Everyone here keeps saying training at a local FBO would be cheaper than ATP.. Well I ended up spending 15K at my FBO, not even came close to getting the Private, and switching to ATP now :rawk:
1st, ATP's rates are pretty good if you break down the cost of the APCC program by the number of hours you get. Especially for the ME time: it's 250/hr at the FBO's in North Jersey where I live! Imagine taking a twin for a couple of coast-to-coast x-countries? There goes your 30K..
Second, most FBO's would charge you for ground time with an instructor. Again, I used to pay 50 bucks for an hour with my instructor, and he would charge like .2 hours of ground extra for every flight (time he spent on walking to and from the airplane) ((
ANother thing, if you "take your time" and stretch your flight training as long as 1-2 years, it's gonna take you much more flight hours to finish up your ratings just because the less often you fly the more you have to revise during each flight..
Anyway, there were a couple of guys at my FBO who went to ATP and all of them off the record recommended ditching the school and doing the ATP gig.
Just my 2 cents.