My name is Jared Dellinger and I am excited to say I am scheduled to start training with ATP on the 14th of August at the Chicago location. I started flying when I returned from the Peace Corps in 2009, finally receiving my PPL in 2013 after a break for graduate school. I have about 110 hrs TT.
I had a couple questions I was hoping people could chime in on as I prep. I’m currently going through all of the course materials, books, checklist items, etc. and I was wondering what other equipment would be recommended prior to day 1 that might not be on the list provided? When I went into the Peace Corps we received a huge checklist of things to bring only to arrive in country and realize there were a few things that would have been really useful had we known in advance.
I already have most of the items suggested (e.g. flight bag, headset, view limiting glasses) with the exception of a kneeboard that I can use with my ipad. So my next question is is there a specific kneeboard that works well for the training that might be recommended?
Thank you for any feedback. I also wanted to say thank you to all of the mentors who take the time to respond to questions on this forum. I’ve been checking questions and responses everyday and the information I’ve seen on here has been incredibly helpful in confirming my decision to enroll.
First and foremost, congratulations on your start date!
There are lots of cool things you could buy to compliment your flight
training experience. Here are some examples. Keep in mind, you’ll need to
do research to verify the compatibility of your iPad with the excessories
as there are lots of different sizes of iPads on the market.
Students seemed to enjoy this kneeboard a lot…although it is on the bulky
side. It would be perfect for an iPad mini (if they make one for a mini).
The standard sized iPads with this kneeboard can obstruct the yoke’s range
of motion if your seat position is not properly adjusted. Personally,
proper seat position should be based on you sight picture, not your
kneeboard.:
And last but not least, the Stratus. It’s worth it’s weight in gold. Shows
you traffic, provides a wifi signal to track your flight path and show real
time weather. I never owned one, but I would have had I had the money.
Any style iPad will work. I don’t want to state the specs on this forum
because ATP could change the iPad requirements at any time. Here’s a link
to ATP’s website. There you can read what is required.