ATP vs ERU vs FBO

JohnM

New Member
What are the pro's and con's of Atp,Eru and of course the Fbo way of getting your training done, personally I'm looking into all three of these and still the academy's are expensive but seem to make up for the price with other stuff can anyone give further insight??


Thanks,
John:)

EDIT: What do you all think about DCA?
 
John,

I see you're from Apopka. I assume as in Apopka FL. Hello from a former Central Floridian. Actually, I still consider it home. Used to raise a lot of hell out that way on street bikes in the late 1980's. Probably lucky I'm alive. Anyhow, I'll quite rambling.

I'll let the other folks chime in on ATP as I've never been there. As far as ERU I'm assuming you mean Embry-Riddle up there in Daytona Beach. They have a excellent program but unless you are wealthy I would stay far away.

Do you already have a degree??? If not I would pursue a much cheaper alternative. There are some excellent community colleges in your area where you could knock a lot of your basic courses cheap! Seminole and Valienca (sp) come to mind. Finish up your degree in something other than aviation at UCF or some other school. Then I'd recommend the FBO pay as you go route.

There is absolutely no reason to go $70-100K+++ in debt just not worth it in this industry. As Dave Ramsey says 'Debt is Dumb' and 'Normal is broke'. Don't be normal.
 
What are the pro's and con's of Atp,Eru and of course the Fbo way of getting your training done, personally I'm looking into all three of these and still the academy's are expensive but seem to make up for the price with other stuff can anyone give further insight??


Thanks,
John:)

EDIT: What do you all think about DCA?

What other stuff? There is nothing of value that the acadamies offer that the FBOs don't. Things like gobs of multi-engine time and CRJ FTD time sound cool, but it's just worthless fluff to make you spend your money. Once you get the minimum number of multi-engine hours, you don't need any more. The CRJ FTD crap is exactly that.

Go to an FBO, spend less money, get as good or better training.
 
Having done all three, I'll tell you what I tell all my new students who are career oriented...

Get your private here (FBO). [because I still like to get paid]

Crank out the rest of your ratings in 90 days @ ATP.

Go to Riddle for your degree while you instruct there and build time.

I went to all three in a wacked order :rolleyes:, so hindsight being 20/20 as it is, that's what I would have done differently. Other's may feel differently. Riddle's a great place to get your degree. But ATP's a better (and more efficient) place to do your flying. Plus not too long ago, ERAU was advertising that if you instructed there, you got free tuition, you got paid, and you were building time and experience.

Hope that helps. If you have any specific ?'s, feel free to PM me.

Check 6,
Air Pirate out. :cool:
 
What are the pro's and con's of Atp,Eru and of course the Fbo way of getting your training done, personally I'm looking into all three of these and still the academy's are expensive but seem to make up for the price with other stuff can anyone give further insight??


Thanks,
John:)

EDIT: What do you all think about DCA?

CONS:
ATP - expensive
ERU - expensive

PROS -
ATP - fast

You can do all the same things at an FBO for less. If you dedicate as much time at the FBO as you would at one of the schools, then you can progress just as fast.

Don't get caught in the hype, you'll pay for it.
 
Apopka? No way, that is a fun airport to fly into! You should find one of the old hats at that airport to give you your training, very least for the private pilot.
 
Get your private through a local instructor. Then have some fun flying around to build up you PIC time to around 95 hours. After that you have to determine if the FBO route or a fast-paced route is right for you.
 
I think getting your private through a local instructor is a good idea. Then enjoy your solo time flying as much or as little as you think you need to. After getting your private, experiment with flying to different places, pretty much anywhere you want to go, instead of being told where to go. Then decide if you want to crank these ratings out at a faster pace or if you want to continue in an FBO. As far as the multi-time the "minimum" number of hours to get an MEL is quite low, I'm seeing jobs out there now requiring about 100 hrs of multi. That being said you could choose to get those right away at a school like ATP while knocking out those other ratings along the way, or you could build that extra time by renting from an FBO, or become an instructor with your CFI and CFII ratings and find out if your flight school will work out some deal to get you your MEI and build your hours that way. There are a whole bunch of options out there and one of them is never going to be the best option for everybody.

Map out realistic goals and see if you need to get your ratings quickly or if you will get more out of progressing slowly. For me, I got my private rating at a local FBO then went to ATP to crank out the rest because that was the option that best for my situation. Best of luck to you.
 
First post here!

I've been reading up on the ERAU/ATP/FBO debate since I'm planning on starting training in about another year after I finish my degree. One question I have is the quality of training at these locations. I know there are some good FBOs and some bad but in terms of instructor/plane/lesson quality how do the three compare?
 
I strongly urge you to get a degree. Anything you are interested will do.

Then the best way to get your ratings depends on your personality. Some really like ATP style acceleration others don't.

Find what is important to you in training and find who can provide that, be it money, time, location, aircraft or all the above.
 
I agree with Air Pirate but,

Although I'm going to get grief for this, this is what a smart person would do. So I guess I'm either smart or a smart arse. :confused:

I went to a Private High School and basically got my 1st year of college knocked out there. You know Advance Placement. History, Physics, Calculus, English, Economics, Government, Psychology, Latin. Ok, so maybe I'm a nerd. Don't ask what I got on the SAT. I did become a member of Mensa from that. Believe, when I say I'm not smart because really I'm not. I just studied alot.

Just so you don't think I'm to much of a nerd I did run Cross-Country and Track and played Soccer. I was All-District all four years in all three, Distrist Champion in all three all four years, Cross-Country All-State three of four years, Cross-Country Individual State Champion two years and runner-up once, Cross-Country Team State Champion all four years, Soccer All-State all four years, State Champions all four years, Track All-State three of four years, Track State Champion in 3x 400m, 2x 800m, 3x 1600m relay. Yeah, I was the ! :bandit:

Then went to Florida Tech (FREE) there are scholarships out there you just got to find them. I got my Private at a local FBO. Got my first degree a B.S. in Aviation Management my Junior year then a B.S. in Air Traffic Control my Senior year. I also played Soccer there. NCAA II Champion 1991.

When I graduated I went to AFDTC to get my dispatch license (My back up plan, always have a back up plan and a way out) Then on to ATP...was like $30,000 in 1996. Was an instructor for two years then off to the regionals. I was at Continetal Express for about two years then to the big boys.

I got my MBA from ERAU through extended and distance learning. Once again look for scholarships and if you look hard enough and do your homework you can get them. My MBA was basically free.

Total cost was about $40,000 and I make well over 6 figures now.

I'm currently working on my PHD. I got a scholarship to pay for most it. It can be done. I figure I would give back what I have learned and become a teacher. How noble of me I guess.:crazy:

I know what your thinking. My father is a doctor and my mother is a lawyer NOT!!! I grew up pretty poor. They made many sacrifices to send me to a good high school. I drove a old Ford Pinto in the late 80s to high school. Imagine the image that portrayed to some of these stuck up rich kids. I think I saw one wiping the bird s*** off the window of my 767. Pay back is a... well you know. :drool:

Also, go with what you know. I bought AMR stock when it was about $3 sold it for $30, I think it went up to $37.00 in JAN 07. I basically made myself into a milllion there. Bought $100,000 shares. Ok, so you don't have that much $10,000 would have made you $100,000. I love it when people say airline stock sucks.

Stay positive and open a book. You can do it, you just have to believe in yourself and in whatever it is you want to do.

Stay Frosty:rawk:

PS. I love these icons.
 
I agree with Air Pirate but,

Although I'm going to get grief for this, this is what a smart person would do. So I guess I'm either smart or a smart arse. :confused:

I went to a Private High School and basically got my 1st year of college knocked out there. You know Advance Placement. History, Physics, Calculus, English, Economics, Government, Psychology, Latin. Ok, so maybe I'm a nerd. Don't ask what I got on the SAT. I did become a member of Mensa from that. Believe, when I say I'm not smart because really I'm not. I just studied alot.

Just so you don't think I'm to much of a nerd I did run Cross-Country and Track and played Soccer. I was All-District all four years in all three, Distrist Champion in all three all four years, Cross-Country All-State three of four years, Cross-Country Individual State Champion two years and runner-up once, Cross-Country Team State Champion all four years, Soccer All-State all four years, State Champions all four years, Track All-State three of four years, Track State Champion in 3x 400m, 2x 800m, 3x 1600m relay. Yeah, I was the ! :bandit:

Then went to Florida Tech (FREE) there are scholarships out there you just got to find them. I got my Private at a local FBO. Got my first degree a B.S. in Aviation Management my Junior year then a B.S. in Air Traffic Control my Senior year. I also played Soccer there. NCAA II Champion 1991.

When I graduated I went to AFDTC to get my dispatch license (My back up plan, always have a back up plan and a way out) Then on to ATP...was like $30,000 in 1996. Was an instructor for two years then off to the regionals. I was at Continetal Express for about two years then to the big boys.

I got my MBA from ERAU through extended and distance learning. Once again look for scholarships and if you look hard enough and do your homework you can get them. My MBA was basically free.

Total cost was about $40,000 and I make well over 6 figures now.

I'm currently working on my PHD. I got a scholarship to pay for most it. It can be done. I figure I would give back what I have learned and become a teacher. How noble of me I guess.:crazy:

I know what your thinking. My father is a doctor and my mother is a lawyer NOT!!! I grew up pretty poor. They made many sacrifices to send me to a good high school. I drove a old Ford Pinto in the late 80s to high school. Imagine the image that portrayed to some of these stuck up rich kids. I think I saw one wiping the bird s*** off the window of my 767. Pay back is a... well you know. :drool:

Also, go with what you know. I bought AMR stock when it was about $3 sold it for $30, I think it went up to $37.00 in JAN 07. I basically made myself into a milllion there. Bought $100,000 shares. Ok, so you don't have that much $10,000 would have made you $100,000. I love it when people say airline stock sucks.

Stay positive and open a book. You can do it, you just have to believe in yourself and in whatever it is you want to do.

Stay Frosty:rawk:

PS. I love these icons.

Are we bragging or answering the question??
 
I'm gonna post this again.

I am going to jump in here because I feel I've done it all and I've finally figured out what works for ME. I started flying in 04, got my private in 06 as a Junior in High school. I did my private through a local FBO. I graduated high school in 07, and went off to UND to do their aviation program.

From MY experience:

The FBO flying was fine, but very slow paced, and I didn't feel like I was learning very much. Even after the PPL checkride and up to about 100 hours I felt very unprepared as a PPL. The FBO route I'm sure works fine, but it is very slowly paced.

UND, I've posted multiple times about my issues with UND. I did not like it, mainly due to their campus atmosphere and the attitude around Flight Operations. I think the aviation classes were great and my flight instructors were fine, but it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. Perhaps UND is not the great flight school it once was.

Currently I'm at ATP. Though I hate spending this amount of money, it has been completely worth it. I will have all my ratings very soon, and be ready to move on as a flight instructor then onto an airline in the beginning of the hiring wave instead of playing catch up to get on at the end of the hiring wave.

As for a degree, I'll finish it online. My biggest regret is not going to ATP right out of high school.

This is what I have done, and it's finally working out for me.

Just want to add: The whole point I'm trying to make is that this may not be the best option for you, but it is one of them. Make your own decision. The "best option" for someone else may not be the best option for you.
 
I'll take a glass of water, and some Colombians at the Doll House.
I'll tell you what D.P.E. Sotolongo told me after I got my private pilot license.
"Get out of this industry while you still can"
 
I agree with Air Pirate but,

Although I'm going to get grief for this, this is what a smart person would do. So I guess I'm either smart or a smart arse. :confused:

I went to a Private High School and basically got my 1st year of college knocked out there. You know Advance Placement. History, Physics, Calculus, English, Economics, Government, Psychology, Latin. Ok, so maybe I'm a nerd. Don't ask what I got on the SAT. I did become a member of Mensa from that. Believe, when I say I'm not smart because really I'm not. I just studied alot.

Just so you don't think I'm to much of a nerd I did run Cross-Country and Track and played Soccer. I was All-District all four years in all three, Distrist Champion in all three all four years, Cross-Country All-State three of four years, Cross-Country Individual State Champion two years and runner-up once, Cross-Country Team State Champion all four years, Soccer All-State all four years, State Champions all four years, Track All-State three of four years, Track State Champion in 3x 400m, 2x 800m, 3x 1600m relay. Yeah, I was the ! :bandit:

Then went to Florida Tech (FREE) there are scholarships out there you just got to find them. I got my Private at a local FBO. Got my first degree a B.S. in Aviation Management my Junior year then a B.S. in Air Traffic Control my Senior year. I also played Soccer there. NCAA II Champion 1991.

When I graduated I went to AFDTC to get my dispatch license (My back up plan, always have a back up plan and a way out) Then on to ATP...was like $30,000 in 1996. Was an instructor for two years then off to the regionals. I was at Continetal Express for about two years then to the big boys.

I got my MBA from ERAU through extended and distance learning. Once again look for scholarships and if you look hard enough and do your homework you can get them. My MBA was basically free.

Total cost was about $40,000 and I make well over 6 figures now.

I'm currently working on my PHD. I got a scholarship to pay for most it. It can be done. I figure I would give back what I have learned and become a teacher. How noble of me I guess.:crazy:

I know what your thinking. My father is a doctor and my mother is a lawyer NOT!!! I grew up pretty poor. They made many sacrifices to send me to a good high school. I drove a old Ford Pinto in the late 80s to high school. Imagine the image that portrayed to some of these stuck up rich kids. I think I saw one wiping the bird s*** off the window of my 767. Pay back is a... well you know. :drool:

Also, go with what you know. I bought AMR stock when it was about $3 sold it for $30, I think it went up to $37.00 in JAN 07. I basically made myself into a milllion there. Bought $100,000 shares. Ok, so you don't have that much $10,000 would have made you $100,000. I love it when people say airline stock sucks.

Stay positive and open a book. You can do it, you just have to believe in yourself and in whatever it is you want to do.

Stay Frosty:rawk:

PS. I love these icons.


I have to say - I am very confused. I hope you don't mind a few questions.

Why do you list yourself as an Expressjet Dispatcher in your profile?

Did you attend Florida Tech for 5 years?

Did you attend MTSU, Auburn, San Jacinto, and Oklahomal before your 5 years at Florida Tech?

Are you part of the hiring process at XJT? Do you do that in conjunction with flying for a major and flying charter? Or did you fly for a major and then switch to charter? And I assume you fly charter in a 767?

Sorry for all the questions... your career sounds really interesting so I'm just trying to piece it together.

Thanks!
 
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