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Updated
09/03/03
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Index
Accelerated Courses
ADX
test
Age
Aircraft
type
Application
(Registration)
Class
Schedule
Class
size
Course
duration
Cost
Dress
code
Extra
classes in FLL
Field
trips
Financial
Assistance
Housing
International
students
Job
assistance
Job
placement
Sponsorship
Study
materials
Testimonials
Testing
Travel
plans
Tutoring
Payment
Accelerated Courses
Q: Hello, I am interested in the SheffieldWest training
program. I have my pilot certificates, and was checking
on the amount of schooling you require for current pilots,
going through you program. Do you have any "fast
track" courses instead of the full program?
A: We’re working on it, but we were very busy
with 6-week training in FLL, Scott AFB, and China Southern
Air in Fall 2002. The accelerated 4-week (160 hour)
course is scheduled only in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
In the future, we may also offer a shorter “CRJ/SheffieldWest”
course in Utah. When we do schedule any accelerated
courses, they will be announced at www.sheffield.com
and www.sheffieldwest.com.
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ADX test
Q: According to some Sheffield graduates, they highly
recommend taking the FAA ADX knowledge test before going
to Sheffield. Is this the same as the ATP written exam?
A: No. The ADX (Aircraft dispatcher) Knowledge test
is similar to the ATP (Airline Transport Pilot) Knowledge
test, but is separate with regard to the licensing requirements.
An applicant for an Aircraft Dispatcher Certificate
must pass (>70%) the ADX test. An Airmen report of
a passed ATP test is of no use to a Dispatcher applicant.
Q: Do you recommend passing the FAA ADX knowledge test
before going to Sheffield?
A: It is recommended to study and prepare as much as
possible ahead of time; however, we don't mandate passing
the ADX before the first day of class. That would be
unreasonable to ask students with little or no aviation
background to be able to pass (and somewhat understand)
the ADX test.
Q: What material should I get and how do I arrange to
take this exam?
A: The Gleim
ATP test book is what we use in the course for a limited
time. Again, the book is referred to as "ATP",
but the "ADX" material is embedded within
it's pages to help the Dispatcher applicant pass the
applicable Knowledge test. We also recommend the many
study links and practice tests found at: http://www.sheffield.com/FAA_test_prep.html
Q: I was just concerned about when during the course
is this test covered and how everyone successfully memorized
everything? You told me on the phone that not much class
time is spent on the ADX test itself.
A: During the first 8-10 days of the course, we conduct
30-60 minute
workshops which cover "calculation" type problems.
This includes questions with numbers as well as the
instrument questions. This technique is producing a
high pass rate with an average score between 80 and
90%. The nationwide average in 2000 was 80%. If Sheffield
would spend the entire first 3-4 weeks on ADX test preparation,
your score would probably increase 1-3% at most, but
we wouldn't have time to instruct true dispatcher material.
This would endanger your chances to succeed in Airline
Initial training. That is only one reason why we have
such a popular reputation among the airlines.
Q: I looked ahead at the (Gleim) chapters 9, 10, &
11 and it worried me as to how I can pass this Knowledge
exam in the five weeks without having any knowledge
about instrument flight and all the complicated maps,
A/FDs and legends, etc.
A: One optional workshop held after class covers the
HSI/RMI questions. We'll show you an easy method to
getting the correct answer, but we must emphasize that
these questions should never have been placed on the
ADX test. A dispatcher must be familiar with Instrument
flight basics, but NOT ridiculous tricky pilot questions.
So if you never really understand what you are doing
on some of these "red book" questions, it
won't matter since much of the content is irrelevant
with respect to the Airline Dispatcher.
Q: Is it that the 500+ questions you have set aside
the big key to passing it or does one just have to have
exceptional memory and knowledge of all those areas
in the study guide before attending.
A: The 500+ list is all you need. Any other questions
not on that list, but found on the actual test would
usually be repetitive or a rewording of what you're
already studying. There can always be different questions
on the actual test that are not on the 500+ list, but
we haven't had anybody fail the test who knew the entire
500+ list.
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Age
Q: Is there an age limit for enrollment, I'm 53 years old?
A: No. In fact, knowledgeable hiring managers should view
maturity as a "plus."
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Aircraft type
Q: The UTAH school has regional jet training, how is that
different from what you train for in FLL?
A: In FLL, we use the performance-crippled B727-200, an
excellent example for learning purposes. In UT, we use the
CRJ-200 – a great exposure to a jet you may use when
you are hired by a regional airline. Neither course is better
than the other. They are simply different and we let the
prospective student choose which course may be best for
them.
Q: What kinds of aircraft do you have for hands-on study
and familiarization?
A: In FLL, B727-200 for manual flight planning and a variety
of aircraft on the computer, but most students will use
the B727. It is a great "learning/restrictive"
type of plane. In Utah, the CRJ-200 - potentially useful
for entering the regional job market.
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Application (Registration)
Q: I was wanting to go to the West class. I need to fill
out an application and send a deposit to you first - correct?
A: Correct. The first step is the application process which
is accompanied by a $250.00 nonrefundable registration fee.
Then an enrollment agreement is sent with a tuition deposit
to secure a spot in the class.
Q: Where is the application?
A: It is included in the mailed information packet. If you
need to request the information packet, go to www.sheffield.com
–
“catalog
request” – and fill out the form
online.
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Class Schedule
Q: Will there be any more West classes scheduled?
A: We just posted the complete 2003
SheffieldWest schedule. We are still developing
a 2004 training schedule.
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Class size
Q: How many students may be in one class?
A: A maximum of 25, and a minimum of 6. Most likely the
number of students will be 10 or less which is a very low
student-to-instructor ratio especially considering the size
of the classroom. This ratio also provides more value to
what each student will receive in terms of more personalized
attention.
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Course duration:
Q: How long is the course?
A: Currently, 5 weeks (200 hours.) We may extend it to 6
weeks in the future.
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Cost
Q: It appears that the Utah program is nearly $2,000 more
than the Florida program. Why is that?
A: The answer is a combination of covering our extra costs
and providing the student with a bit more "real-life-hands-on"
exposure to airline dispatching. Specifically:
For the Utah training, we must send an instructor and examiner
to St. George, the training is on a popular regional jet
that you may encounter during initial airline training,
there is a dispatcher office 1-2 minutes walking time from
the classroom within the same building, SheffieldWest students
are exposed to the SkyWest flight planning/weather retrieval
system, students are spoken to and advised by trainers,
and higher-scoring students are interviewed by SkyWest.
Students will also spend a few hours in the operational
control center with SkyWest's dispatchers. We also offer
the SheffieldWest graduates free recurrent training at the
FLL school which exposes them to heavier jet aircraft. The
“West” graduates could actually attend our entire
class in Florida AT NO COST.
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Dress Code
Q: Is there a dress code for class attendance?
A: Yes - casual, but no tank tops or open-toe shoes. Shorts
are fine. Class may be a bit chilly. If you’re sensitive,
bring a sweater. Most people are quite comfortable.
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Extra classes in FLL
Q: If I wanted to take the EWINS and ETOPS class after the
West class, is that possible?
A: Currently, we only teach ETOPS and EWINS in FLL, which
you are always welcome to join.
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Field trips
Q: Do students get to visit an actual dispatch and ATC center?
A: In St. George, UT, the dispatch office is down the hall
from the classroom so you will have ample opportunity to
see how an operations control center works. Regarding ATC
Centers, Salt Lake City has a Center, but it would be a
long drive.
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Financial Assistance
Q: If I wanted to take the ETOPS and EWINS class in Florida
following the Utah class, would I be able to ad that cost
to the loan total?
A: Yes.
Q: I want to make sure I ask for enough to cover the classes
at Utah and FL as well as housing in both places and airfare
if possible. Do you know approximately what that would come
to?
A: Perhaps 8-9K. For housing, go to each web site and check
the latest rates. If unsure, call the hotels listed and
ask them for a Sheffield rate. Sometimes, if you book online
with them, they’ll reduce the prices further. Regarding
airfare, you’ll just have to call them and ask. Fares
fluctuate too much to speculate on.
Q: I have a question about the aid available through Sallie
Mae. Is it ok to include the housing costs incurred while
attending your program into the loan amount? If I have aid
already set up, do I still pay the $800 deposit or is this
waived?
A: Yes, it is OK to include the housing costs as well as
an additional 60% of the tuition amounts that you are borrowing
for. Regarding the $800 deposit payment, if there is adequate
time prior to the class start date, we work the $800 payment
through the Sallie Mae loan and you don’t have to
worry about it personally. If there are only a few weeks
left prior to the class date, then we ask the individual
to pay us directly. If you are in the middle of this predicament
and need more specific help, then email Katja Morris at
admissions@algxmail.com.
Q: If I go ahead and apply, I will need to also apply for
financial aid. Do you recommend applying to the school first
and then for financial aid, or for financial aid first and
then to the school?
A: Normally, you need to apply to the school first in order
for us to sign off with Sallie Mae that you are actually
applying for a student loan. Since the registration fee
is non-refundable (whether you secure the loan or not),
you could first try to get a pre-approval through the Sallie
Mae web site (www.salliemae.com).
For final loan approval, you will need to formally apply
to Sheffield School first though.
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Housing
Q: Is housing included in the course costs?
A: Housing is an additional charge.
Q: What are your recommendations for housing (not so far
and not so expensive)?
A: Abbey Inn. For details located on the web site: click
“student
housing.”
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International students
Q: Are international students allowed to attend the SheffieldWest
course.
A: Currently, only our Ft. Lauderdale, Florida campus
is approved for the acceptance of international students.
The Utah campus status may change in the future. If it
does, we would announce it on this web site.
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Job assistance
Q: I've noticed many schools offer no job location assistance
or claim to, but many graduates complain that their school
provides little actual assistance. Do you offer anything
better.
A: Sheffield was the first school to offer our graduates
job assistance. As far as job placement goes, we assist
our students/graduates by allowing them access to our
“jobs” page with a unique User ID and password.
This allows our students and graduates to see some of
the airlines who are hiring dispatchers. Students can
also print out or view an online list of approximately
150 airlines with e-mail and web links. We also upload
résumés of graduates, if requested, onto
another password-protected page for hiring managers to
view and print. The following is an email from a graduate
of another school seeking job assistance:
------
Forwarded Message
From: "xxxxxx xxxxx" <xxxxxyyy@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 09 Sep 2002 13:37:14 -0400
To: morris@sheffield.com
Subject: employment
Hello, my name is xxx xxxxx. I am a graduate of the dispatcher
program in (Texas). Roughly 2 months ago. I was wondering
if I could accumulate a username and password so I could
get some jobs. My school isn't very good at that sort
of thing I guess. I keep on them but they seem to be to
(sic) busy and they never update their job listings page.
The last update was back in January. Please my wife and
I need some work. I was in the (military) doing flight
dispatch and went to get my FAA certification after that
and now I just want to work. Thank You!
xxx xxxxx
Note
- Unfortunately for this person, only Sheffield graduates
and students receive job assistance from Sheffield.
Our
graduates typically send us more positive notes - even
during trying times:
Forwarded
Message:
To: morris@sheffield.com
From: "xxxx Sxxxxxxx" <xxxxxxxx@hotmail.com>
Subject: career update
Date: Sat, 07 Sep 2002 21:31:09 -0500
-----
Hey Eric,
How are things going down in Florida? Hope business is
going well for you down there. Just wanted to let you
know that I am still at xxxxx xxxxx. I ended up getting
furloughed last September, but I was called back shortly
after that.....prior to
other people who had more seniority than me!!
Now a year later I am a Chief Dispatcher. Just wanted
to tell you that attending Sheffield has helped with my
career as a dispatcher. The training I rec'd with you
was excellent and every day that I work with graduates
of other schools I am reminded about the reasons why I
chose Sheffield. I don't know if you are doing the teaching
anymore, but I just wanted to say that you were a great
instructor and I am glad to have been there when you taught
a class.
Thanks again,
xxxx xxxxxxxx
Chief Dispatcher
xxxxx xxxxxxx
Sheffield Class Jan 2001
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Job placement
Q: Am I guaranteed a job following graduation?
A: No. Airline hiring cycles are too variable and dependent
upon world events and the economy. However, by attending
and graduating from Sheffield or SheffieldWest, you are
making yourself more attractive to airlines when they
do hire.
Q: Am I guaranteed a job interview following graduation?
A: No. If you score well enough in the class, you will
be offered an opportunity to speak directly with the Manager
of Dispatch and/or the Training Director. This may or
may not turn into a formal interview. If you truly desire
to be hired by SkyWest Airlines, attending the SheffieldWest
course is an avenue towards making the appropriate contacts
within the airline. You are learning one of their aircraft
during the course and you are meeting various employees
while in the class and touring/observing the Dispatch
Control Center. As a school we can guarantee you the best
education possible with respect to Aircraft Dispatcher
certification, but we cannot guarantee interviews and
job placement.
Q: Reading about your newer SheffieldWest school is very
exciting. Would attending either school present the opportunity
of interviewing with SkyWest or other airlines? Or, is
SheffieldWest only for SkyWest opportunities and Sheffield
only for other airline opportunities?
A: Graduating from any school with the Sheffield name
attached to it is a plus at most airlines. They know you
earned your license. You are eligible to interview anywhere
if you have a dispatch license. Being asked to interview
is another story. One note: graduating from SheffieldWest
does not guarantee you an interview with them. If you
score well, they informally speak with you to make some
personal contact. And applying with them (especially if
you've made contact with the Dispatch supervisors while
you were there) places you a little higher on the "consideration"
list. But they'll consider you if you went to FLL. Nearly
all of their dispatchers have.
Q: What are the job possibilities after 9/11?
A: Airlines such as SkyWest, Atlantic Southeast, and Atlantic
Coast were in a high growth mode before 9/11 and some
of them will be growing even faster now because they are
picking routes from carriers like Delta and United, who
are dropping routes. Immediately after 9/11, we mentioned
to many people that we thought Southwest Airlines would
come out of this disaster a third bigger and they just
announced during the week of Feb. 25th that they were
hiring 4,000 additional people. In addition to these facts,
we believe at least four dispatch schools have closed
and we hear others are close to closing, which is another
reason for selecting Sheffield School for your training.
We have been continuously training dispatchers for 55
years and will continue to do so, not only to train people,
but to continue to service them with job assistance and
free recurrent training should they desire it. Sheffield
School has no plans to ever close. Since January 1, 2002,
Sheffield has placed over 115+ job openings online for
approximately 55 graduates in the U.S. job market. So
the job possibilities are there to take hold of - first
you need to receive an education that will definitely
put you ahead of the rest of the pack.
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Sponsorship
Q:
Does SkyWest Airlines sponsor their own employees in order
to receive a discount on tuition? That's what I was told.
A:
No. Sheffield School of Aeronautics is directly responsible
for any discount that SkyWest employees receive.
Study materials
Q: What are the study materials that are available prior
to the start of class and how much are they?
A:There are the free
FAA ADX examination handouts found from a link on our
main web page (http://www.sheffield.com/FAA_test_prep.html).
Aside from self-studying and familiarizing yourself with
a few topics, you can also got to: http://www.sheffield.com/html%20files/dispatcherresources.html
and look for the "Aviation Weather"
and "Aviation Weather Services Manua.l" These
books can be printed or viewed for free, and include much
of the information that we discuss in the first 2 weeks
of class.
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Testimonials
Q: Is there any feedback from students that attended the
last West class?
A: Regarding feedback from our first class – yes,
all 5 graduates had very positive evaluations which can
be found in the “Testimonials”
page.
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Testing
Q: What are the Flight Plan and Practical Exams like?
What do they
typically cover?
A: The Practical will simply cover what you learned in
class at Sheffield. Students typically excel during the
practical examinations since they were thoroughly taught,
reviewed, and tested for the course duration.
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Travel plans
Q: If I enrolled in a class, when should I purchase flight
tickets or make specific travel arrangements?
A: Please do not make any specific travel plans
or purchases (flight tickets, etc.) until Sheffield School
has confirmed the class. We will confirm a class at least
30 days prior to the published class start date. Again,
if we do not have a minimum number of approximately 6
students enrolled at least 30 days prior to the published
class start date, we will not be able to confirm the class.
If that would occur, and you have paid Sheffield any monies,
you will be completely refunded. If you purchased flight
tickets, etc. earlier than 30 days prior to the class
start date or BEFORE Sheffield has confirmed that the
class will be held, we are not responsible for your travel
cancellation/amendment fees.
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Tutoring
Q: If I feel like I'm behind on the concepts/info during
Dispatch
training, is it easy to arrange for some extra tutoring?
A: We offer tutoring after class every day.
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Payment
Q: Do you have any further information regarding the deposit
or payment schedule for the SheffieldWest class?
A: In addition to the nonrefundable registration fee of
$250.00, we require an $800.00 deposit to reserve a spot
in the class. The remaining
balance is due 1 month prior to the class start date.
We need to receive full payment from serious students
before money is budgeted for travel, accommodations, per
diem, and auto rental for an instructor and examiner.
For example, if we don't have a minimum required number
of students (current policy is 6) paid in full by May
2 (for the next scheduled class beginning June 2, 2003),
we must cancel the class and refund each applicant ALL
monies to paid to SHEFFIELD SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICS. That
includes the registration fee, deposit, tuition, etc..
Q: Is there a cancellation penalty if I cancel within
30 days of the class start date?
A: As an example, if we confirm the class, then someone
cancels after May 2 (for the June 2 class), there will
be an $800.00 cancellation fee.
Q: How long must I wait to receive a refund from your
school?
A: We have a 30-day policy, but we usually refund money
ASAP. Regarding refunds, you don't need to worry. We've
been in continuous business for 55 years, and have no
plans to go out of business (as many other schools have.)
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More Q & A to follow. Many
thanks to those inquiring students. ALL of the above
were based on actual questions, answers, letters, etc.
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