Signed up for Multi-addon!

[777forever]

Im doing the 4 day program starting on Tue at Addisson. I'll do a gouge.

[SpiraMirabilis]

Multi-engine IFR add on?

[777forever]

Commercial Add-on

[SFCC/UND]

I was going to do the commerical addon too, but I don't have 250 hours yet.

[777forever]

you don't need 250 for part 141

[777forever]

Im looking over the ATP Seminole training supplement and I am amazed on how airline oriented and professional the flying will be. The supplement shows the different takeoff and approach profiles as well as announced calls. I feel like I am already in an airline ground school. This is nothing like the training I had in college. ATP has got two thumbs up from me already. Im excited about tommorrow!

[meritflyer]

Originally Posted by 777forever

Im looking over the ATP Seminole training supplement and I am amazed on how airline oriented and professional the flying will be. The supplement shows the different takeoff and approach profiles as well as announced calls. I feel like I am already in an airline ground school. This is nothing like the training I had in college. ATP has got two thumbs up from me already. Im excited about tommorrow!

Good luck!

On a sidenote, the ATP I went to didnt do any of the procedures in their Seminole book.

I didnt know ATP did part 141. You sure about that?

[SpiraMirabilis]

Originally Posted by meritflyer

Good luck!

On a sidenote, the ATP I went to didnt do any of the procedures in their Seminole book.

I didnt know ATP did part 141. You sure about that?

I didn't think ATP did 141 either!

[meritflyer]

Originally Posted by SpiraMirabilis

I didn't think ATP did 141 either!

I just read my ATP manual and it says part 61.

Hmm...

[SpiraMirabilis]

Addison is a 1 man operation too. I'd double check 777 to make sure you don't do all your training and then realize you can't take your checkride.

[777forever]

OK i figured it out you need to have 250 hrs to get your commercial part 61. I got my commercial part 141. I don't need 250 to get a multi-engine add-on

[Murdoughnut]

Does anyone know if ATP offers time-building to those who go through their initial ME program? For instance, say I got my initial at ATP (10 hours) and wanted to get another 40 hours under my belt. Would they allow you to build time with another student?

[Vyse]

Originally Posted by Murdoughnut

Does anyone know if ATP offers time-building to those who go through their initial ME program? For instance, say I got my initial at ATP (10 hours) and wanted to get another 40 hours under my belt. Would they allow you to build time with another student?

They used to offer a program called "ASAP" which was 35 hours for $3495. But they stopped it. I've heard nothing on whether there are any plans to resume it- perhaps somebody working at ATP could shed more light on this.

For now the only ATP options for more ME time seem to be the full ACPP, the Airline Transition program, and the CFI program with 6 or so extra hours (to get you enough ME PIC to be an MEI) for an extra $1K.

hope this helps.


p.s. 777, I am considering the multi myself so look forward to reading your gouge!

[SpiraMirabilis]

I'd call the 800 # and ask someone who is in a position to say definitively. However it is not unheard of to buy time if you don't have enough to start a training program. Most of the time this happens if someone doesn't have 85 hrs or 25PIC XC to start the ACPP though.

[777forever]

Here's my multi-gouge as promised not completely done due to 200ft ceilings on my checkride day but at least the oral is done.

Pre-training:
I called ATP and signed up for the 10 hr multi program. One of the instructors at Jacksonville worked the phones, completed my sign up, and I received the passwords required to access the Seminole Supplement online. This allowed my to read up during the weekend before I started on Tuesday.

Day One:
Showed up to Addison at 8am ready to go. Met my instructor, who happens to be the only instructor at the Addison location. Paperwork was first, payed the $2795, gave my passport and other goodies they needed and signed some legal paperwork stuff. After that he gave a brief overview of what we were going to do. He gave me a gouge on the checkride and provided me with a couple other packets of information about the seminole that were very informative such as a diagram of the plane that pointed everything out. We then started to go over systems which were pretty simple to me compared to the 182RG, or maybe it was ATP's fantastic supplement that made it seem that way! We discussed systems and the seminole in general for about 3 hrs. It was a very interesting and educational discussion and time went by fast. We then headed out to the seminole for my first flight in a multi-engine aircraft. During pre-flight the instructor got me familiar with the seminole cockpit, as well as where every on the outside of the plane was located such as the squat switch.
Then it was time to go flying! We took off out of addison and headed out of the class B airspace to a practice area. First maneuver of the day was steep turns which I screwed up on the first time and did OK the second time. The Seminole was not only my first multi-engine flight but also my first low wing flight. After that we did slow flight, approach configuration stalls, departure configuration stalls, then clean stalls. Then we did the same thing except with a 20 degree turn to the left. Then the real multi engine training began. VMC demo was up. I screwed up the first time I did it so the instructor demonstrated it again so I can get the concept down better. After practicing that a couple times we did a precautionary engine shutdown and feathered the prop. I had heard that term used so many times before and never knew anything about it besides that it was for multi engine planes. Now I truly knew what it meant! We then unfeathered the prop and headed back to addison. We were vectored to the ILS 15 though it was VFR conditions and I completed my first landing in the seminole, though I was walked through it by my instructor. Total day 1 flight time was 2.4hrs. After returning we agreed to go to lunch and meet back up at 7pm with another student so he could teach us weight and balance at the same time. Moreover, I was not at the airport from 8am to 5pm as the website suggested. I returned at 7pm were we discussed weight and balance and went over how it affects handling characteristics. The other student was a guy working on his ATP license. After the ground session we sat and talked a little about the industry and what regionals we liked etc. After that I headed home. Day two on next post!

[777forever]

Day 2:
Showed up at 8am once again and we did ground on single engine aerodynamics. The instructor did a wonderful job explaining some concepts I didn't quite understand in the supplement. After we completed ground on that another student had his ATP license checkride in the only seminole ATP has at KADS so I went home for lunch and returned at 3:30. The weather wasnt very good so we sat and chatted with the two guys who just finished their ATP license and a former instructor. After things cleared up we went flying. We took off out of Addison and headed to the much less busy Mckinney airport to practice landings. After being thrown to the wolves on my first two landings my instructor demonstrated how to properly fly the pattern and not be a throttle jockey. It worked perfectly. That was probably one of the best advices I have ever received and my piloting improved immediately and I discovered how smooth the seminole is to fly. After I nailed the next several landings rain started hitting the windscreen and we decided to head back to Addison and call it a day. 1.5 hr for day 2.

[777forever]

Day 3:
Showed up at 8am again for ground. Today we started prepping for the checkride so I was doing most of the talking and he was doing the listening and critiquing my answers. I did ok but it seems when I study something and get the required knowledge, explaining it to someone is quite a challenge the first time you do it so my instructor did an awesome job of telling me a better way to explain for example, the electrical system. Next I taught single engine aerodynamics back to him. The best thing about teaching back to your instructor is you find out what you don't know that you thought you knew such as factors of VMC. (I had a brain fart on critical engine windmilling) After completing ground weather conditions were 400 overcast. Since my checkride was scheduled the next day we had to fly. We filed VFR on top and took to the skies. After breaking through the layer of overcast we flew out of class B airspace and reviewed maneuvers. We did steep turns, stalls, vmc demo, slow flight and precautionary shutdown engine shut down. Since ceiling were too low we returned to KADS and shot the ILS through the soup to the ground. We planned to finish the remaining 2 hrs of training before my checkride. Day 3 flight hrs 2.6

[777forever]

After a hard night studying I met with my instructor at 7am to finish training before my 10am checkride. Bad news, it was 200 overcast instead of clear skies as predicted. Me and my instructor did ground for an hour hoping it would clear up, it didn't. We decided that we would do the oral part of the checkride and reschedule to flight. My checkride was at 10 so I had some time to kill so I jumped in the sim and practiced vmc and critical engine failure which I still needed some work procedure wise. Then the time for my checkride oral came. The examiner, who I had met a day earlier was a 70 something year old pilot and one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. During the oral he said, "Marcus, we are too experienced pilots. Between the two of us, we have over 30,000 hrs" Keep in mind I have 220hrs He also said, my personal favorite quote of his "Why did I become a pilot? Because I was too lazy to work, too nervous to steal, and too jealous to pimp" Nevertheless the oral went very well and was in fact the most fun I've ever had in the oral portion of the checkride. It also helps that I didn't miss any questions. We then rescheduled the flight portion of the checkride for Wed at 9:00am and I will fly with my instructor one final flight before then to work on short field landings and single engine ILS. Conclusion on next post

[777forever]

Conclusion:
The professionalism and quality of flight training at ATP was amazing. ATP may be in fact God's gift to aspiring pilots. I previously did my training at a good college aviation program but if I could do it all over again I would start at ATP. I believe ATP's commission system for its instructors are overlooked by many. This system gives the instructor a bonus for every student that passes their checkride the first time. This causes the instructor to provide high quality instruction because the success of the student is tied to the instructor's pocketbook! My instructor told me many times on how his record is 19-1 for passed checkrides and that motivated me to do well. Even if that didn't motivate me to do well the instructor made sure I understood everything and was fully prepared for the checkride. ATP instructors are definitely not the "we only see you as a way to build time" type instructors. Besides the instructing, ATP provides an excellent training supplement that provided information on the Seminole in the most efficient way. They even provided an mp3 version of the supplement where I put on my ipod and listen. This worked very well when I was going to sleep. ATP was the best training I have ever had. Hands down, no questions asked. Have they revolutionized flight training, no, but they just came up with a pretty darn efficient way to do it. And I cannot wait for CFI school in Vegas! I will update on the checkride on Wed. Any questions feel free to post or pm me. Finally, anyone know how I can get one of those "Got Multi" Shirts?

[SpiraMirabilis]

Please don't get a Got Multi? t-shirt.... please

[PacMan4x4]

Marcus (777)...first off, CONGRATS on passing your checkride and thanks for the great 4-day post. It's great to hear that you had a positive experience with ATP and had an instructor that took time to make sure you knew/understood the material.

Pac Man

[Vyse]

Thanks for the gouge, it was very helpful! And congratulations on getting the multi rating.

[777forever]

Thanks guys!

[Captain_Bob]

Originally Posted by SpiraMirabilis

Please don't get a Got Multi? t-shirt.... please

Dude... You've got to get the T-shirt... otherwise you won't be able to say:

"Been there... Done that... Got the T-Shirt..."



Congrats!

[777forever]

I got three t-shirts in my CFI school package but its not the "Got Multi?" T-shirt