you have to take into acct that the cost quoted for the 90 day program includes a fully furnished apt. with a kitchen. the only thing you have to worry about is transportation, food(if you are cheap, it wont be to bad considering you can cook at the apt), and your own blankets and crap like that.

please make sure that you have done your research and dont just take the advice of people on this forum. they are filled with lots of opinions. if you get a chance, take a tour of atp ( just part of the research) or any other flight school that interests you.

 

"please make sure that you have done your research and dont just take the advice of people on this forum."

"they are filled with lots of opinions."

And don't just take the advice of ATP students at this forum, either. The people wary of going from PPL to CFIMEI in 90 days, here, are experienced pilots working in the industry, not students at ATP.

I agree that a personal visit is a must. And don't just take the scheduled tour, but get the input from some random folks. Talk to some people who went through the program, and not just the ones on the "approved list", if you know what I mean.

This site is a great cross section of experience levels, backgrounds, and training options. Doing a search here is a great way to get opinions and experiences about the larger academies. Smaller schools aren't going to have much of a following, here, so it's important to poke around at the airport.

Doing all your ratings in five months is really pushing it. You'd be better off taking twice as long to let more of the basics sink in before move up to the next level. Why the big hurry? I understand the desire to "be an airline pilot now". But that should never come at the expense of putting a well rounded, seasoned, aviator, into the right seat of a jet.

 

i agree 100%. just for the record, i am not a student as of yet. but after doing the research and talking to people, it seems like the best fit for me. most definately this school is not for everyone. thats the point, make sure you really research all the options available to you.

 

Thanks for all the great info. I have narrowed it down to ATP in SAC or California Airways in Hayward. I am also thinking of getting my commertial rating, multi private and instrument at hayward, then doing the cfi program at atp. Then I could apply for a job at atp to build mutlti time. Has anyone else just done the cfi program at atp then got a job?

 

Supposedly if you don't commit to working/instructing for ATP when you sign up for the CFI, then they won't "sell" you the CFI class. They will turn you away.......according to other posts....

They turned me away after I told them upfront I was not instructing there for the 90-day Career Pilot Program (after the bank already authorized payment to them).

 

ATP cfi's dont multi time right away. They teach private first which at busy airports gives them around 100 plus hours a month. After private probably one month then they teach multi.

 

i dont think thats entirely true, Not all their locations offer the PVT. So when you put the locations you'd like to go to just choose one that does the career program only. what they do is, they put you in the pit answering phones and what not until the location(s) you requested open up.. then they ship you out... they pay 2k/mo while answering phones, or you can choose not to go to the pit, not get paid, and when the location(s) you picked open up, you show up for a week of standardization then out ya go!...


I just recently finished the 90 day program and, though you are not necessarily treated like a customer... you get those certs and ratings. They never said they'd treat you good. I"m not instructing there though.

$50k is alot, but you are really paying to get it done FAST. instead of sitting around a ma and pa FBO takin a year and a half to get PPL.

It may not be for you, but who knows??? BTW... I am currently in standardization class for a good 141 school. so if you dont want to instruct at ATP... i'm sure you could go elsewhere

 

To go through Prairie Air Service (inst SE/ME, Comm, CFI, CFII, CFI ME is still about $189/hr of flight time. The price difference is that prairie air requires you to have the prerequisite hours and ATP puts them in the price. It is still cheaper than ATP's $200+/hr cost though but not half the price when you compare 200 hrs at ATP to 97 at Prairie Air.

 

You can go through PAS 0 thru MEI probably for roughly $30K. You can buy 100 ME block time for about $10K. That still puts you ~$20K cheaper than going from 0 time through ATP. Personally, I'd recommend doing all the training up to but not including the CFI at PAS then go to ATP for the CFI tickets if they'd guarantee you a job at the end.

 

I called ATP and they said the CFI program is booked for a long time.