Student Expectations & Codes of Conduct

Policies, Expectations, & Code of Conduct

Mission Statement:

DW Aviation’s purpose is to provide the safest, most accessible and enjoyable, and highest-quality flight training and aviation services in Arizona.

*COVID 19 update: Based upon the most recent science, rate of vaccinations, and State of Arizona guidance, DW Aviation, LLC is not requiring facemasks or coverings. Your instructor will still be happy to wear a face covering at the Client’s request.*

To read the DW Aviation, LLC Privacy Policy, please click here.

Hereinafter, student pilots, renters, and others receiving products or services from DW Aviation, LLC may be referred to as “Client”, “Clients”, “Student”, “Students”, “Renter”, or “Renters”.

General Policies

Billing Procedures

A $150 deposit will be required prior to any training activity when renting an aircraft, simulator, or an activity which requires an instructor or DW Aviation, LLC personnel to be present. A similar deposit may be required prior to scheduling a checkride as a deposit to the examiner, for progress checks with a third party, prior to solo flight, or similar.
In the event you pay a deposit, discovery flight booking, or otherwise send funds to DW Aviation, LLC and do not communicate, book, or otherwise use those funds within 30 days of payment, the funds will be forfeit to DW Aviation, LLC and will not be refundable.
If you make a mess in the aircraft including vomiting, leaving trash or litter, smoking or leaving a lingering smoke smell, drink spillage, etc., you will be assessed an additional $75 cleaning fee after your flight.
Instructor or other DW Aviation, LLC personnel time will be billed from the beginning of the scheduled lesson or activity time to the conclusion of the instructional activity, regardless of student preparation, arrival time, or tardiness.
Aircraft time will be billed based on the Hobbs meter in 1/10ths of an hour, at a predetermined rate. This rate will be conveyed to you prior to the beginning of the flight for each particular aircraft. In some instances, aircraft and fuel rates will be paid individually from DW Aviation, LLC.
Training activities may include flight lessons, ground school, scheduled phone or video calls, and other activity for which an instructor or other DW Aviation, LLC personnel may be present.
There will be a minimum booking of 1 hour for any lesson, instruction, or training activity. This minimum booking cost is to guarantee aircraft availability including fuel, booking, and operation costs. The minimum booking fee will be forfeited to DW Aviation, LLC in the event of a cancelation within 24 hours prior to the start of the scheduled training event. To cancel with no penalties, bookings cancellations must be completed 24 or more hours prior to the start of an activity by emailing dan@dwaviation.us or calling (623) 252-4113, and receiving a confirmation.
Flight and instruction time used will be billed after to each fight, and must be paid in full prior to logbook endorsement. Time will be billed “handshake-to-handshake”. If deposited funds are available, these charges will be billed against the available balance. If there is a balance due and the student or renter is flying solo or otherwise , this MUST be paid in full prior to the next flight.
DW Aviation, LLC does not offer financing options for students. It is the student’s responsibility to work with third-party lenders or secure financing options.
Aircraft will be required to be refueled, properly secured, and left in a clean and professional manner after every flight, prior to a post flight debrief. In the event a Client does not properly fuel and/or secure the aircraft, a $25 coordination fee may be charged to the student or renter. Additionally, when fueling is required, the student or renter will be charged for the required amount of fuel at the then-current FBO full service rate for the airport at which the aircraft is based. Additional to the surcharge and refueling cost, an additional $1.50/gallon surcharge to DW Aviation, LLC will be assessed.
For any successful referral to DW Aviation, LLC, a $50 finder’s fee will be issued to the person who provided the referral when that person and that person’s contact information is known to DW Aviation, LLC.

Insurance Requirements

ALL clients must carry his or her own insurance policy appropriate to the aircraft, certification level, and purpose of flight. This must list the student as insured, and DW Aviation, LLC or Dan Weecks (or other instructor as appropriate) as additional insured. This policy must adequately cover any damages to the aircraft being used for solo flight, injuries sustained to students or third-parties, property damage, hull damage, and any additional requirements as required by insurance company, DW Aviation, LLC or its Managing Member, or the aircraft owner (minimum acceptable hull value is $50,000).
- For student pilots taking any solo flight, a policy must be active with the minimum amount an insurance for hull damage at or above $50,000.

Safety & Professionalism

Safety and Professionalism

Safety is the highest priority of all flight training provided by DW Aviation, LLC, followed closely by professionalism. DW Aviation, LLC is committed to implementing, managing, developing, and improving strategies, policies, and systems to ensure the highest safety and professional performance is met at all times to both meet and exceed standards set nationally and internationally.

The DW Aviation, LLC commitment to safety and quality is:

To develop and teach a safety culture in every activity. This culture will recognize the importance of effective safety management and acknowledges that safety is paramount in every activity.;
Minimize the risks associated with aircraft operations to a point that is as low as reasonably practicable/achievable.;
Ensure that externally supplied systems and services that impact upon the safety of our operations meet appropriate safety standards;
Actively develop and improve our safety processes to reflect changing industry standards.;
Comply with and, wherever possible, exceed legislative and regulatory requirements and standards;
Ensure that all instructors or DW Aviation, LLC representatives and Clients are provided with adequate and appropriate aviation safety information and training, and are competent in handling safety matters.;
Achieve the highest levels of safety standards and performance in all aviation activities.

Student Expectations

General Expectations

Students and Clients will:

For every flight other than discovery flights, training flights prior to Weight and Balance or performance ground school, and flights on a case-by-case basis when explicitly indicated by your DW Aviation, LLC instructor, WEIGHT AND BALANCE and PERFORMANCE CALCULATIONS MUST be completed prior to the start of every flight. If these are not completed, this will result in no flight, or instructor time being billed while the Client or Student completes the forms during the scheduled time.
Students and Clients will be expected to adhere to the DW Aviation, LLC Code of Professional Conduct.
Show up on time to all scheduled activities and lessons.
Pay a $150 deposit prior to any flight lesson or training activity. This will be billed against if the Client does not have additional funds available on deposit.
A minimum of 1 hour will be charged if student is a no-show, lesson has to be cancelled for lack of student preparation or anything other than mechanical issues, or if booking for scheduled activity of any kind was not cancelled 24 hours or more in advance of scheduled start time.
Clients will be expected to act in accordance with and abide by all local, state, and federal laws and regulations, as well as limitations for each aircraft.
Clients and Students are expected to use, review, and refine checklists and personal minimums for all phases of flight and flight operations.
Student pilots WILL BE REQUIRED to carry an insurance policy prior to any solo (local or cross-country) flight, in accordance with insurance requirements listed under General Policies.
Student pilots will be required to complete a stage check lesson prior to solo flight endorsement. This will include a training flight with a Certified Flight Instructor, Designated Pilot Examiner, or Check Airman other than your primary training or recommending instructor. This practice enhances safety, streamlines training, and help to prepare applicants for checkrides.

Dress Code Policy

During training, Clients must maintain a professional appearance and adhere to the following dress code:

Clothing

Clients should report to all training activities in business casual or better dress. The Client’s clothes should be neat, clean, and must meet the standards for the category of dress outlined below.
For women, business casual includes slacks, non-denim skirts, jackets, and blouses with business or business casual shoes. DW Aviation, LLC recommends close toed shoes.
For men, business casual includes slacks, collared shirt (button up or pullover) with jacket and/or tie optional.
Shoes may not interfere with pilot duties. DW Aviation, LLC recommends close toed shoes.
Sneakers, flip-flops, and blue jeans are not appropriate business casual attire for either men or women.
Clothing may not contain offensive language or symbols or political statements.
Clothing may not interfere with pilot duties.

Hygiene

Clients must maintain good personal hygiene. This is due to the nature of aviation in which pilots share confined spaces. This requires awareness of oral hygiene, body odor, and heavy colognes or perfumes which may negatively impact others.

Hair and Facial Hair

Neither hair nor facial hair may not interfere with pilot duties.

Jewelry

Jewelry may be worn but must not interfere with any pilot duties.

Tattoos

DW Aviation, LLC does not have a tattoo policy. Most airlines however require pilots to keep tattoos covered by their uniform at all times. DW Aviation, LLC encourages potential airline or commercial flight candidates to consider the impact of these policies on his or her future employment prior to beginning flight training.

Hats
Hats may be worn but must not interfere with any pilot duties.

Checkrides or Evaluation Flights

Either Business casual or a full pilot uniform (white shirt with epaulet holder/epaulets, black slacks, belt, and tie) is required for check rides. Ask your recommending instructor for recommendations at the time of checkride scheduling.

Required Equipment

An Aviation headset (borrow or purchase on your own or from DW Aviation, LLC)
A paper or digital sectional map for the area where you’ll be flying (VFR/IFR as appropriate)
A logbook
(can be purchased independently or through DW Aviation, LLC).
Plotter (can be purchased independently or through DW Aviation, LLC).
- Recommended is ASA Plotter or Gleim Rotating Plotter
E6B flight computer (can be purchased independently or through DW Aviation, LLC).
- Recommended is ASA E6B Paper Flight Compute
Fuel Tester (GATS jar)
Fuel Dipstick
Flashlight (can be purchased independently or through DW Aviation, LLC).
- Any kind will be sufficient including phone flashlights, however a higher-powered hand-held light is recommended.
FAA Textbooks (free digital downloads at www.FAA.gov)
- Hard copies can be purchased independently or through DW Aviation, LLC.
Flight timer or wrist watch with second hand/timer function

Suggested Equipment

Bose A20 headset (can be purchased independently or through DW Aviation, LLC)
- These are recommended because, while very expensive, will do a better job preserving your hearing due to noise cancellation technology, and will make flight training more enjoyable. This
  is an optional item because anything cheaper will be sufficient for your training. Bose A20s are an especially great investment for the
  aspiring professional aviator.
iPad (purchased independently)
- NOTE: Apple iPad only is compatible with aviation apps like ForeFlight. Android based tablets may be used as well, however will be limited to off-brand apps or Garmin Pilot, neither of which is used by DW Aviation, LLC instructors.
- RECOMMENDED: GPS/mobile data enabled
  - With any iPad which is GPS enabled, you can opt not to pay for cellular data and the GPS function
    will still work.
- DW Aviation, LLC’s Chief Instructor prefers to use the iPad 10” with GPS and cellular data. This allows retrieval of weather, traffic, and more information on the go, file flight plans from anywhere, and access documents without wifi.
ForeFlight subscription
- ForeFlight is an iPad specific app which is now FAA approved for use as an
  Electronic Flight Bag. This replaces paper charts, approach plates, shows traffic if connected to the
  plane’s ADS-B or a Stratus device, etc. This app also has logbook and checklist features for certain subscription types.
Headlamp with red and white mode
- This is very useful during night operations and preflight or post flight walkarounds without sunlight.
Handheld Aviation Radio
- This is not by any means necessary, but is useful to have to get ATIS/AWOS/ASOS broadcasts, and to have as a backup in case of emergency.
- Yaesu FTA-550AA NAV/COM Aviation Radio is recommended by DW Aviation, LLC’s Chief Instructo
VFR/IFR metal kneeboard
Sporty’s, Gleim, or King Schools video courses for ground school.
Sheppard Air test preparation software for all written tests.
- Sheppard Air is not available for Private Pilot, so King Schools or Sporty’s preparation course is recommended.

Tardy and No-Show Policy

If Client does not arrive to any scheduled training activity or meeting, either flight or ground, within 15 minutes after the scheduled start of any training activity or meeting, this will be considered a no-show. DW Aviation will not provided training services to Clients who no-show (other than for a previously approved reason or sudden illness), or to those who are tardy more than two times to any training activity or meeting.

Code of Professional Conduct

The DW Aviation, LLC Code of Professional Conduct listed in the drop-down tab below is expected to be followed by every student and instructor or other DW Aviation, LLC representative. These standards bring accountability, responsibility and trust to those both involved with and outside of the aviation community. Not presenting oneself professionally may impact safety, public relations, operations, and may tarnish the reputation of the aviation industry as a whole, so a violation of this Code of Professional Conduct may result in the discontinuation of services.

Commitment to Professionalism and Safety

All DW Aviation, LLC Clients, Students, Instructors, and other Personnel will at all times:

Make safety each’s top priority in every activity.;
Interact with each other, the public, and others within the aviation profession in a professional, honest, and sincere manner.;
Treat others with respect, civility, and without discrimination.;
Abstain from behavior that will unjustly cause harm to the reputation of DW Aviation, LLC, its members or assigns, and the aviation profession as a whole.;
Seek excellence in airmanship. This includes working actively to develop and exercise good judgement.
Adhere to operating practices and personal minimums as developed with your flight instructor, in accordance with federal or state regulations, per an aircraft manufacturer’s guidance, or other rule sets which may apply.
Appear to all training or other activities in a timely manner.
Prepare for each lesson by studying what was assigned, doing assigned homework or reading, and preparing pre-flight documents

DW Aviation, LLC Policies, Expectations, & Code of Conduct v 1.4 (Valid 2018 to present, last updated 10/4/2021)