.3 hours
72 legs,
282.0 hours online
36 legs,
162.1 hours ACARS
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Posted onPost created on
August 21 2006 20:13 ET by Chris Palmer
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DVA1320
Senior Captain, B777-200
COMM
Joined on August 29 2003
Online Six Century Club
DVA Ten-Year Anniversary
Everett Millennium Club
Flying Colonel
Three Million Mile Club
Arlington, VA USA
1,752 legs, 7,042.0 hours
610 legs,
2,627.6 hours online
272 legs,
966.9 hours ACARS
5 legs,
12.2 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
August 22 2006 08:18 ET by Daniel Ward
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Hi Tim. Most of the questions have been around longer than I have been a member at DVA. Certainly the questions that are specific to a particular aircraft should be found in the Ops manual for that aircraft. However, there are questions about aviation in general where we expect you to have a certain amount of knowledge. Unfortunately, there's no way to document that body of knowledge within the confines of DVA. We are not equipped to keep every piece of aviation knowledge known to mankind. However, the aviation general questions are pretty straighforward and should be part of your knowledge base to fly online with the aircraft you are rated to fly.
George started up the training department with the desire to help anyone who wishes to learn more about aviation and flying to help them attain more information and get the most enjoyment from the FS experience. That training is totally voluntary and is available to all pilots at DVA. He and his staff can tailor a session to meet your needs. He also has a Private Pilot's License course that will take you through every step of flying. His flight instructors have real world ratings so they know what they are talking about. I see so many postings in the Water Cooler asking for information or help from the general membership when an email to George, or a member of his staff, would be so much more helpful to the pilot asking the question.
Take advantage of this free help. Do you have any idea how much it costs to get this information in the real world?? Try getting your ATP license for free. And, in reality, that it was you have here in the virtual world. No, it is not our intention to make extremely tight rules and take the fun out of flying in FS. However, what we expect is that you have the ability to handle the aicraft you are rated to fly, and to get it from your departure airport to your destination airport. If you don't understand ILS approaches and landings and how to use NAT tracks, then you probably shouldn't have a rating to fly the 777 from KATL to LFPG and land it in the rain and fog with a cross wind.
So please talk to George about information you want to know. He and his staff are very good at what they do, and will be of immense help to you. Don't try to advance too fast. Learn along the way. In reality, that will help you the most with the tests...
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DVA917
Captain, B767-300
Joined on October 20 2002
Century Club
Online Century Club
Western Canada
184 legs, 385.6 hours
155 legs,
325.6 hours online
50 legs,
115.8 hours ACARS
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Posted onPost created on
August 22 2006 19:59 ET by Glenn Blanco
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