I'm getting nervous

[Fly_Unity]

Hello all, I'm about to leave for ATP in PHZ for the 90 day course, and got a couple questions.

1: ATP wanted me to get my IRA, and FII written test done, and my commercial test reviewed before I come down there, well... I'm gonna get my IRA and FII done, but I didn't even have a chance to look over the commercial books at all. Ive been so busy. Is this like a bad thing?

2: Also I got my PPL at my local FBO and I would rate my instructor as "very poor" (which is why I'm going to a bigger school) I feel very competent and safe with stick and rudder, but my radio communications are like extinct, I have only been in one class C airport, and flew to a class D airport once, (did a touch & Go). I have never filed a flight plan, or ever did a Pilot Report, My instructor said that I don't need to do it on VFR flights, so I never really learned how to do it, all my training was done at airports with no ATC (except them 2 airports). So my question is... Will I get kicked out of ATP because of this? I really want to learn all this stuff, but afraid that ATP wont want to teach me private pilot stuff to me.

I should ve got my PPL at ATP or somewhere besides my local FBO, It was the only instructor I could find within a hundred miles from me. But I guess it was my fault, I don't want to blame my instructor for my lack of knowledge, Its my duty to learn, not just "pass".

3: For me passing the written tests are easy, but on my PPL I didn't have any ground school besides Kings Cd's, even though I got a 95% on my written, my oral was difficult. I was wondering does ATP just give you books for the written test then expect you to do the oral test? or would they give me books to help with the practical test too? I can easily pass the IRA written test, however I don't feel competent to do the practical instrument oral.

4: Also any other advice for a nervous, scared, student? lol , I'm really working hard at this as the next few months will decide my fate for the rest of my life...

Hope this post makes sense, and thanks in advance for your replies.

[desertdog71]

I have to ask, why do they need all this work done before you start? What are they teaching you if you have to do all these writtens before you get there?

Any ATP grads that can shed some light on this? I am just wondering why they do it this way?

[JKJCKSN]

Originally Posted by Fly_Unity

Hello all, I'm about to leave for ATP in PHZ for the 90 day course, and got a couple questions.

1: ATP wanted me to get my IRA, and FII written test done, and my commercial test reviewed before I come down there, well... I'm gonna get my IRA and FII done, but I didn't even have a chance to look over the commercial books at all. Ive been so busy. Is this like a bad thing?

Yes, but not really. You'll have adequate time to review them during the private add-on and instrument prep timeframe.

2: Also I got my PPL at my local FBO and I would rate my instructor as "very poor" (which is why I'm going to a bigger school) I feel very competent and safe with stick and rudder, but my radio communications are like extinct, I have only been in one class C airport, and flew to a class D airport once, (did a touch & Go). I have never filed a flight plan, or ever did a Pilot Report, My instructor said that I don't need to do it on VFR flights, so I never really learned how to do it, all my training was done at airports with no ATC (except them 2 airports). So my question is... Will I get kicked out of ATP because of this? I really want to learn all this stuff, but afraid that ATP wont want to teach me private pilot stuff to me.

You'll be able to get all the details you need from your instructor as you fly. For your private multi-engine add-on you can review your weak areas (i.e., pilot reports, comm with ATC, etc.). As far as VFR flight plans go, while working on your instrument rating you'll file IFR many times and this is very similar to filing a VFR flight plan with a few variations. Once again, your instructor can set you straight with the details--no worries there.

I should ve got my PPL at ATP or somewhere besides my local FBO, It was the only instructor I could find within a hundred miles from me. But I guess it was my fault, I don't want to blame my instructor for my lack of knowledge, Its my duty to learn, not just "pass".

Whatever. You got your PPL, just press with ATP and polish up the areas you're weak in with your instructor or even the other students during your study time in the apartments or at the airport. You probably know plenty and just don't realize it.

3: For me passing the written tests are easy, but on my PPL I didn't have any ground school besides Kings Cd's, even though I got a 95% on my written, my oral was difficult. I was wondering does ATP just give you books for the written test then expect you to do the oral test? or would they give me books to help with the practical test too? I can easily pass the IRA written test, however I don't feel competent to do the practical instrument oral.

They give you books and they expect you to read them during your study time. Come to class / the airport prepared with any questions and you'll be fine. You will have time to review with your instructor prior to any oral or practical tests that you will have.

4: Also any other advice for a nervous, scared, student? lol , I'm really working hard at this as the next few months will decide my fate for the rest of my life...

Bring a sleeping bag to ATP for your cross-country flights and bring lots of cash. ATP makes you pay many expenses upfront and will reimburse you afterwards, so ask for receipts and keep them--your instructor or other students will explain.

Hope this post makes sense, and thanks in advance for your replies.

Have a great time at ATP and enjoy the ride!

[JKJCKSN]

Originally Posted by desertdog71

I have to ask, why do they need all this work done before you start? What are they teaching you if you have to do all these writtens before you get there?

Any ATP grads that can shed some light on this? I am just wondering why they do it this way?

Because you have only 90 days to get everything done, ATP would like you to have the Gleim's read and understood so you can take most if not all your written tests as soon as possible. They are kind of viewed as a hinderance to training--a necessary evil that must be accomplished. You have plenty of time to study for the instrument written, but once you start on your cross-countries, you will need to be prepared to knock out the commercial and most CFI writtens as you will have very little time to do so afterwards.

In short, you could wait until you get to ATP to work on them, but if you have time to review the Gleim's ahead of time, do so. You will have quite a bit of material to digest in 90 days.

[Fly_Unity]

Originally Posted by desertdog71

I have to ask, why do they need all this work done before you start? What are they teaching you if you have to do all these writtens before you get there?

Any ATP grads that can shed some light on this? I am just wondering why they do it this way?

Im guessing because its only a 3 month course, Which is the reason I decided on this school, it saves me a ton of money if I count in how much money I make per month on my current job.

[Fly_Unity]

Originally Posted by JKJCKSN

Have a great time at ATP and enjoy the ride!

Wow, you make it sound easy,, Thanks for your reply

[Bigey]

Originally Posted by Fly_Unity

Wow, you make it sound easy,, Thanks for your reply

Wait, it isnt?

[jawright]

Originally Posted by Fly_Unity

3: For me passing the written tests are easy, but on my PPL I didn't have any ground school besides Kings Cd's, even though I got a 95% on my written, my oral was difficult. I was wondering does ATP just give you books for the written test then expect you to do the oral test? or would they give me books to help with the practical test too? I can easily pass the IRA written test, however I don't feel competent to do the practical instrument oral.

The King CDs are designed to help you pass the written--for the oral, you're on your own. What I've done (and it's worked for me) is to get the ASA oral exam guides, study the living crap out of them and the FAR/AIM, and then just read everything you can get your hands on. FAA and non-FAA publications, AOPA stuff....everything.

[SIUav8er]

Originally Posted by desertdog71

I have to ask, why do they need all this work done before you start? What are they teaching you if you have to do all these writtens before you get there?

Any ATP grads that can shed some light on this? I am just wondering why they do it this way?

yeah, its all about self study at ATP. If you dont study on your own or with your classmates/training partner, you will not succeed. simple as that.

I think it is a good wake up call that the aviation business is all about what you make of it. Sure, you could go to a flight school that spoon feeds you all the information, but wait untill you get a "real" job and have to learn everything on your own. ATP is just preparing you for the real world.

The airlines arent going to hold your hand through everything you need to know, neither is ATP

[desertdog71]

Originally Posted by SIUav8er

yeah, its all about self study at ATP. If you dont study on your own or with your classmates/training partner, you will not succeed. simple as that.

I think it is a good wake up call that the aviation business is all about what you make of it. Sure, you could go to a flight school that spoon feeds you all the information, but wait untill you get a "real" job and have to learn everything on your own. ATP is just preparing you for the real world.

The airlines arent going to hold your hand through everything you need to know, neither is ATP

I understand that, I was just under the impression that during primary training there would be some more actual instruction is all.

[Captain_Bob]

You are correct DD... The Primary PPL program is different than the ACPP program. There is more "classroom" type of instruction.

Bob

[DE727UPS]

"I feel very competent and safe with stick and rudder, but my radio communications are like extinct"

Maybe you have other reasons for rating your CFI as very poor, but, from reading what you said, you might be being overly harsh.

I learned to fly at an uncontrolled airport. I did the minimal required ops at class D's and never saw a B or C as part of my training. I was scared to death of towers, as a low time PPL, and got into trouble the first time I flew into BFI on my own. I really don't blame my CFI for any of that. It's just the way it is. If you want to learn that stuff with a CFI, then, you need to ask for it. And it's gonna cost more...

Not sure what ATP location PHZ is, a google search came up with Phi Phi Island, Thailand....hehe. Perhaps you meant PHX. Anyhow, you're gonna get bombed by the radio do to your lack of experience. ATP is such a fast paced program that you don't want that to happen. I'd recommend you get to know the the local airspace and the airport diagram VERY well. Go visit the tower in person and see what they do. That will take away a lot of nervousness for you. Get a scanner and listen to the freqs you'll be using. It's not that hard, really, you'll pick it up in no time.

You should revisit this thread in 90 days. It will be interesting to see if you would still rate your first CFI as "very poor", then.

[SpiraMirabilis]

Say Again, Please

[SDpilot]

Hey Fly Unity,

I'm starting the 90 day program in Phoenix on Sept. 4... is that your start date too? I wouldn't get too worried about the program. Like everyone has said, as long as we stay on top of the studying we'll be alright. As for your lack of Class B, C, D experience, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it pretty quickly. All of my training up to this point has been out of a class D airport (MYF) and in very close proximity to a class B airport (SAN). To be honest, I feel MORE comfortable flying in this complex airspace than I do flying into uncontrolled airports... and I'm sure you'll feel the same in no time. See you in the desert!

[Fly_Unity]

Originally Posted by SDpilot

Hey Fly Unity,

I'm starting the 90 day program in Phoenix on Sept. 4... is that your start date too? I wouldn't get too worried about the program. Like everyone has said, as long as we stay on top of the studying we'll be alright. As for your lack of Class B, C, D experience, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it pretty quickly. All of my training up to this point has been out of a class D airport (MYF) and in very close proximity to a class B airport (SAN). To be honest, I feel MORE comfortable flying in this complex airspace than I do flying into uncontrolled airports... and I'm sure you'll feel the same in no time. See you in the desert!

Hey SDPilot,
I'll be the noob that starts Sept. 11 hehe, so you'll be a week ahead of me.
Man Im getting excited, been wanting to do this for a long time. I look forward to meeting you.

Ben

[Fly_Unity]

Originally Posted by DE727UPS

"I feel very competent and safe with stick and rudder, but my radio communications are like extinct"

Maybe you have other reasons for rating your CFI as very poor, but, from reading what you said, you might be being overly harsh.

I learned to fly at an uncontrolled airport. I did the minimal required ops at class D's and never saw a B or C as part of my training. I was scared to death of towers, as a low time PPL, and got into trouble the first time I flew into BFI on my own. I really don't blame my CFI for any of that. It's just the way it is. If you want to learn that stuff with a CFI, then, you need to ask for it. And it's gonna cost more...

Not sure what ATP location PHZ is, a google search came up with Phi Phi Island, Thailand....hehe. Perhaps you meant PHX. Anyhow, you're gonna get bombed by the radio do to your lack of experience. ATP is such a fast paced program that you don't want that to happen. I'd recommend you get to know the the local airspace and the airport diagram VERY well. Go visit the tower in person and see what they do. That will take away a lot of nervousness for you. Get a scanner and listen to the freqs you'll be using. It's not that hard, really, you'll pick it up in no time.

You should revisit this thread in 90 days. It will be interesting to see if you would still rate your first CFI as "very poor", then.

I thought my instructor was OK until I went to take my check ride and the DE took over the controls and gave me a full fledged lesson.. I learned more in 1 hour then with my instructor in 10 hours. It was so awesome. I learned things like "push or pull forward on the stick when using flaps, catch the stall at a certain speed, and he explained everything perfect" whereas my instructor would sit in the plane eat his candy bar, and tell me I'm doing fine and that I just need the hours. lol

BTW I read that the DE cannot touch the controls or else they fail you... my DE flew 50 % of the time and I still passed

[SpiraMirabilis]

seriously, buy that book. it helps.

[Tram]

Nervous? Well man, you should be.. ATP is going to break you down and send you crying home to mommy..

Just kidding man.. You'll have a blast.. Just be ready for it..

The best advice I can give.. is get all the writtens, well ok, maybe not all.. I won dinner by taking the FOI in less than 5 minutes.. but have most done.. You'll be glad you did..

[amorris311]

Originally Posted by Tram

Nervous? Well man, you should be.. ATP is going to break you down and send you crying home to mommy..

Just kidding man.. You'll have a blast.. Just be ready for it..

The best advice I can give.. is get all the writtens, well ok, maybe not all.. I won dinner by taking the FOI in less than 5 minutes.. but have most done.. You'll be glad you did..

i have read this before and since i am new to all of this and am thinking seriously about atp what writtens do you suggest to have completed before attending? where would one take these tests? finally where does one get the materials to study to take these tests? thank you for your responses.

[SpiraMirabilis]

instrument, instrument instructor at least. You can take that a local FBO. If necessary an instructor from ATP will fax over a sign-off if one of their instructors doesn't sign you off. ATP reimburses you up to $90 for each written. If you live close to ATP you can just go in and take it there for free.

[Captain_Bob]

and as I recall... If you've already signed up for the program and don't live close to an ATP location... then they will re-imburse your test fees for the tests you take prior to showing up.

also like spira said... take the Instrument and II before if you can. Remember that they come from the same test bank... that means you are actually studying for both at the same time anyway. So you should feel comfortable taking them 5 minutes from each other!

The FOI literally only takes a few hours of study and the test itself shouldn't last more than 15-20 mins. Those three tests right there are a great way to get ahead of the game quickly.

Bob

[amorris311]

thank you for the responses. if i were to start with atp as a private pilot and work my way up are there tests to take before i start my private pilot lessons? i am guessing this is a yes but i would like to know which ones. also say i took them today and i dont start training for a year is that possible? once again thank you for the responses.

[SpiraMirabilis]

Originally Posted by amorris311

thank you for the responses. if i were to start with atp as a private pilot and work my way up are there tests to take before i start my private pilot lessons? i am guessing this is a yes but i would like to know which ones. also say i took them today and i dont start training for a year is that possible? once again thank you for the responses.

Just your PPL written. If you're starting at ATP ab initio in their PPL program, they require you to have this written completed either before you arrive or right when you arrive. They ship study materials to you.

[amorris311]

how hard is it to get a handle on the information if you have had no formal training? sorry i should have started a new post. thank you for all responses.

[SpiraMirabilis]

Originally Posted by amorris311

how hard is it to get a handle on the information if you have had no formal training? sorry i should have started a new post. thank you for all responses.

Not very hard, they include jepp's DVD course, so just watch that and also a knowledge book test prep thing. A lot of the questions for the writtens are kind of behind the times anyway, so just study for the exam. You'll learn how to fly the plane when you get there.

You can get the test bank questions from FAA.gov if you want to review them now. I dont remember where on the site, though