ETOPS – Extended Operations

ETOPS (Extended Operations)

• Do all of your graduates attend the ETOPS course?

  No, approximately 30-50% typically attend the course following graduation. Some attend at a later date.

• Do you provide a completion certificate?

  Yes

• Do all schools teach ETOPS?

  No. In fact, some of those schools that do not, will not, or can not instruct this course attempt to dismiss ETOPs or try to criticize us for doing something original. Other schools simply try to copy us. If they can’t copy us, they try to discredit training that is valuable whether you dispatch ETOPs or not early in your career. Recently we’ve been criticized by yet another dispatch-school-wannabe that is non-FAA-approved, has no permanent location, has no staff, and is one of three different spinoffs from another school which has been in business approximately 4 decades less than Sheffield.

• Do other schools offer the same?

  We don’t know what is currently provided, if anything. No other school seems interested in advertising what they provide or don’t. We did have a graduate of another school attend our accelerated course (you can deduce why) and show us his ETOPS manual booklet. It’s under the arrow in the picture below – look close. It is sandwiched by our AIFP notebook (left) and ETOPS notebook (right).

  Then again, the only paper you may receive is the completion certificate. Just ask if you need to draw comparisons.

• Do you provide an ETOPs manual with your course as a reference?

  Absolutely! We supply a thick manual for all our courses along with extra plotting charts, enroute charts, orientation charts, flight planning charts, weather and computer flight plan printouts.

• I’ve talked to some airlines that claim ETOPs can be taught at the airline if I need it. Why should I take your course?

  Until the airlines (there have been many) stop calling Sheffield for the answers to ETOPS questions, you should consider learning good habits and creative thinking by attending our course. In addition, many airlines, including the former head of Operations at a large international airline told us that he personally appreciated Sheffield teaching ETOPS before the graduates enter airline training.

• What is the duration and cost of the course?

  One day and $300, respectively.

• Why do you charge for this course while another school claims it should be free or claim to include this same material in their full course?

  We actually have material to teach. We have a live instructor to give scenarios concerning complex situations. We have the ability to answer questions and alter our given examples with overhead slides as well as graphically planning multiple ETOPs flights on our computers. The student receives valuable feedback.

  You won’t be placed in front of a terminal to “teach yourself.” You won’t be waiting for “beeps” to move on. CBT courses are substitute courses for schools without the ability and/or manpower to be creative and instruct. Those courses SHOULD be free. You get what you pay for.

  We’d love for these misleading “free” or “included” courses to vanish, but we gladly accept GRADUATES from other schools to attend our course. I receive the emailed requests every month. They want to become more marketable. There’s a difference in knowing what ETOPS stands for and how to amend an en route alternate while your airplane is over the middle of the ocean or desert.

• Can you give an example of a typical question that is debated within the industry?

  Let’s just say there are a lot of viewpoints concerning the application of “maximum diversion time” on a flight plan, as well as alternate minimum calculations and critical fuel assumptions. There were also recent policies written which are now under review based on questions and recommendations made by Sheffield School in 2008. These points are brought up in class to help prepare the student with how to address these issues and seek guidance at their future airline.