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Asta · May 6th, 2008, 20:58

I finished the career pilot program recently and wanted to post my impressions and “advice” on the board for those who are interested.

1. You get what you pay for. I got all of my ratings in 90 days. Though I took four months to finish, I probably took about a month off total here and there.

2. ATP is a good deal, financially speaking. Prior to going to the program I checked out many local schools and no one could approximate the program or price. There are few FBOs out there with ME aircraft to begin with, and those that do charge an arm and a leg. To reproduce the program at a local FBO (for me, near NYC) would have cost between $10K and $20K more than ATP.

3. The quality of instruction was quite good. My main concern going into the program was the quality of instruction. I knew the instructors were going to be inexperienced compared to the old Korean War era Air Force pilot who taught me to fly, because it is ATP policy to hire recent program graduates to teach. Notwithstanding this, I found the instruction overall pretty good. (Many FBO instructors are young and inexperienced, too; it is the nature of the business. And while I came across one CFI who was a clunker, I was able to switch.) All CFIs teach the ATP method, and while they as individuals may be inexperienced, they are using a method and material that works.

4. You must be self-motivated at ATP to succeed. If you sit around waiting to be taught, you will fall behind. There is little ground school and often students are not given enough direction, particularly at the outset of the program. While the program is hyper-organized on paper, this tends to fall apart in practice, particularly at busy facilities. I knew one guy who waited around for weeks while they tried complete his time building. You need to be a squeaky wheel if you want the grease. You need to be pro-active to move the program forward.

5. Also, you need to motivate yourself to study, to get written exams knocked out, to prepare for orals, etc. You will get as much or as little out of the program as you put into it. A lot of (young) guys, get into the program and treat it as a big frat house. They will still graduate, probably, but they will not do as well ITRW as those who use the time to really nail the material.

6. The cross-countries are fantastic. This is where the program really pays off for a lot of students, including me. It is where they really learn to be a pilot. There is nothing that compares to getting into that plane at last without an instructor or DE breathing down your neck. Try to fly as much actual instrument and night as you can. When PIC, fly from the right seat. Shoot an IAP every flight.

7. The PA44 is a great plane. Loved it. Not fast or particularly sexy but a great learning platform. Very stable. Won’t bite you in the ass. I found ATP’s equipment well-maintained with only a few squawks that were not safety related (e.g. heaters).

8. Find a DE who is not a rubber stamp. Some DEs will sign anybody off provided he will not kill himself or anyone else. Find a DE with a higher standard. I had one tough old bird and stayed with him for all my checkrides. I busted three of them, but I’m a better pilot because he busted me, although another DE would have signed me off.

9. Jump in the sim whenever you can. Even if you’re not logging the time, use the opportunity to learn instrument procedures, flows, etc.

10. CFI school at ATP needs help, at least at the ATL facility. Was taught nothing in ground school, and what I learned I had to teach myself. The flying portion was worthwhile, however. Spins are great.

11. Do the CRJ program. Walk don’t run. The program is excellent. You will be taught by pilots who are flying these jets in the real world. It is a lot of work; expect to work from 6 AM to midnight, but you will be ready for airline training when you are done.

Hope this helps someone.

May 6th, 2008, 20:58	#1
Asta Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 135	Recent graduate's impressions I finished the career pilot program recently and wanted to post my impressions and “advice” on the board for those who are interested. 1. You get what you pay for. I got all of my ratings in 90 days. Though I took four months to finish, I probably took about a month off total here and there. 2. ATP is a good deal, financially speaking. Prior to going to the program I checked out many local schools and no one could approximate the program or price. There are few FBOs out there with ME aircraft to begin with, and those that do charge an arm and a leg. To reproduce the program at a local FBO (for me, near NYC) would have cost between $10K and $20K more than ATP. 3. The quality of instruction was quite good. My main concern going into the program was the quality of instruction. I knew the instructors were going to be inexperienced compared to the old Korean War era Air Force pilot who taught me to fly, because it is ATP policy to hire recent program graduates to teach. Notwithstanding this, I found the instruction overall pretty good. (Many FBO instructors are young and inexperienced, too; it is the nature of the business. And while I came across one CFI who was a clunker, I was able to switch.) All CFIs teach the ATP method, and while they as individuals may be inexperienced, they are using a method and material that works. 4. You must be self-motivated at ATP to succeed. If you sit around waiting to be taught, you will fall behind. There is little ground school and often students are not given enough direction, particularly at the outset of the program. While the program is hyper-organized on paper, this tends to fall apart in practice, particularly at busy facilities. I knew one guy who waited around for weeks while they tried complete his time building. You need to be a squeaky wheel if you want the grease. You need to be pro-active to move the program forward. 5. Also, you need to motivate yourself to study, to get written exams knocked out, to prepare for orals, etc. You will get as much or as little out of the program as you put into it. A lot of (young) guys, get into the program and treat it as a big frat house. They will still graduate, probably, but they will not do as well ITRW as those who use the time to really nail the material. 6. The cross-countries are fantastic. This is where the program really pays off for a lot of students, including me. It is where they really learn to be a pilot. There is nothing that compares to getting into that plane at last without an instructor or DE breathing down your neck. Try to fly as much actual instrument and night as you can. When PIC, fly from the right seat. Shoot an IAP every flight. 7. The PA44 is a great plane. Loved it. Not fast or particularly sexy but a great learning platform. Very stable. Won’t bite you in the ass. I found ATP’s equipment well-maintained with only a few squawks that were not safety related (e.g. heaters). 8. Find a DE who is not a rubber stamp. Some DEs will sign anybody off provided he will not kill himself or anyone else. Find a DE with a higher standard. I had one tough old bird and stayed with him for all my checkrides. I busted three of them, but I’m a better pilot because he busted me, although another DE would have signed me off. 9. Jump in the sim whenever you can. Even if you’re not logging the time, use the opportunity to learn instrument procedures, flows, etc. 10. CFI school at ATP needs help, at least at the ATL facility. Was taught nothing in ground school, and what I learned I had to teach myself. The flying portion was worthwhile, however. Spins are great. 11. Do the CRJ program. Walk don’t run. The program is excellent. You will be taught by pilots who are flying these jets in the real world. It is a lot of work; expect to work from 6 AM to midnight, but you will be ready for airline training when you are done. Hope this helps someone.