| Delta Virtual Airlines Water Cooler | Airline Operations |
Online Pilot Checkride Choices |
DVA10565
Captain, MD-88
OLP
Joined on February 25 2012
"Carpe dizzem, ya know'm sayin'?"
Melbourne Shores-Floridana Beach, FL USA
19 legs, 40.2 hours
14 legs,
30.3 hours online
19 legs,
40.2 hours ACARS
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Posted onPost created on
March 14 2012 22:08 ET by Justin Long
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I am wondering if in the future we could consider some more relevant options for the Online Pilot Course check-ride. The most relevant option in my opinion, is to assign the pilot to plan his own route according to what ATC is online, this would also give the pilot the opportunity to show their knowledge in flight planning. If this is not possible because it will complicate the grading of check-rides, may I at least suggest adding flights to choose from that seem to be in the current "hot-spots" of VATSIM ATC. For example, at this time, it seems JAX and SEA are almost always online, and would be a good choice to include in a proposed route for the check-ride.
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DVA9947
First Officer, B777-200
OLP
Joined on July 11 2011
Dorval, QC Canada
74 legs, 186.8 hours
69 legs,
179.2 hours online
73 legs,
182.8 hours ACARS
9 legs,
22.5 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
March 15 2012 00:51 ET by Aj Pongress
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From what I know having done a few checkrides, they test your ability to fly the plane, not your skills as a dispatcher.
Knowledge in flight planning is reduced to going to flightaware.com and copy/pasting a route, or getting a route off of vroute, etc. There isn't any skill in that. Flight dispatchers have training, education, and expensive software to build the most fuel efficient routes for their airlines.
We (most) don't have any of that.
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DVA10323
Chief Pilot, B727-200
OLP
Joined on November 26 2011
50 State Club
Globetrotter
Tin Dispatcher
Tri-Jet Triumph
US Capital Club
Online Seven Century Club
US Mountaineer Club
DVA Ten-Year Anniversary
Flying Colonel
Everett Millennium Club
"GPS, we don't need no GPS"
Gulfport, MS
1,585 legs, 1,452.3 hours
737 legs,
681.1 hours online
1,577 legs,
1,444.8 hours ACARS
41 legs,
58.7 hours event
327 legs dispatched, 343.5
hours
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Posted onPost created on
March 15 2012 07:57 ET by Kevin Lundy
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I like the idea of having several routes to choose from when it comes to the “On-Line Check Ride”. It took me a few days to find ATC on line when I was available to do my check ride. It would have been easier to have a few different routes in different parts of the country to choose from. You would have more of a chance to catch ATC on line when you are available to fly your check rider.
It is easy to do the flight planning when you have access to the DVA route plotter and the other free flight planning sites, but when I joined DVA I had no clue about SID/STAR and route plotting. I still didn’t quite have everything figured out when I got my online pilot certification. I filed a few flight plans that had the wrong format and they had to be fixed by ATC. Looked bad on DVA because I was cleared to fly online and didn’t know the right format to put a flight plan in. And it was a little embarrassing for me. So, I think even thought it is easy it would be a good idea to be tested on it during the check ride. I love all of the challenges that come with the promotions at DVA. It forces me to learn :-)
Kevin LundyChief Pilot, B727-200
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DVA10565
Captain, MD-88
OLP
Joined on February 25 2012
"Carpe dizzem, ya know'm sayin'?"
Melbourne Shores-Floridana Beach, FL USA
19 legs, 40.2 hours
14 legs,
30.3 hours online
19 legs,
40.2 hours ACARS
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Posted onPost created on
March 15 2012 09:20 ET by Justin Long
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Kevin Lundy wrote:
I love all of the challenges that come with the promotions at DVA. It forces me to learn :-)
I agree, I only wish I hadn't hesitated for years in joining the "online" FS community. I have enjoyed FS a-lot more since finding Deltava.org, and have learned more in the last couple weeks (since joining DeltaVA) than I have in the years I have been using/playing FS.
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DVA10526
First Officer, MD-11
Joined on February 07 2012
Várpalota, Veszprém HU
30 legs, 209.4 hours
25 legs,
184.7 hours online
27 legs,
183.6 hours ACARS
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Posted onPost created on
March 15 2012 14:50 ET by Zsolt Horvath
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Justin Long wrote:
Kevin Lundy wrote:
I love all of the challenges that come with the promotions at DVA. It forces me to learn :-)
I agree, I only wish I hadn't hesitated for years in joining the "online" FS community. I have enjoyed FS a-lot more since finding Deltava.org, and have learned more in the last couple weeks (since joining DeltaVA) than I have in the years I have been using/playing FS.
I don't fly for a long time (started it 3 months ago, perhaps), but I started my first flight - after the tutorials - online. Perhaps because when I started to fly I had been controlling for a year alredy on IVAO, so I wasn't afaird of the procedures. It's good to see that the other guys are reporting via UNICOM even if there's no ATC, knowing you're not alone.
The scheme of the DVA was the reason I've chosen that airline. I've failed some exams and checkrides, but I know that if I get a rating, I should feel myself comfortable in that aircraft.
Zsolt HorvathFirst Officer, MD-11
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DVA10565
Captain, MD-88
OLP
Joined on February 25 2012
"Carpe dizzem, ya know'm sayin'?"
Melbourne Shores-Floridana Beach, FL USA
19 legs, 40.2 hours
14 legs,
30.3 hours online
19 legs,
40.2 hours ACARS
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Posted onPost created on
March 15 2012 18:25 ET by Justin Long
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....Sigh....
Two days constantly refreshing ServInfo has only caused me a tremendous amount of frustration. I have three choices for checkride flights, I see 2 CTR's off and on that make 2 of the Check Rides flyable. The problem is that by the time I load FSX and get that particular route planned, they have already signed out of that CTR.
For example, today, I gave up on waiting for my CR and decided to just fly a route for fun as usual, halfway between PHL and ATL, I checked servinfo and saw that MSP CTR was online. I immediately aborted my flight being an hour into it, loaded up in KMKE, set up my flight, and looked, and they were already offline.
I hate to sound like a complainer, but this is becoming very frustrating only having the three choices, and I cannot be upset with the controllers as they have real lives to live also, I just keep looking at these three routes and think.....If they only included SEA or JAX, I'd had accomplished my goal already.
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DVA7956
Captain, A320
OLP
Joined on November 05 2009
50 State Club
Event Half Century Club
Online Double Century Club
Everett 250 Club
Quatercentenary Club
DVA Ten-Year Anniversary
"Swing on a star"
Manassas, VA USA
478 legs, 905.6 hours
259 legs,
494.7 hours online
473 legs,
893.0 hours ACARS
70 legs,
123.9 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
March 15 2012 18:48 ET by Scott Bradley
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Hang in there Justin. You'll get it. If I remember, you only have to establish communication with one of them - and they will often give you a heads up that they are closing. Just jump in and say...please Mr. ATC, wait for me...I'm trying to get my rating.
Scott BradleyCaptain, A320
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DVA8572
First Officer, B747-400
Joined on May 03 2010
Century Club
Online Century Club
Western United States
118 legs, 183.6 hours
108 legs,
173.1 hours online
117 legs,
182.4 hours ACARS
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Posted onPost created on
March 15 2012 19:21 ET by Jeremy Davis
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Sounds like a handful. Good luck!
Jeremy DavisFirst Officer, B747-400
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DVA2370
Senior Captain, B737-800
OLP, COMM, VFRADV
Joined on May 26 2005
Online Triple Century Club
Commuter Conquest
Six Century Club
Stage 1 Prop Triple Century Club
50 State Club
US Coastal Club
DVA Twenty-Year Anniversary
Flagler Beach, FL USA
675 legs, 726.8 hours
319 legs,
311.4 hours online
179 legs,
146.1 hours ACARS
1 legs,
1.6 hours event
0 legs dispatched, 4.0
hours
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Posted onPost created on
March 15 2012 19:23 ET by Scott Clarke
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Scott is correct...the checkride script says "Make sure that VATSIM ATC is on line when you make your flight." you only need to be able to contact and talk to ATC, from clearance up to center..it isnt only Center...if only chicago approach is on, fine. Make sure you use ACARS, as we look for the ATC freq logged into your flight report after you file it... The requirements are part of our ATO with VATSIM P rating system. We picked the 3 flights/locations because being an on line pilot course, usually the pilots that take the course do not have a lot of flight hours under their belt and we wanted to have3 locations to pick from that would not be to difficult to fly in and out of........ 
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DVA10565
Captain, MD-88
OLP
Joined on February 25 2012
"Carpe dizzem, ya know'm sayin'?"
Melbourne Shores-Floridana Beach, FL USA
19 legs, 40.2 hours
14 legs,
30.3 hours online
19 legs,
40.2 hours ACARS
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Posted onPost created on
March 16 2012 00:52 ET by Justin Long
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Well thank you Scott for the explanation, at least it makes sense why those 3 were chosen for routes. Just an update, I was finally able to fly checkride tonight on KMKE to KMSP route. ATC the whole flight!!! So it was fun too. Had a rough visual approach I didn't expect, wonder if they threw that curveball at me on purpose lol (funny I didn't just use ILS approach since I was so nervous). Anyways, now I just gotta wait and see how I did.
Just an FYI for anyone who reads this, CHI CTR handled Clearance, Taxi, Takeoff, and Departure for KMKE, so if you see them online, just tune them in (verify that they are not too busy to handle your clearance as I did) if nothing higher on the area's "ATC totem pole" is available.
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DVA9707
Captain, DC-6
OLP
Joined on April 19 2011
50 State Club
Piston Prop Professional
Online Double Century Club
US Mountaineer Club
Everett 250 Club
DVA Ten-Year Anniversary
US Coastal Club
Quincentenary Club
"They can't retire Gramps Payne at age 81!!!...."
Leonardtown, MD USA
591 legs, 899.8 hours
256 legs,
415.2 hours online
586 legs,
886.8 hours ACARS
16 legs,
32.7 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
March 23 2012 14:09 ET by Michael Payne
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Justin Long wrote:
Just an FYI for anyone who reads this, CHI CTR handled Clearance, Taxi, Takeoff, and Departure for KMKE, so if you see them online, just tune them in (verify that they are not too busy to handle your clearance as I did) if nothing higher on the area's "ATC totem pole" is available.
Kudos for the Chicago Center controller - he did the same for me last week on my c/r. I used Vat-Spy to see when the routes had active ATC (highly recommended), and after about 10 looks (over several days) I saw that the KMKE-KMSP route had centers and airports onliine. When I logged into VATSIM, KMSP was empty, so I filed my flight plan anyway and requested clearance from the Chicago center controller. Lo and behold, he gave clearance, pushback, taxi, takeoff, and departure control out of KMKE. KMSP was more normal, with a handoff from Minneapolis control to KMSP approach - then it got interesting when the KMSP approach controller suddenly had us switch to Minneapolis Center when I was on final less than 2mi from the threshold. I wonder if that ever happens RW? 
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DVA10565
Captain, MD-88
OLP
Joined on February 25 2012
"Carpe dizzem, ya know'm sayin'?"
Melbourne Shores-Floridana Beach, FL USA
19 legs, 40.2 hours
14 legs,
30.3 hours online
19 legs,
40.2 hours ACARS
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Posted onPost created on
March 27 2012 22:04 ET by Justin Long
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Congratulations Michael, judging by the OLP under your name you passed your CR!!
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DVA7709
Captain, B757-200
Joined on August 29 2009
50 State Club
Quatercentenary Club
Online Quadruple Century Club
Southeastern United States
452 legs, 908.6 hours
415 legs,
843.4 hours online
451 legs,
907.6 hours ACARS
25 legs,
53.3 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
March 28 2012 03:00 ET by Jose Hernandez
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The CTR atc will handle all Class B, C airports fully D airports as long as the tower is open RW ex say KMLB tower closes at midnight JAX CTR would give you a clearance, then after the clearance a Clearance void time then pick you up when you enter ccontrolled airspace. Now for landing after midnight it would be cleared vis app no trfc observed between you and the field report IFR cancellation in the air or on the ground this freq radar services terminated freq changed approved. Now for an instrument app it changes a little bit but it would be cleared direct FIFMU cross FIFMU at or above 2000 cleared RNAV 9R app report IFR cancellation or missed appch this freq radar services terminated freq changed approved. At an uncontrolled field theres the one in and one out rule. Hope that helps some what even though this was not a uncontrolled field post lol...
Jose HernandezCaptain, B757-200
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