[Gumps]

"...and did it without any personal attacks."- SteveC
I disagree Steve, read the first line after the quote.

Come on Steve, I like the Seagull game, it's funny. UPS Yoda reminds me of a Seagull here on the ATP forums, he flys long distances, craps and takes off again. As for his comments? I don't always completely disagree with the guy. But the 90 day program is a good solution for some people. The ATP vs. FBO thing has been done to death, but here is another angle.

Both are businesses that want our money. But what do they have to offer? ATP brings way more to the table than any FBO I've ever seen. Hands down, no need to go into it.

Is 90 days too quick? Not if the student is dedicated, with no outside distractions. While it's not the local FBO's fault you've got a life, it's still a handicap the ATP student doesn't have. Keep in mind too that most of the material covered in the ratings in the 90 day program is review. The multi engine and instrument ratings are the only ones that present new material and skills. By doing them all close together, you can avoid having to restudy a lot of the same material.

Quality of instruction? Finding a sharp old school instructor is nearly impossible now days. That FBO will hire anybody, read up here about standardization at ATP. I found it encouraging that they wash out instructors, they keep the ones they want, not the ones they "need". Recent experience is sometimes more important than depth when we are talking about the academic side of the rating too.

About the only thing the FBO gives their students is variety. A variety of instructors -each with variety of methods and sometimes conflicting with each other.
A variety of different types of airplanes -for you to learn at your expense.
Yeah, no dispatch to tell you where to go and when to fly -instead you get a paper schedule at the front desk with a variety of pencil marks and erasures for you to try and piece together an instructor and airplane. Hopefully the plane won't be broken and the instructor still employed next Wednesday, otherwise you're hosed.
You'll fly in a variety of weather too, 'cause you're gonna see all four seasons a couple of times each before you finish your ratings at that FBO.

So who is the 90 day gig good for if I don't recommend it to everyone? The pilot who has had a variety of experience already and would like finish the advanced ratings in a structured environment on schedule. They will need to have their funds up front, and have the luxury of being able to take off for a few months too.

I use to hate the way these big outfits sold young people the dream and charged what I too thought was way too much money. The testimonials make me gag. But you know what? By the time you get done at the FBO the months passed and extra hours of flight time you'll pay for will out weigh the up front price at ATP. I wouldn't trade my log book(s) now for the 60 day private course, but I can't see taking any longer than need for the ratings offered in the 90 day program.