Ray Blaszak

^^^^^ Your initials aren't JC are they?

atpwannabe

Who me? Or the OP?



atp

Ray Blaszak

Yours atp wannabe

PizzaBoy

While I agree ATP isn't for everyone, I have a completely different take. I'm currently a CA and work in the training dept at Xjt. I completed ATP's Fast Track a few years back then instructed for them AND found both to be a great experience. ATP is designed to get you ready for a career in COMMERCIAL aviation. Do you think as a newhire in training you'll be spoonfed all the info? Do you think if you need "additional" flight time you'll get that? As a newhire at any Regional you a given a set amount of time to complete your training (both academic and practical). If you can't keep up your out. The fact is not everyone with $60K can or should be an airline pilot. ATP delevered on every promise they made me. I got all my ratings in 90 days, then worked as an instructor, then got a preferential interview shortly thereafter. Best decision I ever made.

Bottomline the sooner you get trained, the sooner you can get a job and build time and the sooner you'll get hired. ATP can get you there quick.

Ray Blaszak

Ok and you went to ATP several years ago. A lot has changed about them that may have been different during your tenure. Did I get all the ratings I paid for? Sure. Did I get them in the time they quoted me? Sure. But when I got under on flight time wouldn't any good business refund me that money as to 1.) Earn a potential recommendation to future students who may be interested. 2.) Because I went under on a price they quoted me. Granted I understand the whole flight time may vary fine print line. I can't tell you how many instructors they hired to fire just because they had promised them a job knowing they weren't hiring. I could care less how much ground I get as long as you answer my questions when I have it. Again you can't base an experience several years ago and today. Any one who has gone there recently can tell you a lot of guys are bailing ship including instructors.

chrisreedrules

ATP at KCRG has been seemingly hemorrhaging instructors lately... ATS/Sterling has had several instructors pop in looking for jobs over the past couple weeks and we've seen a couple students from over there coming through the door for one thing or another. They even called our chief a few weeks back and asked him to come work for them. I don't know whats been going on over there lately, but it isn't looking too good. A guy I know just quit ATP in Daytona for some BS they tried to make him do that was definitely not legal. I'll stick with what works for me. Being at a place that has a good amount of students and an open learning environment. No pressure. If students want to get everything done in 3 months, they can. If they want to take 2 years to get a private rating, they can do that too. None of us are going anywhere fast these days anyways with the 1500 hour rule. In fact, its going to be getting much more difficult because there are still a sleuth of wet commercial pilots hitting the streets this month and next looking for jobs. Jobs that already don't exist.

Ray Blaszak

Trust me Chris I know.

PizzaBoy

Ray very true I've been out for a while AND things may have changed BUT I honestly do have a very good friend who just competed the program and had good things to report? (as in 2 weeks ago).

Bottomline I stand by my statement a prospective new pilot who wants a career needs to get trained and building time asap.

FYI, I literally attended an instructors meeting yesterday and the NUMBER 1 concern at ALL the Regionals is how they're going to fill the pilot seats over the next 2 years. Attrition is already up (Atlas, JetBlue, and others are hiring), UA, DAL, USA have all begun accepting applications and UA has announced classes before the end of the year. I don't know how deplorable the conditions are/have become instructing at ATP, but if it were me, I'd put my head down, build my time as quickly as possible (which you will at ATP) and get hired in front of the wave.

Good luck guys

Phantom Flyer

I wouldn't say that the airlines are a "dead end" but would agree that the airline industry, in the next ten years will not be worth working in. Let's face it, for a variety of reasons, the airline pilot "profession" is being reduced to being a glorified bus driver, with few differentiations. The pay is slightly better but the quality of life is quite similar. Retirement and benefits may be better in the left seat of a Greyhound.

I would imagine that a 30 year old getting into this industry might seriously consider corporate aviation or a specialized field as JamesNoBrakes suggests.

Just my $ 0.002345 based on today's market close.

G'Luck Mate

chrisreedrules

I think the real problem they are going to have is getting pilots to the ATP mins. As I stated in a previous post, all the jobs that low-timers would normally work at to build time just aren't hiring low-timers anymore. And most flight schools either aren't busy or already have a stack of well-qualified CFI applicants sitting on the chief's desk. I think the "shortage", at least at the regional level, will be much worse than many are anticipating. Its hard to sell a "zero to hero" program to a kid with SJS when you explain to them that they are going to spend minimum 1 year instructing just to hopefully meet ATP mins. Not the 400 to 700 as was previously being accepted by a lot of regionals. And then when you have instructed for that long and gotten a "feel" for the industry, why would you want to take a pay-cut and go slug it out at the regionals with a worse QOL? Most of the qualified instructors I know now (admittedly a few) are steering well-clear of regionals and looking for the elusive 91 corporate gigs or 135 citation jobs. I think the regionals are in more trouble than they think.