reviews on ATP locations

It depends on the situation. If you bust twice on the same checkride you're out. But I had a friend go through and bust on the initial then pass, bust his CFII then pass, then passed his single.

Vegas is a finishing school. You can't go in there cold turkey and breeze through. I prepared hard months before I stepped in the door. Even then I busted the single add on(fever and sickness) but left after 15 days with everything. I was the only one out of my class to finish all 3 and leave. We had 8 people total and I can honestly say a bunch of people came in unprepared.

I know busting 2 rides and you're out is the policy but they are human and will work with you in certian cases.
 
There was a guy in my CFI class at GKY that was originally from the Houston location and he busted EVERY ride except his multi add on. His commercial ride he busted 2 times before they finally kicked him out after finally passing on the 3rd attempt. ... but of couse it was ATP's fault he failed so much :insane:. I flew with the guy once in time building and he should of never made it that far. Worst pilot I have EVER seen. One of the DPE's even refused to fly with him.

Just prepare for all your rides and you should be fine.
 
I know the instructor at Bowling Green, Jon, is very very good. Its slower there and you will get more one on one time. I highly recommend him if you are going the ATP route. Also, the examiner Dave, is an amazing person and wants you to succeed.

Another plus of BWG is Split Tree BBQ east of town. That place is responsible for many, many afternoon naps.
 
alright so I have got some great responses, now let me ask this... which location has the living area closest to the airport... I mean like walking distance, possibly biking. Thanks for all the feedback, I appreciate it.
 
BWG I've heard is SUPER close, GKY some of the housing is actually at the airport. TTN was within a 1 hour walk, probably could be biked to in the morning. JAX has/had several housing locations, some further than others, most were probably a little far to walk or bike. When we call you guys to schedule, we recommend transportation to/from housing, it really is easier with a car.
Some places bumming a ride is an option, but if you do that remember to help pay for gas!
 
Phoenix, period.

I live in NY city area, started the program last autumn and chose to to PHX location mostly because of better weather in Arizona. Turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. Got every $$ worth out of it, without exaggeration.

(I hear that in summer the desert heat is brutal though.)

I was planning on going to this location. Did you finish the program? If you did, what are you doing now as far as flying is concerned? Thanks
 
I was planning on going to this location. Did you finish the program? If you did, what are you doing now as far as flying is concerned? Thanks

Yes, I completed the program a few weeks ago. Already instructing :cool:

PHX has an excellent team of instructors. Very knowledgeable, very professional. They are there to help you learn and get the most out of your training, IF you are serious about it and study hard.

Good luck and feel free to PM if you have any questions.
 
PHX 100% also the IND location is good this time of year, good flying days mostly and a few flyable weather days. plus the instructor out there is good. GKY would be a good choice also if you wanna go to Dallas.
 
You shouldn't have to fly with frank more than once. And you shouldn't be busting twice on checkrides either.

I agree you shouldn't have to fly with him more than once but my issue was that the guy just doesn't give a crap about anybody. He fulfills his perceived obligation and then that's it you are on your own, which leads to my main point. The place is complete chaos and trying to get rescheduled can be next to impossible.
 
alright so I have got some great responses, now let me ask this... which location has the living area closest to the airport... I mean like walking distance, possibly biking. Thanks for all the feedback, I appreciate it.

BWG would only be about a 10 min walk and there is a BW3's between the airport and the apartments. Great for the afternoon BS session and some beers!
 
here is what i remember from my x/c's. all of the locations have pluses and minuses.

jax-good size location. i've heard its now one of their busier ones especially with the 141 stuff they are doing along with cfi school. also a big mx facility. housing/beach is nearby. definitely a very efficient location. atps. are nice depending on which ones you get.

gky-very nice facility. hot as hell in the summer. also an mx facility. again, a very big location for them. lots of good places to grab food nearby. some of their housing is at the airport. busy airspace.

dab-another good size location. they just moved across the field. you will burn a lot of hobbs time waiting to take off between riddle/pea/5-7 small flight schools on the field. apts are very nice and are pretty much brand new but you do have to drive (grills/pool area there are amazing!). not much to do in daytona unfortunately.

tampa-really cool airport that gets busy. nice area and lots to do there. apts are nice and fairly close to airport.

fxe/fll-nice place. very fun stuff to do outside of flying (mia is only a 30 min drive away!!) housing is cool there as well. both fxe and fll are busy airports.

atlanta-lzu is a quiet class d. they have a nice facility there and they do a good chunk of the mx for atp on the east coast. apts. are quite nice and there are a ton of places to eat around the apts. the airport restaurant is also a good place to grab food as well.

ric-its a class c but not particularly busy. the facilities there is decent. the apt. is far away from the airport and is an older setup but on a positive note there is a ton of solid places to eat around there.

rdu- a cool location. its a small location for atp but their airport itself is a busy class c. the fbo there is cool and has free slushies in the summer. the apts are close by and are newer and are right across the street from this huge town center where there is a movie theatre and a ton of restaurants/bars/etc..

phx- their biggest location out west. facility is big. good place to go in the winter but can be rough in the summer if you're not used to desert heat. lots of good mtn. flying experience and density altitude comes into play so a good learning experience. apts. are nice.

charlotte-the office is not at the airport but across the street. cool airport considering a lot of the nascar teams call it home. lots of food nearby and the airspace is busy w/ charlotte intl. nearby.

panama city-cool airport. its right on the water but the new one that is further inland is set to open soon. theres a good amount of military training traffic in the area but the flying is really nice w/ the gulf. apts are close to the airport and are decent.
 
Or you could just post up a review for all to see...
Preposterous!
I never attended DPA, so I cannot review it. I am the instructor here though, very willing to answer any questions to the best of my ability. Some things just aren't 100%, but I can guarantee the ATP experience here will be great, we have a great location, and probably one of the better examiners in the area :)
 
if memory serves you did not make it out unscathed yourself...bust on the single CFI I believe. ;)

Yes I did, But I made it out with all 3. And my bust was not due to insufficient training or lack of frank flights. It was due to having 3 hours of sleep for 2 weeks, lack of proper food and massive amounts of stress.

Just saying, Frank is one man, he cant possibly do all the training for 12 people for each CFI course.
 
I agree you shouldn't have to fly with him more than once but my issue was that the guy just doesn't give a crap about anybody. He fulfills his perceived obligation and then that's it you are on your own, which leads to my main point. The place is complete chaos and trying to get rescheduled can be next to impossible.

I though Frank was alright :cool:
Personally I got a lot out of CFI school in Vegas. It's by no means easy, but if you put an effort to it and study hard you shouldn't have a problem with Frank or on your checkride. Again, diligence is the key to successfully getting though any one of ATP's programs. It's up to you how much you'll make out of it.
 
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