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ATP (AllATPs) students--Currently enrolled and previously attended

Old 01-27-2008, 12:17 PM
  #91  
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I decided not to go ATP due to fact I toured their Jax location and it was a dump. The instructor that they gave me had just turned 20 and he did not have a clue!!
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Old 02-16-2008, 02:39 PM
  #92  
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Jacksonville is one of the most disorganized facilities. The main thing you have to remember is the amount of intense training going on, the instructor's are not tour officials. They have the 1800 number which will answer all your questions and more.
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Old 02-16-2008, 02:57 PM
  #93  
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Originally Posted by keiundraj View Post
I went to ATP and I would Highly Recommend it to anyone. My first flight in an Airplane was April 4th this year, now I'm sitting right seat of a E145....Now you can say what you want but NOWHERE, repeat NOWHERE else can do that. They did everything they told me they would do! PPL in 60days I got it in 32days PMEL, Instrument, Comm ME&SE, CFI, CFII, MEI in 90dayd I did it in 76days. That being Said I already had a degree in aviation so the learning curve wasn't as steep. .
Ari-Ben (aka Aviator) in Fort Pierce, FL has a program that mirrors ATP's PP & ACP programs. The difference.....Ari-Ben offers students 200+ hours of actual ME time (Duchess), no simulator; the other difference......13K less than ATP.
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Old 02-22-2008, 01:07 PM
  #94  
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Originally Posted by ugleeual View Post
I used them to get my ATP... very professional (but young) staff and well organized syllabus to get military pilots through the program. I thought it was money well spent.
Agree entirely. Did my ATP with them in 2005 in the Riverside location. Staff CFI's knew how to teach the checkride with the specific examiner. They do what they say they do. Don't expect anything more or anything less.
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Old 02-28-2008, 04:38 PM
  #95  
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Originally Posted by atpwannabe View Post
Ari-Ben (aka Aviator) in Fort Pierce, FL has a program that mirrors ATP's PP & ACP programs. The difference.....Ari-Ben offers students 200+ hours of actual ME time (Duchess), no simulator; the other difference......13K less than ATP.
This may be true but... I've heard some horror stories about aircraft breaking down. I work with a few of those guys now. Bottom line... you get what you pay for. For my money ATP is still the best thing out there. But what do I know I'm just regional scum and loving every min...
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Old 03-28-2008, 04:06 PM
  #96  
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Just recently finished up my 90 day program at ATP, successfully completing all of my ratings in just over the 90 days. Here are my thoughts.
1) I was in a location that had the worst equipment of any base, that being said the aircraft are all very airworthy and ran into very few maintenance issues. Phoenix and Dallas seem to be the locations that benefit most from newer equipment.
2) Don't expect a lot, or any for that matter, ground instruction. A lot of the instructors have either already received their class date at a regional or are waiting to hear back. The 90 day program requires a lot of self study. It was embarrassing the lack of knowledge that my instructor had, so bad that even an examiner mentioned it!
3) This program is only for a select few. My CFI class started with ten guys and only myself and one other passed our initial MEI tests, and were allowed to move on and get our CFII and CFI. The instructors said that the previous classes pass rates were similiar. They will drag you through the ratings prior to your initial CFI by teaching you the gouge for that particular examiner. But you are only allowed one "bust" on your CFI and after your second you are sent home. I fear that there will be alot of people with $60k plus loans working in another field because they had a larger learning curve and the programs pace resulted in numerous busted checkrides, leaving them with subpar flying skills, a spotty resume that will turn a lot of prospective employers away.

4) ATP tends to treat their student poorly. You sign an agreement in the begining that takes away all of your financial leverage and they know that. The admin side of this company actually disgusts me. They pressure you through your whole cross country phase, don't give you any heads up to where you are going resulting in often times not having the necessary approach plates or enroutes, and when you bring it up to them it falls on a deaf ear. You quickly realize its all about the bottom line for them.
5) An observation that I had was that most of the successful students seem to gotten their private outside of ATP and came here to finish in a short time, the people that got their privates here seem to struggle more than the others.
6) All in all I have a very hard time recommending this program, the low CFI pass rates in addition to the treatment you receive from admin is not what you would expect as a paying customer. That being said, if you can make it through, its just about the fastest, most affordable program out there. Give yourself an honest assessment about your flying skills, if you feel that you have the right stuff, it may be the way to go.
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Old 03-28-2008, 04:53 PM
  #97  
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"My CFI class started with ten guys and only myself and one other passed our initial MEI tests"

So what happened to the other guys? Do they get a refund? Do they just go take the RJ course and get hired at a regional? I thought you were supposed to get all your CFI ratings for the set dollar amount. Isn't that what all the ads say? They should either work with your until you get it done or give you money back.
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Old 03-28-2008, 11:52 PM
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Originally Posted by de727ups View Post
So what happened to the other guys? Do they get a refund? Do they just go take the RJ course and get hired at a regional? I thought you were supposed to get all your CFI ratings for the set dollar amount.
The other guys lose out and DO NOT get a refund. If you bust your MEI Initial twice, your forced out and no monetary value paid back. You can "OPT OUT" of CFI school prior to starting and still finish all commercial rides. Opting out gets you a whoppin $2000 refund or 10 or 15 (I forget) hours ME XC time build. The reason they do this, as I have been told, is that ATP doesn't want to look like they are throwing obviously unprepared pilots into rechecks, and get into an already bad rep with numerous FSDO's. Most guys would have to pay for the RJ course, but they are already fed up with ATP screwing them or in other words, them not able to keep up with the intense paced program.

I recently passed my MEI and so far 2 of 5 have made it threw without busting. The other 3 WILL make it. Its a good program if you can keep up and remain dedicated and motivated. Otherwise it sets u up to really hurt your pocket, because ATP makes you sign a waiver that basically says they will take almost every dollar depending on what you can and/or can't complete. That was all the motivation I needed to get er done!

Last edited by AV8ER2; 03-28-2008 at 11:57 PM.
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Old 03-29-2008, 03:50 AM
  #99  
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I heard ATP doesnt do initial CFI's anymore unless you sign contract to work for them, does anyone know if thats true? I finished about a year ago with same results as above, some made it some didnt. We had more like a 75% pass rate in my group which was odd. I'm not taking anyones side because Ive seen both sides a lot, but no one forces these students to go into a checkride unprepared. Overall its the final decision of the student to sign the 87-10, hand over the cash, and start the test. I totally agree with everyone that beleives a student shouldnt be signed off until properly prepared but pushy/unprepared instructors at ATP are not the problem.

The ATP program does require a lot of self study, I basically taught myself all the ground for my instrument. My instructor (who is still there so I will not name the location)was very little help, by the end of the program I was a better pilot by leaps and bounds compared to her. Me and my buddy (roommate)sorta teamed up and helped each other with everything and neither me or him ever failed a checkride. For those about to start ATP or currently enrolled, dont be shy, find a partner to help with study. I completly agree with others who also said this program is not for everyone, you have to be very motivated to get through. No one will hold your hand and walk you through ground lessons. The instructors will pressure you to use all your flight time quick because they are looking to build multi time quicker.

It may sound like I had a bad experience, but I actually enjoyed my time at ATP. I just took a lot away from it, and I beleive all my self study made me a better pilot. You learn it the best when you have to teach it to yourself. If you are not a self-studying independent person I strongly suggest not going to ATP, you will not succeed there. Please feel free to ask any questions.
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Old 03-29-2008, 06:26 AM
  #100  
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If you are basically on your own at ATP, a few of you guys should get together, buy a twin, and find an MEI that knows how to instruct. You'd get all your ratings and save a ton of cash. I see no benefit of paying top dollar to basically teach yourself how to fly. You are not getting your money's worth and not going to be as good of a low time pilot as you could be with proper instruction.
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