is the ATP airline career pilot program worth it?

[n6149s]

So when the website reads, "Seniority is everything, get there first with ATP" what does that imply?

I actually quoted that a few months back. I couldnt have said it better myself. I like on the website how it reads that they dont have broken or empty promises or gimmicks. And the guar. interview is not. We will get you 25% of the flight time you need and all the debt you need for the rest of your life in 90 days.. etc.. and the list goes on and on

 

[killbilly]

I actually quoted that a few months back. I couldnt have said it better myself. I like on the website how it reads that they dont have broken or empty promises or gimmicks. And the guar. interview is not. We will get you 25% of the flight time you need and all the debt you need for the rest of your life in 90 days.. etc.. and the list goes on and on

Axe to grind?

Where do they promise anything besides training on the website?

 

[germb747]

I'll say a couple more things about ATP:

1) The planes were some of the cleanest and probably best maintained general aviation aircraft I've flown.

2) If you can keep up with the pace of the training, there's no reason why you'd have any difficulty in a 121 training program.

 

[Contrail the Kid]

There is a self paced program with ATP, you can take your time and not get into debt that way.

In my opinion, no FBO can compare to what ATP offers....

Say a plane is due for a 100 hour inspection soon, is too close to that 100 mark, and you were scheduled to fly in that plane. No problem, just go request another and grab the key (if there is one ). If that new plane has an annunciator panel light flip on during run up, no problem, tie her up, go get another. If something was wrong with that plane as well... guess what... there's another!! Furthermore, those planes you didn't fly in, they will be fixed by the next day, if not by the end of the week. Get that from an FBO.

(I saw a story in the forums about a guy who took his written ahead of time, and RIGHT before his check ride the plane was flown for another student and the plane passed the 100 hour mark. That guy had to wait for the plane to be available again which was like two weeks. His written exam results were no longer valid by that point, and he had to pay/take the written again! Silly FBO!)


Also, 2002+ airframes for just about every plane. Instructors who are dedicated and happily work 6, even 7 days a week (and are happy to work with you even if you aren't their student!) The ability to practice every written exam, over, and over, and over again, for FREE; before you even take them (in the testing center, on the same computers you actually test on, mind you.) If you need to go over something in the simulator again, no problem, just ask.

By the way, THERE ARE NO HIDDEN COSTS. If you pay $8,999 for your PPL, and gas prices sky rocket (projected to jump this summer!), you don't pay extra. Try and get that from an FBO. (I looked in to multiple FBO's and THEY HAD HIDDEN COSTS!)

Oh by the way, ATP starts introducing IFR flight immediately after getting your PPL! What FBO will have you fly IFR with an instructor for 25 hours of cross country? You do the calls, you file the flight plan, you fly the route, all while the instructor teaches and guides you along (this time building is required anyways towards the 250 for the commercial rating!) Remember this is at NO EXTRA COST.

ATP is a fixed cost flight school, plain and simple! There are thing's you do have to pay for of course; a sectional, head set, flashlight etc., and that makes sense! Otherwise, ATP even tells you up front, check ride costs are not covered, and those are $400 a pop.

ATP isn't for every one, especially because of the money issue. Moreover, the career program is just not even close to being easy. Some people just cant do it! ATP isn't in the business of taking your hard earned $$ and screwing you. They have options.

At ATP you get it done, no messing around.

When an instructor I know was working towards his PPL, his instructor barely covered pilotage or deadreckoning. He just learned to fly with the GPS; "just follow the magenta line!". Also, he hadn't ever used a single check list either. Additionally, he got milked $$ for going to an FBO, because of the sub-par, slow, training.

Another guy I know, he's been working on his PPL for almost 8 months. His instructor is a FO for a regional right now, and the student has to work around that guys schedule to get flights in. At ATP, your schedule is their schedule. If you need to fly Sunday, you fly on Sunday.

While at ATP I've talked to outside instructors coming in for their multi-engine rating (who wished they had gotten it done earlier,) guys flying internationally getting their ATP, other instructors having to come into our facility because we were the closest testing center, including men and women from many many different backgrounds. Even the FAA gets thier currency done through ATP. The traffic that goes through ATP, and the people you can talk to, just can't be beat by an FBO.

Whether you go through ATP, or take exponentially longer at a small school, you still have to acquire the requisite time to go to an airline.

To the OP (this whole post is pointed at you)

I would like to say, that if you haven't gotten college out of the way, you need to, especially if you want to go on to the majors. Don't skip important stages in life. College is one of them. Also, don't sacrifice $40,000 if you aren't sure what you personally need/require to get it all done in the best possible manor. Keep in mind that if you cant find a job instructing, you're going to have to find some income to pay off those loans. In the end, there is no such thing as a fast track, we all have to work long, hard hours, no matter what.

I looked at many many different flight schools, and I suggest you go down to every single one of them. Look in the planes, look at the facilities, and weigh the costs. Pull aside a student from each school and talk to them. By the time you do your home work, it will be a no-brainer, ATP or not.

I know many people who switched from FBO to ATP (and didn't regret it.) But even in the forums, I haven't seen anyone who went to ATP and then switched to an FBO... If there is one, that person is largely out numbered.

 

[wjmiller3]

(I saw a story in the forums about a guy who took his written ahead of time, and RIGHT before his check ride the plane was flown for another student and the plane passed the 100 hour mark. That guy had to wait for the plane to be available again which was like two weeks. His written exam results were no longer valid by that point, and he had to pay/take the written again! Silly FBO!)

Not that it matters to this post, but just for a little trivia, a plane out of its 100 hour CAN be used for a checkride. It is not flight training or for hire, so it doesn't need one. ATP actually does this, the FAA and examiners have no problem with it.

 

[guywhoflies]

Not that it matters to this post, but just for a little trivia, a plane out of its 100 hour CAN be used for a checkride. It is not flight training or for hire, so it doesn't need one. ATP actually does this, the FAA and examiners have no problem with it.

You know where ATP used to do this ALL THE TIME? Dallas...where Contrail the Kid is from. I don't know if things changed when the management changed at GKY, but with the old manager it was standard practice.

I will be back later to break down the rest of that post, but right now I gotta get to work!

 

[Contrail the Kid]

Not that it matters to this post, but just for a little trivia, a plane out of its 100 hour CAN be used for a checkride. It is not flight training or for hire, so it doesn't need one. ATP actually does this, the FAA and examiners have no problem with it.

:rawk:

Good stuff. Thanks.

 

[Contrail the Kid]

You know where ATP used to do this ALL THE TIME? Dallas...where Contrail the Kid is from. I don't know if things changed when the management changed at GKY, but with the old manager it was standard practice.

I will be back later to break down the rest of that post, but right now I gotta get to work!

I wasn't talking about someone not being able to take a check ride at ATP, more so, I was pointing a finger towards an instructor (actually) who posted here on (jetcareers) about his student a while back. I don't think any one mentioned he could take the plane on a check ride; or maybe it was that the plane had already been taken apart and was sitting in the hanger, and there just wasn't any other plane to use...

 

[LoadMasterC141]

I just wanna play Devil's advocate here for a second, because you and I joined JC right about the same time and, in fact, were looking into ATP about the same time, too....

Had you gone through the ACPP back then and gotten hired around that time frame, do you think you would have been furloughed in the last round or would you have accrued enough seniority to survive it? I know some folks around here did and some didn't.



Based on what I've seen, I would have to concur with this statement. ATP (and ATP grads) routinely tell people that it's not for everyone. I was not in the right cash position to train at ATP at the time, and my aviation goals changed as well. But one thing I can definitely say is that the program is highly structured and forces the students to take initiative; to my way of thinking, this is a very good thing.

If I had gone to ATP when I had first considered it, yes, I would have had a likely chance of being hired by an airline and not getting furloughed. I posted about this smewhere one time. The deepest furloughs were at Xjet and even then, if I had gotten hired, I would not have furloughed. It is all hindsight and speculatio though. I could also say that if I had waited just 6 months longer, like I had originally planned, I would still be comfortable in a well paying job, so who knows really.

 

[SpiraMirabilis]

Not that it matters to this post, but just for a little trivia, a plane out of its 100 hour CAN be used for a checkride. It is not flight training or for hire, so it doesn't need one. ATP actually does this, the FAA and examiners have no problem with it.

Maybe... depends on whether or not there are any ADs or inspection programs that need to run at 100 hrs.

 

[mshunter]

Not that it matters to this post, but just for a little trivia, a plane out of its 100 hour CAN be used for a checkride. It is not flight training or for hire, so it doesn't need one. ATP actually does this, the FAA and examiners have no problem with it.

What about 100hr reaccuring AD's, and 50hr(5ohrs) AD's? Piper's have an oil AD, and Cessna's have a seat AD(100hrs) just to name a few. And IIRC, ATP does those inspections at the 100hr and the 50hr. Watch that one close.

 

[cmill]

Contrail-

Not to pick on you, but im cant let you get away with letting you slam FBO's as out to milk students for money, or slow or anything of the sort. I flew in the Dallas area for 4 years, and i find it hard to beleive that you looked around and honestly couldn't find a FBO that was up to your standards.

Say a plane is due for a 100 hour inspection soon, is too close to that 100 mark, and you were scheduled to fly in that plane. No problem, just go request another and grab the key (if there is one ). If that new plane has an annunciator panel light flip on during run up, no problem, tie her up, go get another. If something was wrong with that plane as well... guess what... there's another!! Furthermore, those planes you didn't fly in, they will be fixed by the next day, if not by the end of the week. Get that from an FBO.

I worked as a contractor for a FBO that had a single C-172, and I never had to cancel a student because of a 100hr, this is while being the lone instructor flying about 3 hours a week with 12+ students. For a lot of these places, that airplane is their bread and butter, and they're not going to lose revenue because they dont feel like doing the inspection. And inspection doesnt take long at all on a 172. All it takes is showing up a little early for work.

Also, 2002+ airframes for just about every plane. Instructors who are dedicated and happily work 6, even 7 days a week (and are happy to work with you even if you aren't their student!) The ability to practice every written exam, over, and over, and over again, for FREE; before you even take them (in the testing center, on the same computers you actually test on, mind you.) If you need to go over something in the simulator again, no problem, just ask.

The newness of the air frames has nothing to do with the quality of training. I'm not sure what the pay is at ATP, but if an instructor wants to work 7 days a week, it probably because he needs the dough. Nobody in their right mind is "happy" to work 7 days a week. Even though, i still gave people "free advice" when i was hangin around the airport, and someone came up with some questions. Its part of the job. Also, AOPA for a long time offered free practice tests on their web site, thats nothing exclusive to ATP. BTW, we were also a testing center.

By the way, THERE ARE NO HIDDEN COSTS. If you pay $8,999 for your PPL, and gas prices sky rocket (projected to jump this summer!), you don't pay extra. Try and get that from an FBO. (I looked in to multiple FBO's and THEY HAD HIDDEN COSTS!)

I worked for the same FBO for 2 years and the price for a 172 never changed. It was $110 for the plane and $40 for me, and i got to keep all the cash. I dont see where the "hidden fees" are at.

When an instructor I know was working towards his PPL, his instructor barely covered pilotage or deadreckoning. He just learned to fly with the GPS; "just follow the magenta line!". Also, he hadn't ever used a single check list either. Additionally, he got milked $$ for going to an FBO, because of the sub-par, slow, training.

No doubt there are lazy instructors out there, but you cant paint every instructor with the same brush. I never let my students get away with that, the GPS was off for every primary flight, but my students still knew how to use it. For you to sit there and imply that FBOs provide "sub par, slow training" is offensive to CFI's that work for them. I have a perfect pass rate with my students, and I would wager there are far more gold seal/master CFI's who operate independently than who operate for large programs like ATP.

I'm not bashing ATP, it has its place. If you feel you need to get your ratings knocked out quickly, and be trained to pass a checkride, then go for it. But i wont stand for someone to come here and slam independent instructors and FBOs like you did. Find the right instructor and its possible to finish training every bit as quickly and with the same, if not better level of quality as it is at ATP.

 

[Contrail the Kid]

@cmill

Hey I'm not saying ATP is the golden ticket here. In fact, I posted to the OP saying to look around do his research, and that in the end he might not even choose ATP.

If he didn't choose ATP, then where would he be going? An FBO. In fact, I have heard stories of very sub par instructors who have worked at ATP themselves. One of which who never checked the fuel levels (he had the students do it during the pre-flight,) and subsequently assumed he was flying a plane with extended range tanks, when he wasnt'. This instructor flew with a student, and when they got back and filled up the plane, it was reported that they came back with only 10 minutes of fuel left. That same guy once told a student that he "didn't need to talk about emergency landing spots" (during a cross country in a 172) because he "was a Seminole pilot, and didn't have to bother with that stuff."

That guy got fired and isn't even flying anymore.

Not to pick on you, but im cant let you get away with letting you slam FBO's as out to milk students for money, or slow or anything of the sort. I flew in the Dallas area for 4 years, and i find it hard to beleive that you looked around and honestly couldn't find a FBO that was up to your standards.

Well I might feel a little picked on, but hey, not a problem. Next time I'll be sure to flame everyone equally so we all can be happy; and with that in mind, I totally agree about the pay issue. I know of an FBO here in Texas that pays it's instructors well over that of ATP.

I'm actually not from Dallas and moved here because it did meet my standards. I never implied there weren't any good FBO's in Texas, there just weren't any back home. Concurrently, when I talked about there being hidden costs, I wasn't implying ALL FBO's have hidden costs, nor did I say that. I just pointed out that they do exist. One FBO back home didn't reveal the actual cost of training, they only stated the "minimum time" in which a PPL could be achieved. I had to do the math myself to figure out what they cost of training would actually amount to, and in the end, the difference was well over $5,000 of what they advertised. Furthermore, where I'm from, the elevation is so high multi-engine training in a non-high performance aircraft is almost non-existent. The FBO option didn't cut it for me back home.

I would never say good instructors don't exist outside of ATP, especially when many long time FBO instructors hold gold seal and master certificates. Many people at FBO's make teaching their lives, and make a highly respectable career out of it; compared to the 99% of instructors at ATP who are looking to move on.

No need to get defensive about me flaming FBO's, when so many come in here and FLAME ATP. But I never pointed a single finger at anyone, I just listed reasons to do the research. I hope to be instructing in the future, and there is a great chance I will do so at an FBO.

 

[cmill]

@cmill

Hey I'm not saying ATP is the golden ticket here. In fact, I posted to the OP saying to look around do his research, and that in the end he might not even choose ATP.

If he didn't choose ATP, then where would he be going? An FBO. In fact, I have heard stories of very sub par instructors who have worked at ATP themselves. One of which who never checked the fuel levels (he had the students do it during the pre-flight,) and subsequently assumed he was flying a plane with extended range tanks, when he wasnt'. This instructor flew with a student, and when they got back and filled up the plane, it was reported that they came back with only 10 minutes of fuel left. That same guy once told a student that he "didn't need to talk about emergency landing spots" (during a cross country in a 172) because he "was a Seminole pilot, and didn't have to bother with that stuff."

That guy got fired and isn't even flying anymore.




Well I might feel a little picked on, but hey, not a problem. Next time I'll be sure to flame everyone equally so we all can be happy; and with that in mind, I totally agree about the pay issue. I know of an FBO here in Texas that pays it's instructors well over that of ATP.

I'm actually not from Dallas and moved here because it did meet my standards. I never implied there weren't any good FBO's in Texas, there just weren't any back home. Concurrently, when I talked about there being hidden costs, I wasn't implying ALL FBO's have hidden costs, nor did I say that. I just pointed out that they do exist. One FBO back home didn't reveal the actual cost of training, they only stated the "minimum time" in which a PPL could be achieved. I had to do the math myself to figure out what they cost of training would actually amount to, and in the end, the difference was well over $5,000 of what they advertised. Furthermore, where I'm from, the elevation is so high multi-engine training in a non-high performance aircraft is almost non-existent. The FBO option didn't cut it for me back home.

I would never say good instructors don't exist outside of ATP, especially when many long time FBO instructors hold gold seal and master certificates. Many people at FBO's make teaching their lives, and make a highly respectable career out of it; compared to the 99% of instructors at ATP who are looking to move on.

No need to get defensive about me flaming FBO's, when so many come in here and FLAME ATP. But I never pointed a single finger at anyone, I just listed reasons to do the research. I hope to be instructing in the future, and there is a great chance I will do so at an FBO.

Fair enough. Thanks for clearing things up, and good luck with your training.

 

[44Driver]

I finished the program about 6 months ago. Speaking of pre-flights at ATP!

When I was there the manager took a student out to solo who wasn't ready. After a few rounds in the pattern he got out of the 172 and she did her 3 rounds solo. They parked the plane for lunch and then flew back. When they got back someone else noticed that there was about an inch of prop blade tip bent backwards on the 172.

Anyway, nobody really knows when the prop got struck. The manager of course blamed the student. But the bottom line is that they flew a 172 all the way back to the training center with a dinged up prop that they never bothered to check.

 

[guywhoflies]

Ok here we go, I am finally ready to break this down...

There is a self paced program with ATP, you can take your time and not get into debt that way. You are correct that there is a self paced program. It is 10 months long and I am sure that 99% of people would still be in debt by spending $50,000 over 10 months.

In my opinion, no FBO can compare to what ATP offers....

Say a plane is due for a 100 hour inspection soon, is too close to that 100 mark, and you were scheduled to fly in that plane. No problem, just go request another and grab the key (if there is one ). If that new plane has an annunciator panel light flip on during run up, no problem, tie her up, go get another. If something was wrong with that plane as well... guess what... there's another!! Furthermore, those planes you didn't fly in, they will be fixed by the next day, if not by the end of the week. Get that from an FBO. I am not sure where you are in your training, but you will probably fly airplanes that are either going over the 100 hour mark during the flight or are already over it (during checkrides). I know that ATP has had people fly a plane with 0.1 hours left until 100 hour on a training flight and then brought it back to the same location which happened to be a maintenance center. That way the airplane was enroute to a maintenance facility where the inspection could be completed. Many people view this as a way to bend the regs. And I will tell you that Robert Taylor and the dispatch office sure as hell will have you fly a plane with an annunciator panel light on during run up if they need that plane to get somewhere. Stuff like that happens all the time during cross countries. One more thing, as cmill said, many FBO's have top notch maintenance that get planes back on the line just as quickly as ATP. Moving on...

(I saw a story in the forums about a guy who took his written ahead of time, and RIGHT before his check ride the plane was flown for another student and the plane passed the 100 hour mark. That guy had to wait for the plane to be available again which was like two weeks. His written exam results were no longer valid by that point, and he had to pay/take the written again! Silly FBO!) If a student takes a written so far in advance that they are in jeopardy of having that written expire, I blame the student for poor planning, not the FBO. Why did it take the student 2 years to be ready for the checkride???


Also, 2002+ airframes for just about every plane. Instructors who are dedicated and happily work 6, even 7 days a week (and are happy to work with you even if you aren't their student!) The ability to practice every written exam, over, and over, and over again, for FREE; before you even take them (in the testing center, on the same computers you actually test on, mind you.) If you need to go over something in the simulator again, no problem, just ask. Airframes vary greatly by location. You have the new airplanes at GKY because the FAA flies the planes. Also, one of the examiners in Dallas refuses to fly the '79 Seminoles.

By the way, THERE ARE NO HIDDEN COSTS. If you pay $8,999 for your PPL, and gas prices sky rocket (projected to jump this summer!), you don't pay extra. Try and get that from an FBO. (I looked in to multiple FBO's and THEY HAD HIDDEN COSTS!) You are correct about no hidden fees, unless you need more training for a certificate. I have seen one student who used their 3 hours for the cfi-se add on checkride only to get stuck turning 360's in the pattern because the airport had an emergency and as a result they were not ready for the checkride. ATP would not give them another minute in the airplane even though this student had not gotten all of their quoted flight time. Also, while you do secure your price whenever you put down your $1500 non-refundable deposit, ATP does raise/lower program prices fromtime to time. The program is cheaper again now, but when the industry was on the upswing, the ACPP was $55,000 or $60,000 (I can't remember exactly). One more thing, the PPL is about $8500. But what happens to that $8500 price if you quit at any point during the ACPP? Guess what, it DOUBLES IN PRICE. That's right, all of a sudden you are on the hook for $17,000 for a PPL. And be sure to read the Training Agreement that you sign when you show up on the first day. It details all of the fees you will be charged if you quit at any point. I know of one guy who got a PPL (SE and ME) along with an instrument rating for around $35,000 due to all of the crazy fees. But you are right, there are no hidden costs...

Oh by the way, ATP starts introducing IFR flight immediately after getting your PPL! What FBO will have you fly IFR with an instructor for 25 hours of cross country? You do the calls, you file the flight plan, you fly the route, all while the instructor teaches and guides you along (this time building is required anyways towards the 250 for the commercial rating!) Remember this is at NO EXTRA COST. Any FBO will let you do IFR flying with an instructor as soon as you get your PPL. And you are right, you have to build 250 hours anyway, so why not do it? The only problem is, half the time you don't get to pick where you fly due to a plane needing to be ferried somewhere or you only get to choose 2 or 3 airports. That gets old after a while. The fun of getting your PPL and flying with your friends is not there.

ATP is a fixed cost flight school, plain and simple! There are thing's you do have to pay for of course; a sectional, head set, flashlight etc., and that makes sense! Otherwise, ATP even tells you up front, check ride costs are not covered, and those are $400 a pop. Something we can finally agree one.

ATP isn't for every one, especially because of the money issue. Moreover, the career program is just not even close to being easy. Some people just cant do it! ATP isn't in the business of taking your hard earned $$ and screwing you. They have options. ATP has taken many peoples money while screwing them. See $35,000 IRA above.

At ATP you get it done, no messing around.

When an instructor I know was working towards his PPL, his instructor barely covered pilotage or deadreckoning. He just learned to fly with the GPS; "just follow the magenta line!". Also, he hadn't ever used a single check list either. Additionally, he got milked $$ for going to an FBO, because of the sub-par, slow, training. That is the fault of the instructor he had, not the FBO where he did his training. I have known many ATP instructors who did not give a crap about their students either.

Another guy I know, he's been working on his PPL for almost 8 months. His instructor is a FO for a regional right now, and the student has to work around that guys schedule to get flights in. At ATP, your schedule is their schedule. If you need to fly Sunday, you fly on Sunday. Again, the student should get a different instructor if he is not happy with his training. You are right about ATP and the schedule. ATP instructors work 7 days a week for $1500 a month (minus $300/month if the instructor lives in housing where they will probably share a room with another person). And that $1500 doesn't include taxes. As independent contractors, ATP instructors are responsible for their own taxes. So, with housing and taxes, $1500/month quickly becomes $1000/month for a 7 day a week work schedule.

While at ATP I've talked to outside instructors coming in for their multi-engine rating (who wished they had gotten it done earlier,) guys flying internationally getting their ATP, other instructors having to come into our facility because we were the closest testing center, including men and women from many many different backgrounds. Even the FAA gets thier currency done through ATP. The traffic that goes through ATP, and the people you can talk to, just can't be beat by an FBO. I totally disagree with you about the traffic coming through ATP. It varies greatly by location. The FAA uses the planes at GKY, but not at every location. ATP is not an FBO so no transient traffic comes through ATP's offices. I think that is the best way to network, not by talking to the guy who comes in from Air Zimbabwe for a 2 day ATP certificate.




To the OP (this whole post is pointed at you)

I would like to say, that if you haven't gotten college out of the way, you need to, especially if you want to go on to the majors. Don't skip important stages in life. College is one of them. Also, don't sacrifice $40,000 if you aren't sure what you personally need/require to get it all done in the best possible manor. Keep in mind that if you cant find a job instructing, you're going to have to find some income to pay off those loans. In the end, there is no such thing as a fast track, we all have to work long, hard hours, no matter what. We agree again.:beer:

I looked at many many different flight schools, and I suggest you go down to every single one of them. Look in the planes, look at the facilities, and weigh the costs. Pull aside a student from each school and talk to them. By the time you do your home work, it will be a no-brainer, ATP or not. More sound advice. Also, if you (the OP) decide to go to ATP, take a tour of the location you will be training at. Again, the ATP experience can be totally different from location to location.

I know many people who switched from FBO to ATP (and didn't regret it.) But even in the forums, I haven't seen anyone who went to ATP and then switched to an FBO... If there is one, that person is largely out numbered. Eh, most of the people who switch from FBO to ATP get their PPL from an FBO and then do the ACPP at ATP. I don't know of many who start their PPL training at an FBO and then switch to ATP to finish the PPL and do the ACPP.

Not trying to pick a fight with you, Contrail, I just know what it is like to be a bright eyed student at ATP and not see the real deal until after the fact. After re-living my ATP days, I need a beer...

 

[Contrail the Kid]

Not trying to pick a fight with you, Contrail, I just know what it is like to be a bright eyed student at ATP and not see the real deal until after the fact. After re-living my ATP days, I need a beer...

Not at all, enjoyed reading. I am a bright eyed student right now, and I know it. Only in time will I learn, and when that time comes, I'll learn some more. With all the info given, anyone reading this should be able to make the best choice possible in the future. Thanks again.:beer:

 

[SpiraMirabilis]

guywhoflies is correct in that you should make sure you read the "Pro-rate schedule" that, when I went through, charged you almost $400/hr for a Seminole if you decided to quit in the middle of the ACPP. Thats not even including the costs like something crazy like $500/week for housing, some insane hourly charge for ground school (and you end up "logging" a f ton of that at ATP), hourly rate for the simulators, etc etc etc.

Essentially after you get your instrument rating you won't get a penny back if you decide that ATP isn't for you, or if ATP decides that you're too much trouble and shows you the door.

I think if you went by the pro-rate schedule the "true cost" of the ACPP is somewhere like $150,000!

 

[determined2fly]

here is my conclusion...after reading everything regarding ATP in the last three years, there really is no right or wrong it is just a matter of personal opinions. What ever decesion you make weather to go, or not to go...learn to live with it and accept it, other wise you will be miserable if you think you made the wrong choice. Good Luck.:clap:

 

[stevenzerafa]

Hi everyone I am new to JC. Past week I have been reading as much as I can about each other’s opinions on ATP and have learned so much from you guys. I currently hold my private which I obtained at my local FBO. About a month ago I signed up for the 90 day ACPP and my class start date is April 12th down at JAX. Have been studying the supplement like crazy and preparing for the instrument written which my goal is to take before I leave along with the AGI and IGI (already passed FOI).

Just had one quick question for anyone who is familiar with JAX. How far Craig from the apartments and how much personal space in your shared room do you get to keep all you belongings?

Thanks everyone