I haven't been posting very long but have been reading most posts for about 6-7 months. And LAFF always seems to come off this way. I don't know what happened to you to make you so bitter towards smaller FBO's, but what are you going to do when ATP makes you this bitter. (don't know if they will but it could happen) I would wait untill you actually start training at ATP before you make such bold statements. I can make alot of things look good on paper, and design a cool website.

And I bet ALOT more people that are flying professionally went to a local FBO then went to a ratings mill. So the small FBO has been a pretty good bet over the last 75 years or so.

Its been a pretty good bet because for a while that was the only way availalbe besides the military. I guarantee that those numbers are shrinking, and they should, because most FBO's dont have the resources to provide training in TAA's. The FBO of the future will be for recreational flying, while the so called "pilot mills" will serve their purpose of creating professional aviators. That being said, ATP is a joke. Can you seriously tell me that someone can gain the experience necessary to be a professional aviator in 90 days? Have fun flying for pinnacle.

[quote=PositiveRate;105597] I can make alot of things look good on paper, and design a cool website. quote]

I know the army and airforce fooled a few of my friends with this. They told me they would be flying attack helo's and jets while I was widdling away flight instructing. Look at them now They pump gas for Helos and jets in the military.

I worked with a few ATP guys and although thier program seems like a good set up, I truely enjoyed making thier instructors look retarded time and time again. You will get the same thing where ever you go with instructors. Unless you find some of the few who do it for life.

It has nothing to do with paper and web sites. It has to do with 1st person accounts from people that trained with ATP.

I'm glad it worked for them.

-LAFF

Interesting point about FBOs and the future.

Whats wrong with Pinnacle? Are you making a off-color remark about their fatal accident a few years back? That had more to do with lack of leadership / airmanship by the CA then anything else. If any problems exist in the culture there it is something the professionals at Pinnacle will have to resolve. We can argue about it if you like, but what good will that do? You'll continue to take the low road and I'll point out that at the end of the day it comes down to leadership / professionalism.

BTW - the FAA has no issue with ATP and 121 airlines have no problems hiring their graduates. The AF turns out 90 day wonders on a regular basis at MAFB.

Sincerely,
LAFF

I've dealt with some great FBOs, and flying clubs, and awesome instructors. I've also seen and met the disparaging.

This whole thread is like Deja Vu from many other threads on many other boards.

You're the customer, fire them if you don't like them. Pretty simple. Be professional about it and you won't burn any bridges.

I also LOL @ all the folks who endlessly bash FBO, flight schools, particularly one part 61 operation, and have zero experience with the company.

Yeah I dunno, over 24 hired this month alone. It is legal, where did you hear it is difficult to explain. Pretty cut and dry, one would think. Also, those numbers are only going to get bigger with the majors sucking up all the regional CA's.

The AF turns out 90 day wonders huh? Not quite...

What do you call OTS?

-LAFF

OH My apologies... I thought you were talking about something else

There are two FBO operations in my city providing training in TAA's. One has an FTD set up for training on the equipment. That being said, I am sure that not all FBO training operations will have the money to put a TTA in their rental fleet.

The point behind places like AllATP's is not for the pilot to get experience, its for them to get their ratings quickly. That way, they can spend their time seeking the neccessary experience elsewhere. Personally, I think there is value in both approaches (FBO or pilot mill).

To the original poster: You have lost confidence in your CFI. IMO, you should end the relationship and move on. He should have been informing you on your progress all along, so the timing of your solo shouldnt have been a surprise. Keep in mind that the student carries some of the responsibility for progress. I only have limited experience as a CFI so far, but I have experienced situations where my students show up for a training flight unprepared, which only hurts them.

I know a few *very* experienced CFI's in my area that have the opinion that if you teach exactly to the regs and PTS, it would be difficult for a student to solo in less than 20 hours. I also know a couple of people that have soloed in quite a bit less, in one case, 8 hours. So, time to solo certainly can vary by quite a bit.