Just thought I’d throw this here so I can check in over time with my experience.
First, thank you all for the vast wealth of info that this forum is.
I’m a 49 hour Private Pilot with a wife and two kids. Haven’t flown since March of 2019. Got my B.S. in Aviation Management from UVU along with my Private and ended up working HR for Amazon in Cleveland OH.
Juat put in my two weeks notice on Monday. Getting my first class medical in a couple days. Selling our house. Things are coming together! I have family in South Houston so I’ll be training at KEFD.
Got my IRA done back in 2019 so I’ll have to do it again. Currently studying for it and planning to knock out all the written prior to starting.
I have loved the ATP experience so far and look forward to the next 2+ years.
I am glad to hear that you have found value in the content on this forum. We really do care about the information we put out there and we want to see everyone be as successful as they can be. So I really do appreciate you saying that the forum has helped you.
Please check in with us to let us know how things are going and of course let us know if anything comes up that we can help answer.
Thanks so much! I’ve stalked this page since 2018 and I’ll say it’s probably the best recruitment piece ATP has. Took me 4 years but I’m excited to have finally pulled the trigger.
You and the other mentors here have provided some excellent feedback and tips and I look forward to implementing them! So thanks again!
One amazing benefit that I’ll mention here for those who may stumble upon this thread: The SCRA (Servicemembers Civil Relief Act) can provide a great interest rate (5% or less) for veterans using Sallie Mae. If you’re a prospective student with military ties, it’s worth looking into.
When do you anticipate starting the program? I am glad you are working on the writtens, that will be a huge advantage to you. Do keep in mind though that the program is designed for doing the writtens while you are enrolled, so do not let yourself get delayed in order to take written exams.
Jacob,
Congratulations, it sounds like all the puzzle pieces are coming together well. Do you have a plan to refresh your private pilot stick and rudder skills along with the knowledge? Since it’s been so long since you flew, might be a good idea to get a refresher flight scheduled with a local CFI. You’ll have one TOL flight and then hit the ground running as if you just passed your private checkride. Just something to think about! We’re excited for ya! Please keep us updated!
-Hannah
Congratulations on acquiring a start date! There is so much valuable information on this forum, that is one of the reasons I joined ATP; I came across this forum and was able to get so much insight from successful and first-hand experience. Maybe if one day you decide you want to go back to Amazon you can fly cargo for them, leaving on good terms could set you apart and let them know your goals…you never know what you may get as one door closes and another opens.
Make sure if you haven’t already to get a Flight Review in before your start date since it seems you haven’t flown in a while and could run past the currency requirements for being a pilot.
Great points! Thanks Chris, Hannah and Brady. I’ll definitely need to schedule a flight or two to break off the rust. Thanks for that insight.
Because I’m coming in with less hours, I’ll be doing a Private Finisher Course. I’m assuming it’ll just be extra hours of instrument training, but I’m not certain. I’ll do some more searching around the forum, but if anyone has started with the private completed but less than 78 hours, how did that go for you?
As far as brushing up on knowledge, I have the PHAK and an Instrument Guide for the Oral Exam. I’ll definitely been reading up this month whenever I have a moment. Looking forward to hitting the ground running.
I’ve enjoyed reading your experience Brady. Thanks for sharing it! Looking forward to keeping a similar log.
I started about eight hours short of the required 78 hours. We spent the eight hours doing an introduction to instrument flying, along with some cross country time building.
I have always been a huge fan of the Oral Exam Guides, they are great references.
I’ve always recommended the ACS. That is the only document that is all inclusive. It also lists the associated publications. It requires more work on your part to read those publications. If you don’t have copies of something listed, the FAA has free PDF versions on their website.
Knowing where to find things goes a long way. If your intentions are to become a CFI one day, doing the leg work now will serve you well when it comes time to teach.
Jacob,
I always loved the oral exam guide books as well. I like how it’s broken down by sections like the ACS, has question/answer format to quiz yourself and the associated source. I think a pairing of the two will serve you well.
-Hannah
I don’t believe they’re including the ASA Oral Exam Guides in the training bundles anymore, but it will be the best group of money you could ever spend if you can get copies.
How has your experience at KEFD been so far? I am in a similar position as you, family with two young kids, and I hold a private pilot certificate. I wasn’t in a position to move, so ATP hasn’t been an option until they FINALLY opened a location south of Houston. The funny thing is that I’m pretty sure it’s the same location that my former flight school occupied where I trained for my private. I’m stoked ATP chose EFD for a new training center. It’s 20 minutes from my house and it’s a great Delta airport to train from. Not too busy but always interesting with the joint military base operations, Reaper drones, Apache helo’s, NASA aircraft and the occasional visit from Air Force One.
