I just had my admissions flight at the Lawrenceville location yesterday, with lead instructor Mark, and it was honestly quite fun! I wanted to just share a few details about it and the location. I got my first taste of simulated instrument approaches, which was my first time doing that outside of FS2020/Xplane which is always exciting. There were plenty of planes in the pattern and in the general area (the ATL area is by no means not busy), and the location consisted of private jet traffic, and ATP and L3 Harris planes as well, and CAP too, making the patterns pretty congested but adding a fun challenge. Being outside of the Bravo of ATL also helped get us out of the airport and into the air pretty quickly.
After visiting the location earlier this year and then finally getting around to the admissions flight, it feels like a big first step into the world of ATP. I really enjoyed being shown how the school operated, and the comradery between pilots, and honestly it seemed like everyone was at least comfortable around one another and everyone was having fun. Yes, everyone is building hours for the airlines or what have you, but there was a good sense of comradery and mutual support for what we do. It felt very easy to talk to people and get to know one another. I got to learn some crazy connections my home airport had to at least that location with some boxes/supplies from Penn Yan Aero being found in the hangar, what a crazy small world!
I will say, coming in with my PPL I feel, has helped me prepare for starting, as well as getting the big 3 written exams (PPL, IRA, CAX) done ahead of time has already set me up to start off on the right foot. Though I am still working on the CAX, it will definitely be done before I get to ATP. It really is one thing to read and think about how ATP operates, then to actually be there and see it is pretty amazing. Definitely look at the airplane supplement they may send you when you sign up for the flight as it does help.
The location itself is pretty nice, Lawrenceville seems to be a pretty nice town, and I am looking forward to getting started down there. No class date set yet, but impatiently waiting to set that up!
I overlooked this thread posting and I apologize. I’m glad to hear you’ve had a good experience at the Lawrenceville location, I always have enjoyed my time in LZU when I traveled through, great staff all around there. Plus, the chandelier makes the lobby look great. I’ve been a fan of training around Class B airspace because you will never have the same flight, in fact every flight will be different. One day you may get Class B clearance, another you have to make the PIC decision to avoid it.
Hearing that you’ve completed the “Big 3” writtens is great, it will only help you in the long run. If you have time to complete the FII, FIA and FOI prior to start date, I extremely recommend you get those completed. Please let us know how everything goes and if there’s anything can help with.
I’m definitely trying to get those 3 extra done too, and just get all those out of the way. I can already tell it will be a busy and exciting airspace, but that’s good since I will need to be used to that. I also have my start date for Feb 13th so I’m excited to finally be moving forward and getting into the program. So many videos to watch, and so much work to put in, even ahead of the program but it will be worth it! Thanks, and I’ll keep everyone updated!
I’m finishing up my writtens now, but was wondering about the Advanced Ground Instructor written. If it would be worth doing that at some point too? I’m getting my FII out of the way tomorrow, and FIA hopefully within the following week. I just want to decide if I should knock it out now or maybe go for it later, if at all.
The AGI exam is totally optional but can be useful. First you can walk into your local FSDO with just the exam and get a Ground Instructor certificate (the easiest license you’ll ever get). Second, once you become a CFI you can use it to get your Gold Seal which is a great resume builder. I have mine and it had served me well.
I waited to take my AGI written until I was an instructor with ATP, I can say trying to study for that while working around the clock was difficult. I passed and contacted my local FSDO for guidance on obtaining my Gold Seal months later. I would say, if you can do the IGI during your instrument studying, it would be easier because I believe they still use the same test bank. You need either or, AGI or IGI to qualify for a Gold Seal after meeting the other prerequisites.
Nice work on getting ahead on your writtens, you will be extremely glad you made that choice.