Sierra Changes to a 6 day schedule.

[Flight_Watch]

Good idea to start some new threads.

Anyway, I understand their reasoning to spread out the schedule but personally I would much rather fly 5 days a week and have the weekends off.

Otherwise if you want to do anything fun you only have a day to do it. Life is too short to spend all your time at Sierra. I would rather enjoy the weekends while I am still young and active. But that is just me.

I was told that a few students were randomly ramped checked this week by one of the chief instructors. So it might be a good idea to review your preflight procedures and ARROW if you know what I mean.

[flyguy]

Well get used to it, because as a professional pilot you'll be the senority list's bitch when it comes to scheduling. I understand about wanting 2 days in a row though, but you don't have to do something fun necesseitating two days off in a row every week. Maybe take a Saturday or Monday off every so often so you can have time to yourself. As long as you don't do it often it shoudln't hold your training back much. In addition I usually take a few days off after a checkride. Good time to just relax and have fun. Doesn't hold your training back because you haven't started yet. Can't take 2 stpes forward and 1 step back if you haven't taken the first 2 steps yet. If you time it jsut right you won't be in groundschool during that time either so you could take a road trip or something. Eaiser said than done though.

[flyguy]

My last post got me thinking. What's the deal with groundschool now. Still monday through friday I'm assuming? What about ground instructors who are flight instructors? Do they get the weekend off or do they have to come to work all 6 days? I know when they were considering the 6 days on 2 days off schedule they were still going to give ground instructors weekends off.

[flyguy]

[ QUOTE ]
it might be a good idea to review your preflight procedures and ARROW ...

[/ QUOTE ]

ARROW? Is that a typo or are they teaching a second R that I should be aware of?

[Flight_Watch]

Airworthiness
Radio operators permit (if applicable)
Registration
Operators manual
Weight and balance (current)

[flyguy]

Ah, okay. Radio operator's permit, forgot about that. You ever seen one? Oh and actually O is Operating Limitations which are found in the operator's handbook but also includes things like required placards on and in the aircraft. POH needs to be there but it alone does not satisfy the O. Just a heads up in case you get ramped.

[flyguy]

Back on the subject of the schedule, so far it dosn't seem to be doing much as there are still only a handfull of people flying on Saturday and pushing everything together into the morning. If they spread it out it might work, but if everyone is only willing to fly in the morning we'll still have the same problems with aircraft availability.

[Flight_Watch]

Well I still think it is a bad idea. I have been flying on Saturdays and the local airports are a zoo. I am ready to go back to the 5 day a week schedule.

Looks like we just got a few more planes added to the fleet. Sierra bought Skipp's old 172's that were sitting in Oakland at the old school and trucked them over for maintenance. That should help with plane availability.

[Flight_Watch]

More small Changes in effect at Sierra Academy!

Secretorial offices were moved to the front of the building. As a result the Cheif instructors were moved to the smaller room in the rear. They opended up the door that connect the front dispatch area with the secretaries office. Good idea. Much easier to navigate around all the CFI's desks.

Taxi lines and parking spots were re-striped.

Some much needed building maintainence is also taking effect this week.
The place seems much busier than in the past few months.

Another Cessna arrived from Oakland.

Anyone else with any updates feel free to shout them out.

BTW It seems like very few students have checked out the Sierra Forum. How come? It could be a great place to exchange experiences and info about the program.

[DE727UPS]

I don't know I understand the logic. Is it cheaper to pull the wings off a 172 and drive it to Stockton than to fly it? Guess I don't see the big picture....

[Flight_Watch]

Ya I agree but these planes have been sitting at OAK for a few years now and have not been flown. An uncareful pilot at Oakland left his/her plane untied and it blew over into a C-172 and damaged the wings. It might be the one on the truck that was damgaged.

[flyguy]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't know I understand the logic. Is it cheaper to pull the wings off a 172 and drive it to Stockton than to fly it? Guess I don't see the big picture....

[/ QUOTE ]
That plane with no wings in the picture is actually the one I did my first night flight in. Right after the school shut down last year, God got even with Skip for screwing us by blowing a hugh gust of wind at one of Skip's 152s and it broke the tie downs, went airborn and landed on top of that 172 which was also Skip's. Its not that they pulled the wings off in order to drive it, they did not fly it because it did not have wings to begin with.

[flyguy]

[ QUOTE ]
Ya I agree but these planes have been sitting at OAK for a few years now and have not been flown. An uncareful pilot at Oakland left his/her plane untied and it blew over into a C-172 and damaged the wings. It might be the one on the truck that was damgaged.

[/ QUOTE ]
Actually it was tied down, the wind was so strong it actually broke the tie downs. You probably don't remember but that whole back row next to Wyo Tech's hangar (our old maintainence hangar) used to be our ramp. There was a steel cord that the tie down chains were attached to and that was what broke rendering that whole back row "untiedownable", which was okay because all that was there were Skip's planes and nobody cared about them.

[Flight_Watch]

Ya I think know the area you are talking about. Near the hangar with the large jet engine outside to pratice matience.
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Updates:

Tail graphics with Sierra's logo are on the way!

Also heard that a few instructors are working on new chain tie downs for the whole fleet. Much like we had at OAK instead of the ropes we have now.

4 new students this month.

At least 2 Instructors interviewed for SkyWest.

Lastly, Sierra is getting rid of a few of its older planes that it leases to get ready for the new glass Cessnas arriving soon.

[flyguy]

Tail graphics!?!?!? You're kidding right? I'd better not hear any more complaints from the mangement guys about how were loosing money. That is completely frivolous (sp?) IMHO.

[Flight_Watch]

Well it may be frivolous but then again it might make the fleet look more like an academy and impress new recruits when they visit. Then again, the money could probably be better spent on maintenance and other things.

[SFLAX]

Three Instrustors interviewed, the good part is out of 25 at the interview they were the only CFI's, says something about the training. The tail graphics are needed, when some wants to complain it is easier to tell where the plane is from.

[Flight_Watch]

[ QUOTE ]
when some wants to complain it is easier to tell where the plane is from.

[/ QUOTE ]

Haaa good point.
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Did they get hired?

[Flight_Watch]

Last Friday the Management set up a student meeting and Bar-B-Q to inform students of the school's progress.

Sierra is going to return some of its leased planes in the next few weeks to make room for the new Glass cockpit Garmin1000's Cessnas to be arriving soon.

Prices are to increase $15 on the C-172's to cover increased fuel and insurance costs. Should tack on $2500 to the overall ATP program. Last few months the school was not even breaking even on the C-172's for the amount of time they were flown within the monthly lease. BE-76 Duchess is profitable though and there will be no price increase for it.

Management has been real open lately, letting all the students know what is going on what their plans are for the future. Sierra continues to inform students that there is no guarantee of getting hired as a CFI after training at Sierra unless you meet their very high standards. You will need a good record, high test scores and pass the interview with flying colors. They want to maintain their high standards so that employers like SkyWest will know their new cfi recruits from Sierra are a highly capable pilot.

We now have a new coat of paint on the building which looks really good. Red and Grey. Also, all new taxi way signs have been installed at LVK making it much easier to locate yourself after landing.

Overall, things are moving along well at Sierra. Should be a good spring and summer here. Will post more updates as see fit.

[flyguy]

Flight_Watch,

I assume you are formely Cessna_Flyer?

I'll be putting in my $.02 about the current updates at Sierra. But since we're drifting off the topic of this thread I think I'll start a new one.

[Encoreman]

Hmmm, Prices going up again, eh?
Johan still there? Does he still walk around like a grumpy cop that missed doughnut break? He was always a prick in my opinion.
Watch Sierra Guys, They bust you for little stuff on check rides, and add a bunch of "nice to know" but not needed to know stuff, just to cunfuse you and keep you flying.
I`m also surprised that they have not gotten busted for their false advertisement, with the CRJ pictures, and other pics they have used from Stockton Jet Center.
Glad I left sierra!
Encoreman

[flyguy]

Hmmm, sounds like somebody washed out and is blaming Sierra. Everything I've learned I feel is valuable information. Nice to know but not need to know? Perhaps, but if all you want is the need to know information, and lack the ambition to push yourself and gain some extra knowlege I can see why you washed out. I chose Sierra for that extra nice to know but not need to know stuff. As far as the stage check pilots butsting people for little things, all I can say is I'm no God's gift to aviation but I've managed to get as far as I have and only busted one stage check and one oral. And I've actually passed stage checks that I feel I probably should have busted, so you clearly have a very low standard set for yourself. Again its easy to see why you washed out.

As for Jahan, whatever you have to say about him you might as well ball up and say it to his face because he reads these forums. Yes he is a little intimidating, especially to a pre-private going for his first stage check, but he's fair. He's a very good pilot and a really good guy once you get to know him.

As for advertisement, I'm afraid I have to admit we do kind of spout out propoganda just like all the other big schools, but comparitively speaking we're not that bad at all. CRJ? I have no idea what you speak of. Yes there are a couple pictures with jets in the background on the website, but nowhere do we advertise anything about them. If I'm not mistaken the old brochures (probably the ones you saw when you were looking into the school) had a lot more jets on them including a 747. You didn't actually think you were going to fly that 747 did you? Is that why you washed out? Because of the flase advertising? If anything we've toned down our advertising a ton, and we're much much much better about it than some schools, (DCA).

[SierraPilot123]

Hmm........someone sounds bitter. Maybe for good reasons, but maybe not.

I have been at Sierra for about a year now and think their stage checks and orals are fair. I have never felt like I was forced to take more flights just because. In fact my instructor likes to push me to take stage checks the second he feels I am ready. I usualy take an extra flight just to put the polish on things.

I like all the nice to know info that they offer. I am sure it will come in handy one day when I need to make a crucial PIC decision.

The weather has been great this summer for training. Not a single cancelled day for thunderstorms, hail or high winds. And lots of coastal fog for IFR training.

[Flight_Watch]

Dude Jahan rules! He is one of our most knowledgeable pilots. What are you talking about?