I'd heard all this and more which is why I went to AZFTC, to me it was worth the hotel/airfare to have a pro-mil environment with an instructor who cares. Biggest drawbacks @ AZFTC are DE availability and the plane is a little rough around the edges.

If you go to shebble in Las Vegas, the ATP examiners in north Vegas are not military friendly and complian (during civilian rides) about military pilots.

Bottom line, talk to your mil bros that have gotten their licenses recently. They will point you in the right direction. Flying is flying, that part will be easy. Having an examiner that understands that and can help you vs "out to get you" or prove a point is what counts here. If you are a military guy who has made it to 1,500 hrs, you have way beyond the requisite skills.

Well, I know this one guy.. :D

Master, your situation is the reason people should avoid shady examiners and go to military specialists. That and the fact that you have the worst luck of any man alive.
If I were a believer in Karma, I would say you were a real bastard in a prior life.

Anyone who has more than a few hundred hours instructing and evaluating flying knows the difference of someone who is a hazard to themselves and others and someone who is having a tough day. The lazy path is to just flunk someone who is struggling. The right way is to give them a fighting chance and the benefit of a doubt when things aren't going well. I can't tell you the number of times I have said "let's try that one more time, I forgot to write something down" and the second time was flawless.

So, the way I read it, you just need to do the ATP written before August 1, 2014. The ATP Certification Training Program is a pre-req for the written test, not the practical. Anyone know if that's correct or not?

I know what you are trying to say, but the globe is scattered with wreckage of pilots who got one too many second chances. There is a fine line between keeping a realistic lens, and passing a problem child down the road. You may say its "just a formality" but at some point somebody has to put their name on the line. We don't want an over-zealous hall monitor type, but I also am sympathetic to the guy who does not want to sign off someone who has blundered through a 2.5 hour checkout, cannot program the GPS, gets 10 knots slow on a SE approach but says "hey--when it counts I know I can get it done..."

If you were a military SEFE, you the guys and gals you signed off probably flew on your wing in your squadron or shared a cockpit with you at some point. These guys at the ATP mills have never seen you, and likely won't see you again. They have one ticket, and everyone they sign off can put that ticket in jeopardy. I don't mean to make too much of this checkout--just pointing out there is risk to both parties with these checkrides.

And in aviation, as in life, there are times you have to get it right the first time. Its a tough business. That's what makes it so different from so many other fields...

Not sure if he has been mentioned or is still in business--but Carl Nuzzo down at KGTR has always had a lot of folks that reccommend

Not debating if its smart to use gi bill or not for ATP; but has anyone used the post 9/11 recently and can confirm it pays 100%, and if so how many months did it use up. thanks!

Just got done with my ATP via Galvin Flying Services in Seattle. Can't recommend them enough. I am currently flying a desk and my last flight was 18 months ago but they quickly schooled me up. My CFI was an ex mil Tacair guy who understood my plight and my civilian aviation shortfalls. My DPE was Skip Moshner. He was great. Not easy buy any stroke but very personable and fair. Lastly, the aircraft was a DA42 glass cockpit which I found very easy to manage coming from a tacair cockpit. If you need an ATP in the PNW, Galvin is a great place to go.