WEEK 1
Things haven't gone well. At all. The short version is that I apparently have a panic/anxiety issue that needs to be resolved prior to regaining my place in the cockpit. Think "Cougar" in the first part of
Top Gun. "Maverick" had a similar issue. Unlike "Cougar," I'm not turning in my wings. Unlike "Maverick" the solution isn't to "keep sending him up." My issue got progressively worse with each flight. I've chosen to withdraw from the ATP program since I don't know how long the recovery process will take. So, for those of you following this thread, I'll be able to brief you on the withdrawal/refund process.
To withdraw, one sends an email to student services. I was contacted by a gentleman in JAX within a couple of hours. He identified himself as a Training Manager (or perhaps THE Training Manager, can't remember) and we spoke about my issue. He was very polite, very understanding. He made sure that I was aware of and understood the pro-rated refund policy (I did, my IP also did this). "The whole refund process can take up to two weeks. Personally, I've never seen it take that long, but that would be the max time frame." Currently, my account is on "Flight Hold" and a refund is pending. Based on the hours that I've flown so far, I estimate that I'm out at least $2000 including the deposit. When the process in complete, I expect to see a full accounting of the costs that I've incurred.
The folks at ATP Denver couldn't have been more accommodating, considering the restraints placed on them by the program. My Instructor suggested that, when I'm ready, to go to
Flights Inc and get a Flight Review. He said that while my skills are fairly good considering a 10-year break, the review would be a good way to re-acclimate to flying. My goal is to to that (or perhaps just a "Discovery Flight") soon after the first of the year.
When the refund process is complete, I'll provide an update.