My life story/By Roy Shalev
CAN YOU BE A PROFFESIONAL AIRLINE PIOLT? My name is Roy Shalev, and I am a first officer on the EMB-145,140,135, working for Chautauqua Airlines, named regional airline of the year 2004 by Air Transport World And this is my story: I was born in Dallas TX in 1979, and came to Israel one year later, and this was and still is my home. I pretty much grew up in Israel, elementary school and high school. I had a great interest in aviation since I remember my self and my dream was to be a pilot in the Israeli Air Force. I used to build models go to air shows, you know all the good stuff. When I was almost 18 I realized that I wont be able to fly for the air force, I think my KABA was too low for the air force. Feeling bad, sad and mad I decided that this fact wont prevent me from being a pilot one day, I knew that I am an American citizen and I have the option to complete all my training in the U.S. My draft day arrived and I decided to join the “GIVATI” brigade. That was in 1997, and I served as an infantry soldier and later on a group leader and later on a staff sergeant. I got released from the service in 2000. I was working for one year to save some more money, and in the meantime I was planning my future, as far as where am I going to go, which flight school to choose, when am I going to live, how am I going to support my self during training. There were a lot of things I had to plan, I was 21 and about to leave not only my home but also the country I grew up in, and that wasn’t easy. In September 2001 I did an introductory flight in Israel on C-172, and I was so impressed, that was my first time on a single engine airplane. I had such a good time and I decided that this is it and I am leaving in 2 months to fulfill my dream. There were a lot of flight schools I was looking into, but the one that I decided to go to was: ComAir Aviation Academy, which is known today as the Delta Connection Academy. Back then I was still short on money, so I decided to go and get my private in a small flight school in the DC area, that way I could also see if I really want to do this for the rest of my life as a profession. In December 16 2001 I left the country and came the to U.S. I started working on my private license 3 days later, and got it pretty quick. After 3 weeks I was a private pilot. It was pretty easy because I started already to study when I was in Israel, I had a bunch of hours on flight sim(the old one boys and girls, 5.1 version from 1994), so it was pretty easy like I said and I had a great time. The same day I decided that I am going to go to Florida and enroll in the ComAir Aviation Academy. I got down to Florida on January 21st, and got an apartment I had to share with another student from Argentina. I started training on February 3rd 2002, when the first course I had to take was VFR professionsy course before you can even get in to the Instrument class, they want to see what is your knowledge and what are your flying skills, so I had to complete 6 flight lessons, 2 written tests and one stage check in the airplane. That was their introduction for the academy, and I have to say: IT WASN’T EASY. But I finished that phase in 10 days, and I was ready to start the Instrument course. Before I move on with my story I want to tell you a little about this academy. The Delta Connection Academy (I will use the name DCA) formally known as the ComAir Aviation Academy was established in the early 90’s and was purchase by ComAir Airlines which is a Delta Connection carrier. It’s a 141 approved school that produced over the years hundreds of pilots that are flying today in many carriers. Training are consider to be intense, as a student you are not allowed to work, they consider the academy to be your home and your job, and they will tell you that as soon as you step in: that is a full time job for the next year, till you complete all your training. The purpose of the academy is to take people with zero time and in two years put them on the right seat of a regional jet. From day one they trained us like they train pilots in the airline: Checklists, Standardization manuals, syllabus, everything was in the exact way they doing that in the airline, and why not? This school is owned by an airline. I have to say that one of the things that took my attention was the fact that each academy graduate ( a pilot who completed all the training, got hired by the academy as a flight instructor, and was teaching for 800 hours, and 50 hours on the multi-engine airplane) was guaranteed an airline interview job, and after 9/11 no other airline was hiring and that was very important to me.
CAN YOU BE A PROFFESIONAL AIRLINE PIOLT? My name is Roy Shalev, and I am a first officer on the EMB-145,140,135, working for Chautauqua Airlines, named regional airline of the year 2004 by Air Transport World And this is my story: I was born in Dallas TX in 1979, and came to Israel one year later, and this was and still is my home. I pretty much grew up in Israel, elementary school and high school. I had a great interest in aviation since I remember my self and my dream was to be a pilot in the Israeli Air Force. I used to build models go to air shows, you know all the good stuff. When I was almost 18 I realized that I wont be able to fly for the air force, I think my KABA was too low for the air force. Feeling bad, sad and mad I decided that this fact wont prevent me from being a pilot one day, I knew that I am an American citizen and I have the option to complete all my training in the U.S. My draft day arrived and I decided to join the “GIVATI” brigade. That was in 1997, and I served as an infantry soldier and later on a group leader and later on a staff sergeant. I got released from the service in 2000. I was working for one year to save some more money, and in the meantime I was planning my future, as far as where am I going to go, which flight school to choose, when am I going to live, how am I going to support my self during training. There were a lot of things I had to plan, I was 21 and about to leave not only my home but also the country I grew up in, and that wasn’t easy. In September 2001 I did an introductory flight in Israel on C-172, and I was so impressed, that was my first time on a single engine airplane. I had such a good time and I decided that this is it and I am leaving in 2 months to fulfill my dream. There were a lot of flight schools I was looking into, but the one that I decided to go to was: ComAir Aviation Academy, which is known today as the Delta Connection Academy. Back then I was still short on money, so I decided to go and get my private in a small flight school in the DC area, that way I could also see if I really want to do this for the rest of my life as a profession. In December 16 2001 I left the country and came the to U.S. I started working on my private license 3 days later, and got it pretty quick. After 3 weeks I was a private pilot. It was pretty easy because I started already to study when I was in Israel, I had a bunch of hours on flight sim(the old one boys and girls, 5.1 version from 1994), so it was pretty easy like I said and I had a great time. The same day I decided that I am going to go to Florida and enroll in the ComAir Aviation Academy. I got down to Florida on January 21st, and got an apartment I had to share with another student from Argentina. I started training on February 3rd 2002, when the first course I had to take was VFR professionsy course before you can even get in to the Instrument class, they want to see what is your knowledge and what are your flying skills, so I had to complete 6 flight lessons, 2 written tests and one stage check in the airplane. That was their introduction for the academy, and I have to say: IT WASN’T EASY. But I finished that phase in 10 days, and I was ready to start the Instrument course. Before I move on with my story I want to tell you a little about this academy. The Delta Connection Academy (I will use the name DCA) formally known as the ComAir Aviation Academy was established in the early 90’s and was purchase by ComAir Airlines which is a Delta Connection carrier. It’s a 141 approved school that produced over the years hundreds of pilots that are flying today in many carriers. Training are consider to be intense, as a student you are not allowed to work, they consider the academy to be your home and your job, and they will tell you that as soon as you step in: that is a full time job for the next year, till you complete all your training. The purpose of the academy is to take people with zero time and in two years put them on the right seat of a regional jet. From day one they trained us like they train pilots in the airline: Checklists, Standardization manuals, syllabus, everything was in the exact way they doing that in the airline, and why not? This school is owned by an airline. I have to say that one of the things that took my attention was the fact that each academy graduate ( a pilot who completed all the training, got hired by the academy as a flight instructor, and was teaching for 800 hours, and 50 hours on the multi-engine airplane) was guaranteed an airline interview job, and after 9/11 no other airline was hiring and that was very important to me.
