Figured I’d go ahead and get an experience thread started; from my own experience it’s these actual student accounts that seem to be the most helpful for those interested in the program.
Still about a month until I start and should have my PAR (used Sporty’s) exam scheduled by the end of this week (coordinating with one of the instructors at my ATP location since he’s been very helpful) and started cruising through the material for IRA and CAX with Shepard.
Beyond excited to get this new adventure under way!
Congratulations on the start date and thank you for your interest in sharing your student experience. The student experience section is the best place other than meeting firsthand with students to discuss and learn about ATPs student life. Sounds like you’re off to a great start if you get that PAR completed by the end of this week, and then the IRA and CAX will have you way ahead of the curve. Please keep us posted when you get a chance on everything.
Glad to hear the student experiences section has been impactful to you and you’re already thinking about giving back by sharing your own insights for those to come.
Looking forward to hearing about your progress once you get going!
Had my first day yesterday and my first sim session in the Frasca, all went really well. Finished up my lessons for day 2 just a bit ago, which included my first flight (fundamentals) and I’m still on cloud 9. Instructor let me try my first takeoff and, while not the best, it was a success (really gotta stay on that right rudder lol). I really started to get pretty comfortable flying the airplane once I relaxed a bit after the takeoff. Did Started getting a pretty good feel for how the plane wanted to be trimmed out in turns, climbs, and descents and nailed a couple of steep turns which felt really good. Beyond excited to keep learning and getting better, and one day in the very near future successfully complete my first landing
Oh, I did also pass my PAR exam a few weeks ago. Very glad I did that as I couldn’t imagine having to cram all of that studying into the first 22 days of this program on top of everything being thrown at us.
I am glad it is going well. Make sure you do not have a death grip on that yoke, many new pilots do and it makes it harder. Relax your grip and think through the movements. Full disclosure here, sometimes I have to remind myself to relax my grip, especially when I flew the A320.
Sounds like a great first few days! Glad to hear you’re already incorporating trim in to each phase of flight! Can’t go wrong with “pitch, power, trim”. It’s the poor man’s autopilot and will be your best friend. You can also utilize it in steep turns, but that’s just technique.
Congratulations on passing your PAR written the other week!
One tip that I learned while instructing was if I could slip a pencil/pen between the yoke and your grip, then you have a comfortable grip/hand position. The one problem that new student pilots tend to have been white knuckle. You will learn to use trim the second you start climbing out off the runway.
Alright so a little over a week in and things are going well. Really good group of students and instructors here at OGD, and it’s a good mix of younger students and those like me who took a few extra years to take the leap.
Had my 5th flight yesterday (3rd TOL session), with flights 6, 7, and 8 scheduled through the end of the week. Starting to feel really confident in my ability to safely land the plane and had the opportunity to test my new skills with some crosswinds yesterday evening, gusting up to 18kts and performed my first forward slip. Really glad to be ahead of the curve right now, looks like next week is going to be more of a study and stay warm kind of week with up to 2ft of snow on the way.
Note for any prospective students or those starting soon: it’s still early, but there’s not a doubt in my mind that I made the right decision to change careers and chase this dream of flying professionally. If you are passionate about flying, aviation, planes etc and are questioning the decision, consider this…I spent 10+ years working for a fantastic company, with great people, supporting missions to defend our freedoms on some of the most advanced aviation technology on the planet, but never once in those 10+ years was I ever happy to get up for work or truly satisfied by the role I played. I now get to wake up every single day happy and excited to do something I want to do, and no amount of money or job security could ever replace that.
Ok, yes, it helps knowing the potential earnings and benefits that are waiting on the other side of 1500 hours
Quick update, cruised through my TOL eval late yesterday afternoon and moved on to solo prep this morning. Little rusty on the maneuvers flows but executed them all fairly well, looking forward to the next 2 weeks or so prepping for my first solo!
Weather has been hit or miss here in northern Utah with the weekly snowstorms, but have managed to squeeze in some mental breaks when grounded…aka skiing
Congrats on passing the TOL Eval! The best advice I can give about Solo Prep and preparation for the checkride is always utilize the simulator when you can. Stay sharp on your flows, checklist and configurations. If the simulator (AATD) is not booked or being used, I would recommend finding some time throughout the week outside of your lessons to use it.
Solo Eval is coming up before you know it, please let us know how your first solo goes! Pictures post solo flight are welcomed.
Congrats on passing your first evaluation in the ATP program. They can be stressful but for good reason. When you can’t hop in the sim, don’t underestimate the power of a good chair fly!
Keep us updated on your solo eval and upcoming solo! It’s an unforgettable day!
Well it’s a day late but had my first solo yesterday and followed up with another 2 hours of solo TOLs today!
First solo was a fun experience, certainly won’t forget it. On my final takeoff I got hit with some low level wind shear about 5 ft off the runway. Fun way to finish it up the first solo haha. Second one went really well today. Got to experience some wake turbulence in the pattern from a C17 that was on approach in to Hill AFB. I can see how that would be unsettling closer to the ground, but otherwise it was smooth sailing.
Looking forward to knocking out some XCs in the coming days!
Haven’t kept up here, been a busy few weeks for various reasons. Got through my solo XCs, though it took almost a week. Winter here in Utah didn’t let up until last week so the snow and ice have been causing issues with scheduling. Fast forward to the last week or so, I knocked out all my checkride prep and the mock with my leads, got endorsed, applied for my PPL and got scheduled for a checkride.
And here I am today, just a few days over 2 months from starting at ATP, officially a private pilot!
Really can’t say enough about the team here at OGD, incredibly professional and fun group to be around, from the instructors to the leads and the rest of my fellow students. Have a few weeks off while my wife and I relocate to the Dallas area and on 5/1 I’ll hit the ground running at the TKI location!
The Private is a unique ride not having any idea what to expect of the check ride environment. You obviously handled the stress well! Enjoy your break, and safe travels relocating. Instrument is a fun one!
