what to do next?

raptor145 Newcomer

I just got my AT-SAT score, 95.3 , only took six days...so anyone else in the Jacksonville group that might be on here they should be up!

My question is should I apply now or wait a while? My situation is that I need to finish my CFI and CFII prior to actually getting my bachelors, and the way things work at my school its going to take 3 months probably. Is there any chance things would move quickly enough that I might get sent to OKcity sooner than that? I don't want to give up my degree when I have everything done except for those two ratings.

tuckermtn Rookie

It seems as though unless you are a very lucky person there is no getting to OKC before FY10 (October 1) at the earliest. Depends upon the need of the facility you're selected for, but only so many people can be there at any one time and FY09 is on the downhill time-wise.

Having your AT-SAT doesn't do you much good unless you've graduated and your school has sent your recommendation to OKC. Once they receive it you can apply on ASAP and then you have to wait for a selection panel, which I think happens every 3 months. After that point I can't really tell you how much time anything takes because I am waiting notification from the most recent panel. But from other posts it looks like a month or so from notification to PEPC, and from then on it depends person-to-person and facility-to-facility.

If you finish CFI/CFII you can at least try to find a job flying somewhere (perhaps at your school or one of the billion FBOs out there - I think 3 of which are actually hiring) and build up your hours so that you have some more options if your wait to OKC gets to be too long. Besides that, any degree is a good degree - better to have one than not in a lot of cases, I think.

raptor145 Newcomer

OK, so I technically don't get recomended to the FAA until I get my degree? I'm kinda confused, they said completing the CTI courses just recomends you to take the AT-SAT. Which I assumed was correct because I had a buddy apply OTS about 5 months ago and hasn't even been invited to take the test, yet I took it 2 weeks after I finished the CTI courses. So does that mean I technically can't apply as a CTI grad yet? The way my school did it all is very weird. All of the other guys from my class are in the same situation as I am as well so I'll definatly pass this info onto them.

Fortunately, I do have a job at a FBO here in town working as a line guy. Don't think I'll be able to instruct for my school, nor do I want to really haha. But we have lots of base customers always looking for BFR's and additional ratings, as well as a charter company looking for guys to sit in the right seat our turbo props and pistons...even though they are cheap asses and dont pay us a dime to do it anymore, but Kingair or 421 time is good even if not getting paid a guess.

tuckermtn Rookie

I would take twin time any day, paid or not! But as I've not got my multi rating I guess it would only be dual received for the time being, ha! Still paying off my instrument...maybe someday I'll be able to afford twin training.

What I know is how the process went at my school, UND. I was hoping to get my reco down to the folks in OKC in time to make the December hiring announcement which closed 9 days before my actual graduation. But, that reco comes out for every qualified (i.e. graduate of the CTI program) person at the same time; which means nothing goes out until paperwork for every graduating student is processed by the school and then forwarded to Amy down in OKC. You also have to send an official copy of your final transcript to them, and those aren't necessarily available right after you graduate. For me it wasn't until some time in January that both my transcript and reco from my school were sent - about a month, maybe a little more. That's as fast as they could do it, but we have a giant aviation program and there is a lot of administrative busy work to be done, regardless of the so-called "priority" of ATC students (On a side note I think this is why CTI applicants now have a rolling app on ASAP, so any individual can apply as soon as they possibly can, at any time that happens, so they don't have to wait for the next announcement).

As far as I know the AT-SAT has nothing to do with your school's reco, it only puts you into the qualified or well qualified categories (or, not qualified) for the selection panel people to sort through. Some great guys from Robinson Aviation are sent by the FAA to do AT-SAT testing at some of the CTI schools, a certain number of times a year, depending on funding I imagine. That works out better for CTIers because the test comes to you...you just have to be ready to take it. But you know this since you've already taken the thing...

You can apply under the CTI announcement as soon as you have the code, given to you by Amy, or someone from the CTI department at OKC. You will get that by email after your transcript and reco are received down there. Until then your options are to apply OTS when a PUBNAT opens up, which I think means you've got to take the AT-SAT again but I could be wrong about that; or just finish your ratings, get your degree, and wait for the next selection panel...and then wait for a notification email...and then wait for the PEPC...and then wait for an FOL...and then wait for a class date in OKC (but those last few steps are the same for CTI and OTS, so it really doesn't matter once you're in the system).

But, like I said, this is just how it has happened for me as a UND graduate. I don't know if each school does things the same way or not; and with the new format for hiring on ASAP there may be a new method of sending information to OKC that I wasn't previously aware of. Hope this is helpful none-the-less

raptor145 Newcomer

Thanks! that helps a lot! My school is new to the whole CTI thing, so no one really knows whats exactly going on, especially the admin..haha. And this past spring semmester was the first one offering CTI, which was only one additional class to what I had taken as an aviation ops major. But its really similar to UND in lots of ways I think, but our flight training is done by the Delta Connection Academy than the school itself. And things seem to go kinda slow as you said as far as paper work goes. I think you guys have always been the biggest competition for our flight team, maybe this is our year though! One of our teachers went there, and he has nothing but good things to say about UND. He also told me he wanted to bring a few of us new CTI guys up there to check out the simulators and stuff, as we have absolutely nothing here. haha

tuckermtn Rookie

I'm guessing your extra class was just the AT-Basics, then? I think that is technically the only requirement for a CTI school - to teach the basics so that grads can bypass that phase at the academy. But what a huge difference just learning basics is to having the great opportunity to (at least in the simulated world) work a little bit of traffic and put some of those rules to practical use! I'm sure the staff in Grand Forks would be more than happy to show you guys around, the facilities there are great. Hopefully they'll let you have a few runs since you're CTI as well...

raptor145 Newcomer

Well we already had an ATC class we were required to take, the additional class was advanced ATC, It worked out that I took both at ths ame time though, and they were pretty much the same. I think the classes that are part of the CTI program are private pilot ground, aviation weather, airport planning/management, and both ATC classes...except for the advanced ATC they are all requirements for aviation ops and management majors. I've fooled around trying to do some ATC on flight sim, and have played the atc simulator 2 game...guess thats better than nothing!