Thinking about going to Ari-Ben or ATP

thaina09123

thaina09123

New Member
Hi there,

I am new to this forum and the website so please be gentle. I will have my PPL from part 61 FBO in couple of days and looking for flight school for next year. I have narrowed down to two schools which is Ari-Ben and ATP. (I somewhat wish that I went to part 141 for more organized training.)
I have yet vistied any of these two but plan to do so in January. However, before I make a move, I just want to hear the voice of the students so that I can plan my $ accordingly. It is more likely that I will take the full loan without co-signer.
Here are the questions,

1. Is it hard to get a full tuition loan(without co-signer) for a 21-yr-old with good credit? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
2. How much more of $30,000 do you need? books, exam fees, housing....
3. How is your day like? ground school?, flight?....organized classes?
4. Do you work while training? any on-site job offer?(refueling, cleaning?)
5. Do you like it?
6. Do you share X-Country time with someone else?
7. How about insurance deductible at the school, do you recommend renters' insurance before training?
8. Lastly, your living expenses, can you draw this from loan? any discounted housing if your training takes longer, or perhaps if lucky, for their flight instructor?

To be honest, I am leaning more toward Ari-Ben because it is a little bit cheaper and that if somehow I don't make the instructing job at the school, I would have less debt to deal with. However, the the cost of these school isn't far off, I might have to think twice.

Any other comment is appreciated and forgive me for the long list of curiosity.

thaina09123
"rookie in the house" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
(I somewhat wish that I went to part 141 for more organized training.)

[/ QUOTE ]

My impression is that ATP's program is every bit as organized as a Part 141 school's. Why they haven't pursued Part 141 certification is anyone's guess.
 
The reason that ATP isn't 141 is simple, TIME.
To be 141 you have to do so many hours of each thing before you proceed to the next level... Why spend 10 hours doing steep turns if you have them nailed in 2-3 hours??

A 90 day program would become 18 months.
 
I worked for a flight school that had just dropped part-141 because of all of the red tape involved.

If I ran a flight school, it'd probably be strictly part-61 so I can afford more flexibility, but that's just my own personal opinion and your mileage may vary!
 
Okie, I'll answer what I can for ATP. I know next to nothing about Ari Ben, although it was the other school I was looking at. Just for context (and a standard disclaimer now!) I attended ATP starting in May and will be instructing there starting the day after tomorrow.

1. Is it hard to get a full tuition loan(without co-signer) for a
21-yr-old with good credit? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
-----The loan process is pretty painless. I did have a cosigner and had no problem. I have heard that people with out cosigners don't have a large problem either. Give the main office a call and they will walk you through the process.

2. How much more of $30,000 do you need? books, exam fees, housing....
-----Well, ATP is now 37k base. In addition you need to figure around 300 to 350 per checkride (and you will have 7 of them) plus about $50 or so for charts and such. Obviously you will have food costs. Somthing to keep in mind... when you are out on XCs you will be eating out very often, hence driving up food costs. Additionally, you will probably be taking a cab a bunch to get to hotels and what not (you probably won't be able to rent a car under 23 although your flight partner may be older). The cabs tend to be expensive and while ATP does reemburse you for them it is after the program is over so you will need to lay the money out in advance.

3. How is your day like? ground school?, flight?....organized classes?
-----Days vary. Depending on your instructor and where you are in the program you may do ground school all morning and then fly all afternoon or you may come in and fly for 2 hours and then have the rest of the day off. There were several days (more then I would have liked sometimes) where I didn't do anything.

4. Do you work while training? any on-site job offer?(refueling, cleaning?)
-----I don't know if there is an official policy on this or not but I don't know of any of the 90 day program people that worked. If you want to work you could do a modified 10 month program and complete it at your own pace.

5. Do you like it?
-----Yep! At times it was a little stressful but I definatly feel like I got my money's worth.
6. Do you share X-Country time with someone else?
-----XC is done so that both the right and left seater's log PIC. I the pilot flying flies the flight from 1000 AGL to minimums for the approach under the hood. Hence the pilot not flying logs the time as safety pilot.
7. How about insurance deductible at the school, do you recommend renters' insurance before training?
-----Dunno. Never heard anything about it.
8. Lastly, your living expenses, can you draw this from loan? any discounted housing if your training takes longer, or perhaps if lucky, for their flight instructor?
-----The training won't take longer (plus or minus a few days) and you have houseing for the entire time you are in the program. If you are hired on as an instructor, if you instruct at a location that has housing (any of the 90 day program locations) then you can get housing for a discounted rate.

Hope the helps. If you have any other questions drop me a PM or call the main ATP office (1800ALLATPS). Somebody there will be happy to help you out.

Ethan
 
I'll answer your question's where I can.. I remember being in the "which school do I go to" phase..

1. I don't know, I had a co-signer and got the loan in about 4 minutes.

2. I got the full amount they'd give me.. $45K and came home with like $7.. ATP pays for your housing.. You need to buy food, charts, etc.. Mainly money to live on..

3. Hmm.. how where the days.. Not bad at all.. Your day will vary with your instructor and your flight partner.. Some instructors get you up there at the butt-crack of dawn everyday.. My flight partner was x-military (which translates into I'm up before the sun is everyday.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif ) and my instructor was quite the early bird (which translates into I'm up before the sun is.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif ) Although, it wasn't all that bad.. 7am got to be a normal hour for me to be driving down I-20 in Dallas..

Our days were usually pretty cool.. Show up.. do some quizzzesz and then do some ground school.. it changes as you go along.. the first week is usually a bunch of paper work.. then the farther into the program you get the quicker it goes.. it's basically the schedule you and your instructor finalize to get you banged out of the program.. My flight partner and I got out of the program in 81 days..

4. Nope.. You don't have time.. =

5. I loved it.. I made some life long friends and had a blast.. I mean what's not to love about watching guys eat the hottest chicken wings known to man? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

6. Sorta.. You get to log all of it, between you and your flight partner.. There is a PF and a PM.. Pilot flying and a pilot monitoring.. The PF is under the hood at all times, so the PM makes sure he doesn't kill the both of you. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

7. I already had insurance.. I dunno you'd want to talk to ATP about this..

8. I lived off the loan the whole time I was there, I had no job and was broke comming into the program and I'm still living off the loan, actually.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I tell you what man.. Pick a location you want, go there.. and don't look back..

I think the best reward of the program is the fact that from the moment you get out of ATP your looked at as someone who can get things done.. Private pilot to MEI/CFI/CFII in 90 days?? I mean, really.. think about that.. That is several years of work combined into 3 months..

When you get out and your talking to someone about ratings, etc.. and they ask "How long did it take you get your instrument ticket" and you say "24 days" people usually think your lying.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif and then they realize your serious.. That's a great feeling.. I think the most often heard comment I get is "wow, you were busy.." That makes it all worth it to me.. People in this biz know what it takes to get the ratings.. To be able to go and get them in the amount of time ATP offers it is unbeatable..

ramble mode off.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Hi,

I would like to thank you all for helping me out. ATP does sound better to me in many ways but I just can't wait to visit you guys. I'll let you know when. However, it's also about to $ that kind of scare me because I am more likely to take loan without co-signer + I'll need to replace my car very soon(with no help from mom an pop), so that is kind of scarely if I have to take out a huge loan.

Anyway, I would like to thank you again for comments and I hope to visti someday.

thaina09123
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top