Quote:
Originally Posted by blee256  Bottom line is (like you said) Everyone needs to do their research, A fool and his money are soon parted i think is the phrase. |
It is time for Sig to pull out a [Clue X 4] and toss in $.02.
I went through ATP in '02. My newhire class of CFIs spent about 5 months in the pit answering phones- I think that is a record. That was the state of the industry back then, and who knew it would wildly over correct within 30 months to the point a pulse and ticket got you a job?! It was bleak- very bleak. We were in it to get the ratings, get some experience, and run like hell.
I was in the dead start of what became a brutal divorce when I started flying there.
I was broke, no real prospects, crazy things happening all around me that didn't really make sense (including my day to day life as a CFI at ATP, freakish personal health concerns, ad nauseum), and dammit, I kept on trucking. Most of my life was one hell of a wreck, but I'm incredibly stubborn- I knew only one thing: I was gonna fly.
So I did.
And I have.
And I'm happy. And I'm a captain. And I am literally having the time of my life. And it could all end early Monday morning- you never, ever know...
The point is, don't try to navigate your way through this nonsense and hope you come out like a PVT newhire at a legacy in the 60's- ain't nothing that easy anymore! YOU CAN NOT PLAN A FULL BEGINNING TO END CAREER IN THIS INDUSTRY.
The overlying higher point to my whining about myself is this: You make the decision to go or not to go to ATP, then never look back. Either it makes sense to you or it does not. Go, or do not.
If you have to live the dream, make it so. Persevere, but you can't do that by fretting over the what-ifs in a dark room in front of a computer. Get out and do it, or get busy on another career.
And to Bob: Hullo, Sir! I bet you fly that EMB as well as you flew that Seminole. You were a darned good pilot at 250 hours. [What the hell am I thinking? More like 130 hours.... flew the hell out of that thing.]
** ADDENDUM:
Some readers might misunderstand the point of bringing up my day-to-day as a CFI. It had nothing to do with ATP; it was the imbroglio my personal life became and it affected me in ways I didn't recognize at the time. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way. ATP was a perfect fit for me and me alone.
And as a further side note: When it all comes together, however you get "here" is perfectly worth it. You might be eating Ramen or foregoing nights out with the wife... but FWIW, my impulse buys today were a 58" plasma TV, a new mattress/box set, and some swanky linens.
I did that after I paid my bills.
For next month.
Cash purchases, all.
So yeah, it is certainly worth it- eventually.