ATP D-Jets to raise training costs?

Captain Bob-don't worry about it i'm not taking much offense:). i just get so into these things because it will partly determine my future. My last thing with ATP was I had saved $5000 in five months and then their price went up by $5000. That was discouraging. Here I'm literally making myself poor to save money for flight school and it just seems that i'm just saving against the increase in the cost. I just don't want to keep saving if it's going to keep increasing at the rate that i'm saving that's all.
 
you would be surprised! there are probably more gold seal CFI's at ATP than most any other school for one reason: we sign off A LOT of pilots for checkrides. I qualified for and recieved my gold seal after only a month instructing with ATP and all the instructors at my location that were there for at least a month or 2 either had, or qualified for gold seal they just had to fill out the 8710.

I believe all my instructors were Gold seals at ATP, none were at the FBO I went to, however that isn't an accurate way to measure quality.
 
I would say number of hours dual given, the amout of time you've been a CFI, and the number of ratings you've signed off, are good indicators. I honestly don't know much about Gold Seal or whatever. I thought it was some "master" CFI thing that took a number of years as a CFI to attain. They didn't have the Gold Seal thing when I got my CFI in 1980.
 
AS some of you know I dont think to highly of ATP, but still, the overall quality of these guys, not saying all, but for most isnt that good. Lets face it, there is no way you can really get a thorough understanding of all the concepts in 90 days....you just cant, and I dont want to hear the "well, its like drinking from a firehose" and it prepares you for airline training. The fact of the matter is, that by the time you apply for and get hired by and airline you should have a pretty good grasp of the basic concepts, advance concepts etc..


Very strong opinion based on your one day of experience in the program. Opinion nontheless.


Thanks Bob. My turn.

Bluehen, what basis do you have for that comment above? What aircraft do you fly? Where did you do your training? What airline do you fly for? What type of airline training have you been through? How long have you been in the business?

You answer these questions, and maybe I'll retract what I'm about to say.

You are way off base! First of all, you can discredit ATP for their price, their management and any first hand experience that you have, but there is no way you can make a blanket statement like that about their current and former students unless of course you have flown with many ATP graduates, which I doubt you have.

In defense of my Flight Instructors at ATP -

FYI, I started training at ATP in August of 2005. Private Pilot Program in Jax. I started the ACPP (10 month) in TTN on Oct.27, 2005, and finished the program with a job offer to return to ATP in April 2006. I took approx. 4 weeks off during the program but trained Monday thru Friday. I completed every rating in less time then was given, passed every written with no less then an 80%, and never failed a checkride. I was one of 5 people hired from an interview class of 20 - I had the least amount of flight time. 450TT, 325 Multi yet I was told by the sim evaluator that he was impressed with my knowledge and ability compared to applicants with twice my flight time. I passed new hire training with no problems and completed IOE satisfactorily with no problems. I give a LOT of that credit to ATP and the flight instructors that I had while I was there. Rich T., Mark, Matt M., Kelly and Andy. Believe me, I'm no super pilot and I certainly don't know it all - but I must have been trained properly because everything I learned at ATP was spot on.

The quality of pilot produced is directly related to the Flight Instructor giving the instruction and student receiving it.

Bash ATP and their program all you want - but don't dismiss the pilots that come out of there unless you know first hand what you're talking about. I've flown with Captains that have told me they've had good FO's from ATP and bad FO's from ATP, and the percentage is exactly the same as those at other schools and FBO's. If you can't hack the program there, then go somewhere else - and thats exactly what Rich Tillary will tell you.

I just flew an ILS down to mins at 170 knots at night in fog on the Cape. 200 overcast, RVR 2400 - Captain thanked me for doing a great job. I guess ATP really doesn't know a thing about what they're doing. :rolleyes:
 
Well said SIUav8er...
I instructed from Dec. to April. and passed 28 out of 30 first timers at ATP. I'd bet ATP guys past and present have a ton of gold seals, or at least the success rate to have gotten one had we bothered to do the written and stop by the FISDO.
 
If you're an add-on instructor at ATP (in some locations) you can have like 15 signoffs a month.
I've been flying a lot but I've only had 1 sign off and 1 pass (100% ratio baby!) in the past 3-4 months.
 
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