cubanfiredawg,
i hear what you mean about only living once. yeah it's a risky career move and yes it is a big chunk of change, but i can't be a social worker forever. like i've said before, there are some very discouraging posts here regarding entering aviation, but you can make the same argument for just about any career (being risky and competitive). heck, i tried being an artist and made about $1000 in one year. ugh!

i appreciate your words of encouragement! delta is definitely out the door. i live 2 miles from a municipal airport where atp is located. i plan on doing my ppl at a mom and pop at the same airport then transfer to atp just because of their twin engine time. unfortunately the atp location here in my city is a bit dreary. their "office" looked like a boys dorm room with trash everywhere and guys sitting around with their feet on their desks and a distinct smell of very old coffee (perhaps permanently imbedded into the carpets). the instructors looked dazed and confused when i asked them for a tour but one of them eventually gave me one then proceeded to advise me to study and lay off the liquor. weird.

i got a feeling that it was like a sausage factory at atp; mass-production, cranking student out and turning them into instructors as instructors leave - keep it moving. quantity not quality.
anyway, i'm hoping that by the time i head to atp for the rest of my training (jan. '07) that a new set of more "sophisticated" instructors will be on staff. who knows.

thanks again to everyone for sharing their knowledge and supporting us all!