ATP 150 day Fast Track

My question to the guy was simply to get him to think "why am I spending this money here and now?" I wish someone had checked me on that before I went to ATP. I got caught up in the hype and the "cool looking advertisments." Now $60k later, I'm asking why did I do that. With the way things are now, I just don't see many valid reasons to justify spending that kind of cash. Maybe he does have a reason? I don't know...

With all that said, ATP does what they say they will do IF you do what they tell you to. You also have to do A LOT of studying on your own. Don't be afraid to ask for another instructor if the one your assigned just ain't working for you.

As for the X-country phase once your flying the Semen-Hole, it can be fun. Take it seriously and shoot an approach everytime. Don't get lazy and ask for the visual everytime. You need to do this stuff and take it seriously or you will get nothing out of it. Yes most of the trips are the same but not all. For exmple here is a three day adventure for me that I really enjoyed.

KIWA-KVGT-KRAL-KSAC-KSLE-KSAC-KLGB-KVGT-KIWA

It is possible to get up to Oregon. Now, I got lucky with this trip.

Anyhow think twice as to why you are going there. If you still decide to go.... Have fun.
 
Autothrust Blue said:
You are about to embark on what could become a transformative experience.
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Amen. You will love the next few months.

You might get flustered at times but when you get to bed at night, think back on your day. You just flew for days and days on end.

It's pretty remarkable to wake up and say: I think I'll fly today.

Enjoy your time there and keep us updated on how things are!
 
How many of you guys who went to ATP and "didn't get to go where you wanted" actually asked to go places? My partner and I (we only did the 90 day) got to be pretty good friends with the dispatchers and got to take some pretty cool trips..

If you get on the horn with DX and let them know you have a "plan" they are often more apt to allow you to do so..
 
inventor said:
Are you going with ATP flight school? That's the program I want to take. Please keep us updated.

And good luck!
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Yes it is and thank you I will keep everyone posted throughout so I can show people an experience as someone goes through!! But everyone has there own experiences with everything they do in life it all depends on your mentality going into it and how much you want it!!
 
Flight81 said:
Why did you choose ATP? What were your reasons for going there? Just curious.... Why not a local FBO?
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Searched around and even checked out the local flight instructor at my local airport KBAK in Columbus,IN and didnt get a good vibe but when I checked out ATP and talked to a few people my mind was made up!!
 
Everybody I have read all the back and forth banter about ATP about bad experiences, good experiences, debt, not enough time, and blah blah blah I have weighed the good and the bads and determined for my situation it is good!! I am young!! Only 20!! If I were to go to a college to get a degree I would be looking to have a debt anywhere from 80k-150k for college which is more than I am going into now!! So I am going to get my ratings do school while I instruct and hopefully in the near future at an airline hopefully paying out of pocket and by the time I am ready to go to the majors have my bachelors degree done with only the debt of my ratings!! I know thats a tall order and I know I will get a lot of guys who say don't do it and nothing ever goes as planned!! But that is how things work in this country!! This country was built off of taking risks!! The only people that make it take risks!! If you just sit around on your hands for all your life thinking "well I don't know if I need to do this bad things can happen"!! I understand if I already had a family and everything it wouldn't be any easy decision at all but I am dating a girl from Slovakia who is currently in college so I will not be having any big choices anytime soon dealing with family!! Thank you all though for your input on how good or bad my decision was but if you could actually give me some advice on what I should do by way of studying before I start that would be nice!! Thank you!!
 
DerekRoth said:
Everybody I have read all the back and forth banter about ATP about bad experiences, good experiences, debt, not enough time, and blah blah blah I have weighed the good and the bads and determined for my situation it is good!! I am young!! Only 20!! If I were to go to a college to get a degree I would be looking to have a debt anywhere from 80k-150k for college which is more than I am going into now!! So I am going to get my ratings do school while I instruct and hopefully in the near future at an airline hopefully paying out of pocket and by the time I am ready to go to the majors have my bachelors degree done with only the debt of my ratings!! I know thats a tall order and I know I will get a lot of guys who say don't do it and nothing ever goes as planned!! But that is how things work in this country!! This country was built off of taking risks!! The only people that make it take risks!! If you just sit around on your hands for all your life thinking "well I don't know if I need to do this bad things can happen"!! I understand if I already had a family and everything it wouldn't be any easy decision at all but I am dating a girl from Slovakia who is currently in college so I will not be having any big choices anytime soon dealing with family!! Thank you all though for your input on how good or bad my decision was but if you could actually give me some advice on what I should do by way of studying before I start that would be nice!! Thank you!!
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You think you'll be paying out of pocket for your bachelors off an instructors salary on top of a loan payment? You have a big task ahead of you.
 
DerekRoth said:
Everybody I have read all the back and forth banter about ATP about bad experiences, good experiences, debt, not enough time, and blah blah blah I have weighed the good and the bads and determined for my situation it is good!! I am young!! Only 20!! If I were to go to a college to get a degree I would be looking to have a debt anywhere from 80k-150k for college which is more than I am going into now!! So I am going to get my ratings do school while I instruct and hopefully in the near future at an airline hopefully paying out of pocket and by the time I am ready to go to the majors have my bachelors degree done with only the debt of my ratings!! I know thats a tall order and I know I will get a lot of guys who say don't do it and nothing ever goes as planned!! But that is how things work in this country!! This country was built off of taking risks!! The only people that make it take risks!! If you just sit around on your hands for all your life thinking "well I don't know if I need to do this bad things can happen"!! I understand if I already had a family and everything it wouldn't be any easy decision at all but I am dating a girl from Slovakia who is currently in college so I will not be having any big choices anytime soon dealing with family!! Thank you all though for your input on how good or bad my decision was but if you could actually give me some advice on what I should do by way of studying before I start that would be nice!! Thank you!!
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http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/

Read the Airplane Flying handbook for just a good general info guide.



http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aviation/

Skimming over any of the publications will be beneficial but don't read to much into advanced topics you don't understand. Just wait and let your CFI explain what you can't grasp. With ATP being fast paced the more of a basic understanding of flight you have the better you will be. Good Luck
 
Trev0079 said:
You think you'll be paying out of pocket for your bachelors off an instructors salary on top of a loan payment? You have a big task ahead of you.
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I wont go full time!! I will only do partial time seeing as it will be a while for me to even be thinking about making it in the Majors and plus I have already finished all my general studies classes at a local community school that are transferable to most schools around the country!!
 
Rotor2Wing said:
http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/

Read the Airplane Flying handbook for just a good general info guide.



http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aviation/

Skimming over any of the publications will be beneficial but don't read to much into advanced topics you don't understand. Just wait and let your CFI explain what you can't grasp. With ATP being fast paced the more of a basic understanding of flight you have the better you will be. Good Luck
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Thank you so much for the advice!!
 
DerekRoth said:
I wont go full time!! I will only do partial time seeing as it will be a while for me to even be thinking about making it in the Majors and plus I have already finished all my general studies classes at a local community school that are transferable to most schools around the country!!
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I think what he's getting at is that you will very likely have little money to eat, let alone spend on 400-800 dollar classes.
 
elmetal said:
I think what he's getting at is that you will very likely have little money to eat, let alone spend on 400-800 dollar classes.
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I will attempt to make it work if it wont than school will have to be put off for a little while either way it will easily be 10 years or more before majors for me anyways so I have some time!!
 
DerekRoth said:
I wont go full time!! I will only do partial time seeing as it will be a while for me to even be thinking about making it in the Majors and plus I have already finished all my general studies classes at a local community school that are transferable to most schools around the country!!
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I am actually doing the same thing. I went to ATP for my ratings (pvt-cfi) and am now doing PT business and have some promising leads for a PT instructor job while paying out of pocket for an online degree. Also 20 Y/O and am glad I made the decision to pursue flying now when I was young, rather than regretting not doing it when I was older and making a career change because I would hate to look back and say "what if".

Of course I still do wish I had found this place before I started instead of finding myself in a 60k dollar debt. After all, It's all about the journey and I wish I could have taken my time instead of rushing through it. (I even did the self paced program but it is still rushing)

But whats done is done and to be honest, I don't think the situation I find myself in now is all that bad. I know I'm not going to get rich instructing so I have a side thing going on also to save money for starting out in the 121/135 world. But for once I am enjoying the journey of a part time flying job and not rushing through instructing trying to build the hours just as fast as I possibly can. I know the job will come I just have to be patient, and realize that I am one of the very few luck people in this world who get to wake up in the morning and say to myself.... blah blah you know how it goes. I just couldn't imagine waking up in 10 15 20 years from now and saying what if.
 
Oh yea, advice?

Don't plan on doing ANYTHING for about 3 months besides for ATP. like said above, you are cramming 1-2 years of info into 3 months so study study study.
 
born2aviate said:
Oh yea, advice?

Don't plan on doing ANYTHING for about 3 months besides for ATP. like said above, you are cramming 1-2 years of info into 3 months so study study study.
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Thanks for the advice any advice on the knowledge test I have been studying the books like crazy!! Everybody says memorize the answers but that is alot of questions to memorize!! I think I have enough knowledge for the majority of it!!
 
elmetal said:
That's what ATP Advertises, you knwo with all their "partnerships"

People not in the industry literally think ATP will put you in a regional.

Actually, people not in the industry don't even know that you don't go straight into Delta/American/etc.

People have no idea who the regionals are because the mainliners disguise their regional flights with "connection, express, etc"
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So people think you go straight to a regional but they don't even know what a regional is?

Whatever man, this guy asks for advice because he is STARTING the program. He didn't ask for your opinion, pretty classic when you knew a few posts up on what this guy will spend on classes.. or what path is best for him.
 
elmetal said:
That's what ATP Advertises, you knwo with all their "partnerships"

People not in the industry literally think ATP will put you in a regional.

Actually, people not in the industry don't even know that you don't go straight into Delta/American/etc.

People have no idea who the regionals are because the mainliners disguise their regional flights with "connection, express, etc"
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Grind... Grind.. Grind..
 
elmetal said:
I can show you 3 places within a 30 minute drive of my house who will let you take their multi cross country.

Your argument is ridiculous. Florida is the banana republic, nobody here really cares what you do to their planes, just bring it back in one piece.

I logged 0 multi hours because I'm not rich. Could I have done it in a multi? You bet your behind I could've paid my half. But anybody willing to pay the other half will just go straight to ATP.

It's great if you want to get in and get it done.

It's not about getting to 250 and getting the ratings, it's about all the flying until you get there. If you come in for the ratings and get out sure you'll have it all done quickly, but did you enjoy only flying 125 hours ALL IN THE SAME AIRCRAFT?
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Let me know how that "different" aircraft time works out for you, did you have to make your own column for that? I know you had an extra one since you weren't using that pesky "multi engine" section....
 
crfguy51 said:
Let me know how that "different" aircraft time works out for you, did you have to make your own column for that? I know you had an extra one since you weren't using that pesky "multi engine" section....
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I have glider time, LSA time, ASEL time, aerobatic time, and the list goes on. Sure this only means two columns, ASEL and glider, but at the end of the day I can look back and say: "Hmm I'm not drowning in debt, and at 250 I won't be hired for a job that requires multi time anyway..."

regionals are looking for 1000/100.

250/200 gets you the SAME job 250/0 would get. The only thing you might have a leg up on is MEI, but most places that do multi instructing will have loads of people in front of you for instructing in multis.

Get out of the basement sometime. The sun is a beautiful thing.
 
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