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Not sure anyone has asked you this Heath.
But everyone is quick to say that ATP isn't for everyone in the there is alot of self study.
How much self study is involved and how much would you recommend someone very intersted in the program.
And how much do you yourself self study on a daily basis?
-matthew
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Very good question, Matthew, that I also wondered about before starting.
Basically, when you sign up to start at ATP you'll get a box in the mail that includes 3 ATP golf shirts, an ATP backpack, and 26 books. The letter in the box tells you to show up on day one with Piper Seminole Supplement, a 30-40 page booklet, read backwards and forwards, and to be prepared to take the instrument and instrument instructor (same questions by the way) exams. I read the Jeppesen Instrument/Commercial textbook and then studied the Gleim Instrument Study Guide the week before and had no problem scoring 92's on both exams on day one. It did take a lot of reading during that week, though.
I'd have to go back and reread my own blog for the exact amount of time, but it took about a week of reading a little each night and during the day while waiting to train to prepare for the Commercial written, then another week or so for the Flight Instructor Airplane. The Fundamentals of Instructing will take another 3-5 days.
During training, you'll have a lot of time when your instructor is teaching another student, or you're waiting on a plane, or both. My philosophy has been to show up at the office at 8am regardless of what time the instructor said to be there (unless he wanted me there earlier). I would then treat this as my job and study or do the quizzes from 8am until 5 or 6pm. Doing it this way, I really had no problem learning the material at a comfortable pace and honestly didn't have to do a whole lot of studying at night, leaving me time for some QT with my wife after hours. There have been some nights when I had to lock myself up in my office and study, like before checkrides to do that last bit of cramming for the oral. But by and large I've been able to do most of my studying during the day by using my time effectively and not goofing off when I wasn't flying (although I have squeezed in some goofing off time, too!).
The instructors DO groundschool you. But, the format has been that after you've read the material, you come to them with questions of what you didn't understand, and then they will quiz you over all the material to be certain you've got it and help you discover areas you need to work on further. I haven't at all been taught checkrides as some have claimed, and am confident that I could have passed my rides with any examiner, not just the one I had.
Would I recommend ATP, ABSOLUTELY! Is it for everyone, absolutely not. If you need to learn in a classroom lecture environment and don't have the discipline to read material and learn on your own, not waiting till the night before to do so, you'll be destined for some failed oral exams because the onus is on you as the student to read the material and learn it. But if you're a motivated learner, willing to read on your own, and you want to get all the ratings knocked out quick, understanding that that means many many long days of 7-8am till 9-10pm (I didn't get home last night until after 10:30), then this is a great program that delivers exactly what it promises at the exact quoted price.
Best of luck to you and whatever decision you make.
Clear skies,
Heath
