juxtapilot
Snowflake
I went to ATP. It was great, but I would never go back nor would I recommend it to anyone. 
ATP flight school
- Thread starter FlySooner9
- Start date
Clocks
Well-Known Member
Looks like they optimized the program quite a bit. The whole course now gets you 115 hours multi.
Kind of contradictory statements, no?
Maximilian_Jenius
Super User
Good for them..seriously.
But, they couldn't have done that way back when instead of jacking the price up to $75g's!
Yes, I know they're a for profit business...but then so was Tab Express. Right?
*I'm not equating ATP to TAP Express, just asking why now they lower the price and optimize the program? Is it maybe because Sallie Mae or Wachovia..now Wells Fargo ain't given out $75g's? (The answer is yes, btw)
Why couldn't they have optimized the program, sooner?
juxtapilot
Snowflake
Hell no. The training was fun. I wouldn't go back, nor would I recommend anyone go there. Questionable morals on part of the management at ATP (something you probably won't experience unless you are a student or instructor there) would cause even the most fun experience to be completely, not worth it.
juxtapilot
Snowflake
Because they were making a killing! You know that, silly.
Nihon_Ni
Well-Known Member
I did the MEI/II add-on at Long Beach. I opted for the 15 hr program instead of the min time one, and was glad I did. The cost difference between the min time program and the "up to 15 hr" program wasn't too bad, but it did give me enough time in the plane to get comfortable. I also found out after I got there, that 2.3 hrs of my training time had to be used to transit to & from the examiner since he wasn't at Long Beach.
My experience was about 1.5 hrs of ground on day 1, then 2 days of flying and 2 days of check rides. I went there to get my tickets (as I couldn't do them within 1000 miles of where I live) and that's exactly what I got an no more. As others have said, it's basically a program for well-prepared candidates. My CFI was a few months out of Embry Riddle with about 300 hrs given, and had never taken a pleasure flight in his life. He had the regs memorized and gave me all the gouge on the local DPE, including handing me a lesson plan I was supposed to copy in my own handwriting. But, there was very little depth in his knowledge base, as I found out when he tried to convince me that one of the reasons a twin has a left-turning tendency is because the accelerated slip-stream deflects to the right, and the left engine's strikes the rudder making the plane turn left. Huh?
In my experience, it was all about passing the check rides. There was very little instruction involved. My CFI was there to allow me to prep myself in a new airplane and endorse my logbook at the end. That's what I was after, and that's what I got.
My experience was about 1.5 hrs of ground on day 1, then 2 days of flying and 2 days of check rides. I went there to get my tickets (as I couldn't do them within 1000 miles of where I live) and that's exactly what I got an no more. As others have said, it's basically a program for well-prepared candidates. My CFI was a few months out of Embry Riddle with about 300 hrs given, and had never taken a pleasure flight in his life. He had the regs memorized and gave me all the gouge on the local DPE, including handing me a lesson plan I was supposed to copy in my own handwriting. But, there was very little depth in his knowledge base, as I found out when he tried to convince me that one of the reasons a twin has a left-turning tendency is because the accelerated slip-stream deflects to the right, and the left engine's strikes the rudder making the plane turn left. Huh?
In my experience, it was all about passing the check rides. There was very little instruction involved. My CFI was there to allow me to prep myself in a new airplane and endorse my logbook at the end. That's what I was after, and that's what I got.
Maximilian_Jenius
Super User
"Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should do it" - calcapt
Baronpilot244
Killick Stoker
went there because it suited my schedule - worked hard, got the ratings - went away satisfied.
BP244
CFI/CFII/MEI
BP244
CFI/CFII/MEI
:yeahthat: I am strongly against any crash course rush through program. Any study I have read on this sort of training comes up with the same conclusion, you lose it as fast as you got it. That scares me. They do make a killing though. . .