Mr Adam
Totally agree, I guess the avenue we were trying to look at was, what could we finish now before our time in the military is up. Trying to get a head start on the process and get done with what we can before entering into the ATP school.
Christopher,
If you have a good local flight school where you can train with some regularity and want to check the box that’s fine. What I’m saying is a) you’d only be saving 2mos from the ATP Zero time program, b) many people find training locally frustrating and inefficient and often more expensive and c) know that you will doing your basic training out of the ATP curriculum and there will be some transition.
Plenty of people start ATP with their PPLs for any number of reasons and that’s fine. All I’m saying is when I did ATP didn’t offer PPL training. The program was so superior I wished they did and when announced the addition I thought it was a great option and
Totally your call.
Adam
I am not quite sure what you are asking here. ATP requires pilots coming in with their PPL too have 78 hours of flight time and 8 of those hours need to be PIC cross-country time.
Chris
Mr Chris
I think I was trying to figure the timeliness from when I started back in the early 2000s. I didn’t know if there had been major changes since then or progressive changes through out the years since I was in a PPL program. Side question though, what did most of yall do for income, food, housing ect… when going through school. Is there free time during the day or are you on an 8 hour day classroom environment 5 days a week?
Christopher,
It can vary as will you days. Most students take out additional money in their loans to cover living expenses. I stayed in the ATP housing which I enjoyed very much. Lots of mentoring going on and like minded people. Kept the fridge full and prepared most of my own meals to keep expenses down.
Adam
1 Like
Christopher,
I took out a bit of extra money on my loan and used savings. I ate at the apartment as much as possible. There is not time for one to work during the program. The programs highly accelerated, you will need every bit of spare time for studying, flying, or simulator work.
Chris
Ok, so it’s pretty much all day schooling. The closet school is in Baltimore which is about 2 hours away. Do you all think it would be feasible for travel to and from school everyday?
Christopher,
Honestly I do not. You’re talking about adding 4hrs of commute time to some really long days. Some will need to start early, some finish late and you’ll need time to study and rest.
I recommend against it.
Adam
1 Like
Christopher,
Yes, it is all day schooling. Again, it is a highly accelerated program and that takes a significant amount of time per day.
I think four hours in the car per day (without traffic) would be way too much. Couple this with some early days and late nights and you will be wiped out. You are going to need that time to study and sleep.
Chris
Christopher,
The first flights off the day go off at sunrise and last flights finish at sunset. Anytime in there you will have a flight scheduled, a pre and post flight brief, a ground or sim scheduled. That’s on top of the written exam studying and ground school self study you need to complete. The best way to ensure your success with all these responsibilities is to move near the location either in student housing or with a family member/friend. You will be given time for lunch breaks but if you were trying to commute 2 hrs each way, you will be at a huge detriment.
-Hannah
Hi Christopher, I’m in a dilemma myself. I’m 43. I currently live in Ireland with my US wife from Pittsburgh. We are seriously considering moving back to the US. I’ve done 17 years in the Irish military and haven’t taken one sick day in my career. I’ve passed every medical thrown at me. I have the money for the entire ATP commercial training. I know I’m too old for the big captains chair but I’d be perfectly happy as a first officer. It’s not about the money for me. Its about being happy in my life. I’m well used to long hours and hectic schedules. There are flight schools in Europe but the scene is saturated with pilots trying to get their jobs back after covid. Best of luck 
Regards John.
1 Like