does anyone here recommended atp flight school

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mine was for university and atp...and yes if I were to pay off my loans tomorrow it would have been 115g...I expect that I will pay close to 125 before I'm finished, but fortunately I am in a good position financially because of the risk I took.
 
Being a fresh graduate and 21 yo, would you guys recommend the ATP route or the slower route? (I'm more particularly concerned with that new bill concerning ATPL requirements coming into effect next year) What are the payment options like? I was told that they require significant up-front payments in which multiple individuals have recommended against doing so. Also,does anyone have any good experiences of their LGB location?
 
I had a great experience at ATP adn I highly recommend it if you want to jup start your career. The pricetag is a little steep so make sure you try to negotiate a good rate with whatever bank you choose to get financing through. ATP qualifies for student loans so check around. I flew in to LGB while I was there and I thought they only had 1 or 2 planes. Its a very busy place so you migt be better served to go to Vegas, Pheonix, or Dallas.
 
Nigel said:
Being a fresh graduate and 21 yo, would you guys recommend the ATP route or the slower route? (I'm more particularly concerned with that new bill concerning ATPL requirements coming into effect next year) What are the payment options like? I was told that they require significant up-front payments in which multiple individuals have recommended against doing so. Also,does anyone have any good experiences of their LGB location?
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Seniority is everything. The sooner you get a number the sooner your QOL improves.
 
Thanks for the replies so far. However, here's another dilemma. I currently got some prior experiences in Australia but that was a year or two ago now. Would you recommend getting the PPL on my own means first at a relatively cheap school before considering joining ATP? How strict are they regarding the 85 hrs.

Thanks
 
Nigel said:
Could you please elaborate as to why?
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There are plenty of threads on the "issues" with ATP. It really is a personal choice.

ATP is great at what they do, turn out pilots who only want to fly for an airline ASAP. In theory thats great and for some it is perfect, but the price tag is steep.

First the actual cost is very high, second student loan payments are going to be with you for years to come and consume a large portion of your income making your quality of life suffer. Also, it is very standardized, some enjoy that others dont. You dont have much flexibility as far as experiences go. You cant rent from them, so you can't take up friends and family for a sight seeing flight. You cant go to fun places just because, want to land on a grass runway, dont even think about it.

Like I said, personal preference. Flying is expensive, there is no arguing that. ATP is more expensive than necessary to get the same ratings you can get elsewhere. Sure you get twin time, but with the savings you could buy a block of time and still be cheaper if you went to a 61 school.

In short there is nothing wrong with the school, it just depends how much you are willing to give and are you willing to pay a premium over others for the same job?

Better suggestion is take the savings of doing it 61 and also get a college degree and have a fall back plan for the eventual furlough.
 
Matt13C said:
There are plenty of threads on the "issues" with ATP. It really is a personal choice.

ATP is great at what they do, turn out pilots who only want to fly for an airline ASAP. In theory thats great and for some it is perfect, but the price tag is steep.

First the actual cost is very high, second student loan payments are going to be with you for years to come and consume a large portion of your income making your quality of life suffer. Also, it is very standardized, some enjoy that others dont. You dont have much flexibility as far as experiences go. You cant rent from them, so you can't take up friends and family for a sight seeing flight. You cant go to fun places just because, want to land on a grass runway, dont even think about it.

Like I said, personal preference. Flying is expensive, there is no arguing that. ATP is more expensive than necessary to get the same ratings you can get elsewhere. Sure you get twin time, but with the savings you could buy a block of time and still be cheaper if you went to a 61 school.

In short there is nothing wrong with the school, it just depends how much you are willing to give and are you willing to pay a premium over others for the same job?

Better suggestion is take the savings of doing it 61 and also get a college degree and have a fall back plan for the eventual furlough.
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Thanks for your input and honest answer. It's always good to get multiple views of the process and yes, I have gone through some and in the process of going through more of the past threads regarding ATP the pros and cons of it.

Surprisingly so far, majority of the schools in California around my area are asking comparable prices to ATP...
 
Nigel said:
Thanks for your input and honest answer. It's always good to get multiple views of the process and yes, I have gone through some and in the process of going through more of the past threads regarding ATP the pros and cons of it.

Surprisingly so far, majority of the schools in California around my area are asking comparable prices to ATP...
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Good luck in your search and pursuits. Remember, it is not just about the destination but also the journey. Enjoy each step of the process, don't rush if you don't absolutely have to.

I know what you mean on price though, CA is worse then the North East and some schools hear are just as expensive as ATP. Some searching and a willingness to drive can find you great small airports with cheaper planes. Also, look into gliders, cheap and a great way to build time.
 
Hey Nigel. I'd rather not get into it on here with all the other kool-aid drinkers on the internet. If you can figure out how to PM on this new format I'll send you my number and I'll tell you all you want to know.
 
I'm doing the 90 day at ATP FXE right now, quite like everyone i've met there and instruction is solid.
 
Tram said:
I've heard rumors of ATP Seminoles going to grass strips..
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Not a rumor at all. At least 8 years ago.

Granted, it probably wasn't approved at the higher levels, and if the plane somehow got dinged up there would be hell to pay, but the DEs wanted to see a student do it so we had to train it.

/necropost
 
My experience was a "Neutral" one. everyone that asks me about it, I tell them to go elsewhere, and that is the general consensus from everyone that went to that school as well.
 
I have no experience with the school itself, but when I shopped around to do my ATP, they were about 3x what it should cost, so I can only imagine the rest of the training is higher than it should be.
 
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