atpwannabe

Another question for the ATP guys:

In terms of what a person pays at ATP for the PP & ACPP; will I be buying a block of time that includes the a/c & instructor and that it is expected of me to accomplish what the program dictates in that prescribed time frame? Correct?

What happens if I'm not able to pick up the info in that alloted time frame? Am I recycled and have to cough up more cash? Given a refund? Or is the spring-loaded chair operated at full-tilt?


atp

da_flyn_hawyn

That is a little hard to explain. I instruct for ATP, and the prices is made for all of your training. The good part about it is that you can use all the sim time you need and all the instructor time you can get as long as you stay within the alotted time frame. So if you do have a hard time, hopefully your instructor will put more effort into your training, and you can always sim if needed. Does that answer your question?

Dislipson

I guy I met that goes to ATP is transfering out of their Daytona Campus because he said the training is horrible! Glad they don't take the GI Bill, I would hate to waste my money there.

de727ups

One guys horrible is the next guys okay.

I think ATP has figured out how to min standard all the ratings and set up an in house CFI program to keep it all rolling along.

I don't think 90 days from PPL to CFIMEI, and going right into instructing, is very good system for producing excellent aviators. But you get your ratings and build your time.

As always, no matter what school you go to, the biggest factor is what YOU put into it and the second is how good your CFI is.

LAfrequentflyer

You are better off at a flight training academy, any academy, than a local FBO. For the most part local FBO are stocked with slacker / crooked CFIs that have no interest in your training. Their main motivation in life is to log another 0.1 hours in their books.

Do yourself a favor. Go with a company, any company, with a proven track record for producing pilots.

The notion that a person shouldn't go from 0 - Commercial pilot w/ instructor ratings in 90 days is DE727s opinion.

There is absolutely no problem with a 90 days pilot. Flight academies that do produce the 90 day pilots do a good job and it only shows how much time is wasted at the local FBO...I mean it takes months to get your PPL.

-LAFF

Pilotpip

LAFF has never attended ATP and bases all of his opinions on a bad experience at ONE FBO.

FBOs are going to make the same amount of money if you do your training fast, or slow. No matter where you go, the ultimate factor is you. One of my good friends and coworkers went from instrument rating to airline in less than 10 months and was paid for the last 4 months working as a CFI.

And for those academies being so great, two of three that attended ATP failed indoc in my class and another two that went to other academies failed out. All three that were from a traditional backgrond were older and had a very hard time transitioning back to a learning environment. They get you the ratings fast but that doesn't make you capable.

Take a look at the list of those hired from ATP. There aren't a ton that were there less than a year. I see a lot of people that spent $50,000 and over a year to get there. Doesn't sound like a fast track to me.

Spartan07

And that all FBO CFI's are crooked slackers is your opinion. I love the academy I am going to but I had some FBO flight training before I came here. My opinion? For me the academy is the best way to pursue my flight training. My opinion on the FBO I went to? Best flight training I ever would have received. The CFI was extremely knowledgeable, had been around the industry for quite some time, practically lived at the FBO, and would bend over backward to help another pilot (especially a student). In fact, of all the FBO CFI's I have met I've only met one that I didn't like.

LAFF I'm sorry but you're going to find lazy time building, money grubbing CFI's everywhere, probably a higher concentration of them at a fast track academy than an FBO contrary to what you would lead everyone to believe.

LAfrequentflyer

The ultimate factor in passing any training (airline, academic, military) is the individual.

Flight training academies do an excellent job at giving their students the information they need to be capable pilots.

It is up to the individual pilots to decide how/at what level they will apply that information.

If I had been in your initial newhire class I would have helped the students struggling. Perhaps, the problem is not their ability but your lack of leadership.

LAFF

Pilotpip

Since you decided to take the low road with a personal attack, many of us did study together late into the night every night during training, including a couple that failed out. We invited everybody to join us, and it worked well. After a couple failed the first oral (including myself) we were in the hotel lobby reviewing every day during the week leading up to our retests, sometimes until 3am.

I find a comment about leadership pretty funny coming from somebody that follows a bunch of shiny ads and flashy web sites with ZERO actual experience. Sounds like you do a good job following the hype.

de727ups

As has been pointed out, LAFF has gone no farther than the PPL. His posting history resulted in him being restricted from the professional fourms at this site.

As always, APC users need to keep LAFF's background in mind when considering his posts.