TheFly

I am planning on relocating my family and I from Los Angeles, CA to Arizona to pursue my dreams as an airline pilot. I have looked at www.atpflightschool.com and www.raaflightschools.com . ATP offers more multi-time and a 90 day accelerated course and RAA offers (nearly $15k more than ATP) a type rating in a CRJ but you only get 50 hrs multi. This is a MAJOR transition for me, I already have my private with close to 150hrs and basically, everything is on the line. I have no college time but all the enthusiasm and drive in the world. A little advice on the comparison of the two and what is the best choice. Thank you.

Slice

250 hrs and a CRJ type(or any type for that matter) mean nothing with out real PIC time. Save your money!

JustAMushroom

Do you have more time or money?

I'd recommend a good FBO and pay as you go (not up front). Find a good instructor and go everyday. It's cheaper, more one-on-one and you are in control. Don't believe the hype of big schools. Get a rating or two from ATP or whoever, but you don't need to go thru the entire program to succeed.

You can go from zero time to 1000 hours w/i 24 months (or less???). PPL, IFR then Commercial single...fly with friends, fly banners, skydivers, drop ashes..whatever. Get a CFI and work for ATP or another school with lots of students. Fly 5 to 8 hrs a day with your students and pickup multi time on the side. As you teach IFR you will become a very good pilot too because you will finally understand IFR. Soon, you will have 1000+ hrs and the skills and confidence to get thru an interview, training and IOE.

Or pay 30K and go to ATP.

stayhome

They are the bast. Expensive, YES, but you get every bit you pay for. The company makes sure you have instructors ready to fly everyday, and the instructors only objective in life is to teach. You wont get cancelled or deal with other outside stuff. Trust me, go to ATP. I fly with guys all the time that have at one time or another gone to ATP, and they all say it the same way.

JustAMushroom

Fly....
Just keep in mind, at any airline your going to eventually have be able to listen to a 4 hour lecture on the electrical system go to lunch and then a 4 hr lecture on something else..doors, landing gear, fuel, deicing, hydrl, flight controls, whatever...for 3 or 4 weeks strait. Then you get 5 to 8 sim sessions, where they set you on fire, fail engines, flaps, electrical, etc..all while doing ifr approaches to minimums. And at the end, you have to do it (stalls, 250kts steep turns, single eng. non precision approaches, etc.) to ATP standards on your checkride.

Then you go to IOE.

All Im saying is don't rush it. you have to know it all cold before you come.

dcpilot

If you can find a local FBO it would be your best choice. I am at a regional airline now and went to ATP career program. ATP will get it done quick, but without time your ratings are worthless. You could get a job at ATP but the only thing good about that is it prepares you for the poor treatment you will get at a regional. If you work within an FBO can work steady and build students and time all in one. As for the multi time you and a friend can rent a plane and share the time because that is what ATP does. For the money you could buy your own plane even an old apache and get multi cheap. You may get your ratings quick at atp but you will still have to put in the time. As far as the CRJ rating goes, it is worthless without time. If I had to do it again I would have stayed locally.

RamDaddy

The only thing you are guaranteed at either place is to be @$$ deep in debt.

rickair7777

ATP has the advantage of an a-la-carte menu, so you can get the essential ratings without paying for all the BS "airline training".

You will need: PVT, IR, COMM, ME, CFI, CFII, MEI. Anyone tries to sell you anything more (especially "jet" or "airline" training), you need to really understand WHY? The answer is usually free money for the salesman. Don't trust any "glossy-brochure" flight schools...the larger the add, the bigger the lies.

An effectively run small flight school or even an FBO could provide the same training for less money, but you need to do your homework and make sure they will be able to train you at a rapid pace (if that's what you want).

atpwannabe

The Fly:

I would choose ATP. Personally my choice as to which school to attend is between ATP and DCA later this fall. rickair7777 is right. Go with the a la carte. The company (regional) that hires you will train you for their a/c. Also, if you are able to, I would suggest at least an Associate in Science at a local community college. It may be able to open additional doors for you!

Hope to see you out there one day.

Best wishes & blue skies.

Tractorking

My best piece of advise is get a good headstart before you go. Get your written tests out of the way before you get there. When you break it down they are a good price for the multi time but you have to be sure to manage them well, they are a big organization and really do"Mill" people through.
Ive worked at a very large flying club for 6yrs so Ive seen how flight training should take place and I know when to say when if I I dont like the way things are going down. Ive acctually seen more pinkslips givin to pilot in the 90days at ATP then I have seen in 6yrs, and I work at a club with 80planes and 1200 members and students.
The ground instruction is not great but when you consider what they pay theyre CFI's you can understand why the guys are a little burnt. I would say 90% of the instructor are young guys who went through the program at ATP got hired on, and are biding theyre time to the airline job.
It really depends on what instructor you get.
I went in with 400hrs and an IFR already so I had a good jump start.
I did see alot of guys make it through with no issue, on the other hand, one kid left there with 4 pinkslips but he eventually finished.