Just Finished in Manassas, Any Questions?

PizzaBoyOC

New Member
I just completed the Career Pilot Program. Had a fantastic experience. Great instruction, great flying and great people. I know the most difficult part for me was just selecting a school. Before I chose ATP, I visited virtually every school out there (everyone looks good on a website). I would be happy to answer any questions about my experience with the program. Once you get past the fluff, you'll realize that no matter where you go, your going to have to build time. The sooner and the cheaper you can get there, the better. ATP delivers. 90 days (actually less) multi-time (your gonna need) and real world flying for $35k. I've read here that the Citation flight is just for show and has no real value (no type rating). I'll tell you this, after busting my ass studying and flying all day you get can tired and lose focus. When you buckle in the right seat of the Citation (yea, you really fly it) it brings it all together and you remember why your here.
 
That is awsome...please tell me all you can...im going to visit dallas at the end of march. Im open ears.

thanks,

seth
 
Let me try again,

Firstoff congrats on completing the program...i know its a lot of work and you have really accomplished something.

How many hours did you actually end up with?
How were the living facilities?
What were the condition of the aircraft?
What was your favorite and not so favorite parts of the program?

How many ACPP students were at your facility?
Were you always studying or flying? (i imagine there wasnt much downtime)

Tell more about the citation ride?

Any pics?

I'll think of more in the meantime....CONGRATS!!!
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Thanks in advance,

-Seth
 
Congrats!!! I know Falcon pretty much covered just about all of it except, what were you told about an instructor position? Any openings or do you have to wait on a list? That's assuming of course that you wanted to instruct.
Thanks in advance.
 
Ok, I finished with 144 hrs multi, 10 single and 50 sim. The apartments in Manassas and in Atlanta (did my CFI training there) were very nice. Although there may be up to 4 people in an apt, most are in different phases so you never see them. In Manassas we flew all new planes (00,00,02), which was great. Once you start your cross-countries you generally fly the older models (79,80) but they're all well maintained. The first month is intense, but not lethal. I had a week off for Chrismas and 4 days for Thanksgiving and still finished within the 90 days. I would recommend at least banging out you Instrument writtens to lighten the load. You'll have your first check ride (MEL private) within the first week and your Instrument within the first month, which is a little unsettling. It takes a little adjustment to get use to the whole pre-scheduled checkride thing. Typically (like at your FBO), you would prepare for their checkrides and when your ready, you schedule. You never get that warm fuzzy "I'm ready" feeling, but it works.Then they send you out on your cross countries, to build time for your Commercial, which is the best part of the program. You call dispatch and they tell you where your going. You pick the route, check weather and make the decision. You get some "real world" experience (IMC, busy airports, CRM, etc.). You also get to fly with different people, which is good experience, but not always pleasant. The Citation ride was amazing. It just really brought the whole "this is what I wanna do when I grow up (I'm 40)" home. I know I probably sound like a commercial but I had a really great experience.
 
Sounds great. What is the situation on working as a CFI for ATP? Are you interested in working for them or just want to bust out on your own? I am very interested in this, I'm planning on heading to ATP this summer.
 
Hey, I start ATP next Monday and I was wondering how benificial getting the writtens done really is. I will have taken the PPL,FOI,Instrument, and Instrument instructor writtens when I arrive, also how much ground school do you get?Could you talk a little bit more about the cross countries.....ie where you went, different airports etc. On average how many hours a day did you fly?
 
I would love to instruct for ATP, unfortunately, I own my own business and need to work out the logistics before I can apply. From what I saw the prospects are actually pretty good for getting hired. Most of the students I met were not willing to do the internship in Jax or relocate. If you are (and your not an ass), you probably have a pretty good shot. My instructor gave me some good advice, if you plan on working here, conduct yourself like your on an interview everyday. You never know who you might run in to. I did my Citation ride with the Pres. and the VP of the company. Both really nice and a wealth of information. The cross-countries are based on many factors. Often it's a matter of getting planes either to or from maintenance. I never got to go further west then Meridian, MS. but many students did. I did hit every ATP location on the eastcoast (Chicago to Stuart, FL) which was pretty cool. Average day is about 6 hours, but I had 3 hr days and a couple of 10 hr days (grueling). Nice hotels and rental cars are provided at most locations. They really took very good care of me. As far as your writtens and ground school. It definitely is beneficial to get at least some of the writtens out of the way. The first month is Instrument training, your flying, your in the sim, you have daily quizzes, CFI quizzes, Citation quizzes, alot going on. If you need to work on all your writtens (I did my Instruments before arrival and it helped alot), it could be a little overwhelming. Your ground school is mainly prep for your flying. If you need help with an area, your instructor will help but don't expect them to hold your hand. You have 7 checkrides in 90 days. There simply is not enough time for them to cover everything. YOU MUST STUDY. How much? That depends on you, but don't blame anyone, it's up to you. You can go out and party (there's no MP's, no babysitters), but if you bust, YOU BUST.
 
wow....quite a jam packed program...thanks for the info and good luck...

1) What are your plans now?
2) Any pics?


-Seth
 
PilotGuy,

I'm interviewing march 14th in atlanta for a july start date (90 day program). When over the summer do you plan on enrolling and where?

Chad
 
I'm hoping to interview in March also. Everything depends on the weather here in Pa. as to when exactly I will interview because of getting the required hours in before I go. I am going to be going to the Stuart location, pending the outcome of the interview of course. Hopefully be arriving sometime in May, June, or July.
Take care.
 
Hey pizzaboy, thanks for the info.

I'm now considering ATP and I've got a few questions for ya.

How many hours and what kind of flying experience did you have going in?

You logged 144 multi hours...are those all PIC? Are some of those safety pilot hours where you're not really flying, or are they actual-doing-all-the-work hours?

What happens if you bust a ride while doing the ATP training? What if you need more hours than the standard to get through a particular lesson, rating, license, or even everything in general?

Did you have any control in your flying schedule, or was it their way or the highway? Were you flying 7 days a week or could you ask for a day off?

Any thoughts on the 10 month program vs. the 90 day?
 
I'm currently enrolled in the 10-month ACPP in Houston so I can answer a couple of the questions.

All of your multi time will be PIC, except for the 8 or so hours during your initial PP-AMEL training. Some of that will be with you at the controls and some will be as safety pilot.

I'm not sure about the ACPP, but for the short programs (multi, CFIs, ATP, etc) you have 2 shots at the checkride. If you bust twice, your training is terminated by ATP.

As far as 90 days vs 10 month goes it depends on your situation. I am still working (bringing in $$$) and can live at home (wife is happy for now
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). I do not expect it to take 10 months unless there are lots of weather problems.
 
Hey...

Do you think you could go into a bit more detail about the apartments. I have a friend that has a place in Braemar, which is about 5 min. from the Manassas airport. Where are the apartments in comparison to the airport? Or, what is the name of the complex? So you can live with up to 4 people? Was that in Manassas or Atlanta? Share bathrooms? Were there many students at the Manassas location? What was the age range of students at the Manassas location? Why did you have to get your CFI in Atlanta and not able to get it in Manassas? Why, of all ATP locations, did you decide upon Manassas?

Sorry for all the questions. I hope I didn't bombard you, but inquiring minds, at least mine, want to know.
 
First off nobody should be sweating the interview. It's basic Private Pilot stuff and a quick sim evaluation just to make sure capable of learning. You can interview in any of the locations and attend elsewhere. Truth is the location you choose is only where you'll do your initial Multi and Instrument training. After that you gone so the location isn't that important. Dispatch decides where you go, you have go-no go authority as PIC (yes, all hours except initial multi training is PIC). The apartments are nice and about 10 minutes from KHEF. If you know the area they're right off Sudley Ave and Rte 66. As far as the 10 month vs 90 days, I guess it's what works best for you. However, pluses for the 90: you get all your Instructors ratings (CFI, CFII, MEI), 10 month you don't (unless your brother is Delta's head of personel, your going to be instructing), 90 you get housing so it's convienent, 90 you'll generally get "better" x-country's (further, longer). You'll find yourself with a day off from time to time depending on your progress, if you need a day or more you can definitely ask.
 
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However, pluses for the 90: you get all your Instructors ratings (CFI, CFII, MEI), 10 month you don't

[/ QUOTE ]

This is no longer true. The 'new' 10-month program includes everything that comes with the 90-day, except housing.
 
you don't need to have the minimum hours they state to start the program. i didn't. i had to do twenty hours. your better off doing it at atp. they only charge you $50/hr with an instructor. that's cheaper than you can rent a 152 by yourself in most palces.
 
Im currently in the 90 day program in Dallas...

aside from up to 8 hours of flying to prepare for the multi private checkride, all of your hours are PIC.

The cross country is about 70 hours of PIC-- half is as a flying pilot and half is as a non-flying pilot (safety pilot). But dont let that disuade you... (Im in this phase right now). The CRM roles really places an emphasis on each pilot being intimately involved in the flight. In fact, I realized very quickly that the non-flying pilot role is perhaps far more important than the flying pilot role. The NFP handles the radios, GPS, navigation, plans the approach, briefs the FP, etc. The FP keeps the needles in the center. Each role plays an important part of developing your skills. While the FP role hones your skills at instrument flying, the NFP is where you learn ALOT about instrument flying and in my opinion is a very enjoyable aspect of the cross country phase.

The program has mapped out exactly how many hours it will take to go through each phase, and how many hours are allocated for each objective (ie, x number of hours of cross country instrumnet with an instructor, y number of hours of general checkride prep, etc.). I was nervous about being able to get things done and be ready for a checkride within the specified hours, but, so far, I've been ready for the checkrides with hours to spare (those hours can either be used in the cross countrys or saved for later.)

You have some control in your schedule. At least in Dallas, you and your partner are assigned to an instructor and he/she is dedicated to you through your instrument checkride. If you want/need a day off, ask--several days in advance is always preferable. We had considerable input as to what time of day we'd start or whether or not we could have a day off.

Actually, there are lots of days off built into the system--especially at the beginning. The 90 day program does not require each and every one of the 90 days in order to finish. Most people finish up in 70-80, so I hear. Im probably going to go the full 90 days because of lots of weather days since Jan 5.

The 10 month program places alot of space between flying days. As a result, there is always a period of starting over or catching up from flight to flight that you would never experience in the 90-day program.

My advice, if you are serious about becoming a professional pilot, get started now. Quit your day job and get going. Your job as a pilot, IMHO, starts when you start the program--not when you finish. Sooner or later youre going to have to take the leap.

Hope this info helps. Let me know if this raised more questions than it answered and I'll try to shed some more light on it for you.

Jeremy
 
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