So far things are falling into place to start with ATP! I’m shooting for a late January start date at the Richmond VA location. Only thing standing in my way is waiting to hear back from my uncle about his ability to cosign the loan with me. Hopefully that goes through soon. I will be opting for just the tuition loan with examiner’s fees included since I won’t need housing. And I already have a lot of equipment. Kneeboards, ipad, etc. and a friend gave me his brand new shiny Bose headset since he can’t fly anymore.
I’ve been doing a lot of online preparation since I’ll be starting at zero time. I’ll be purchasing books and apps on my own so could anyone give me a list of the books that are used in the course? I’d like to be able to buy them now and get a head start studying.
First of all I want to welcome you aboard! You have a lot of great times coming up and I bet your excited
For preparation, I recommend you start out with the following books:
PHAK - The Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (2016 edition)
AFH - The Airplane Flying Handbook
FAR/AIM 2017 (I recommend getting the iPad app instead of the paper copy.)
ATP’s Cessna 172 training supplement (you will receive it when you finish the application process)
This is a thread from a few weeks back where I answered a similar question. You can find some pointers on what to read and where.
Other than that, I recommend that you start preparing for the Private Pilot written exam (StudyBuddy or ASA Prepware are recommended, and are available on the App Store). You have some time before you begin training so try to knock it out, you will thank yourself later.
Thanks for the recommendations! I have pdf copies of the Cessna supplement as well as the Seminole one. Made flash cards for each of the oral exam sections that travel with me everywhere. That’s been a great help, especially since some of those answers had to be dug for.
I’ll get started with copies of those books. I find a hard copy to be easier to study from than an electronic version.
Yeah I’m getting pretty excited to get things rolling. Speaking of ASA I have one of their E6Bs. I’ve been trying to get familiar with it. I always seem to be off by 1 with any calculations on it though. I imagine this will be covered in the private pilot courseware right?
I kinda remember using an electronic E6-B back in the day (this was before smartphones). I was pretty good with the real E6-B just the electronic was faster. I don’t believe the FAA has an issue with the electronic E6-B it’s the data (aka ANSWERS) you could store on a smartphone they have a problem with.
I believe you are correct. You could bring an electronic E6-B, as long as it isn’t a smart phone app for the exact reasons you mention. It would have to be a stand alone device without internet access.
I’ve got an electronic one too, an ASA CX-2. My friend used to fly helicopters but due to an eye disease he can’t anymore. So rather than sell off his equipment he donated it to my good cause. I’m really thankful for not having to spend $1000 on a headset.
Looking forward to learning how to use this thing.
I had an electronic one as well, I found it much easier to use. Make sure to learn how to use the manual style as well though as the electronic ones can be subject to failures that the manual ones are not.
Also, some examiners really despise the electronic E6B. Although it is technically allowed to be used in a checkride, I know some examiners that will want a demonstration of the manual one. (Just FYI)
Just to add, I just went to Richmond about a month ago and they had brand new shiny Archer there (which was very cool ️). With that said, might want to read Archer supplement in addition, if not instead, of Cessna one
Sounds awesome! Now I’m not sure if I’ll be starting yet or not. I thought everything was kosher with my 9 years of fedex work experience, but admissions told me today it wasn’t. Hopefully we can get this straightened out soon, I’d love to get my hands on a shiny new Archer!
ATP, like any other trade school or college, looks at a multitude of criteria when deciding whether or not to grant admittance into their program, it isn’t limited to just having two years of work experience, a PPL, etc. I understand that you spoke with the admissions counselors this morning and have a plan in place for moving forward. Feel free to follow up with us if you have any more questions.
Yes I spoke to them and I’m awaiting a reply of “yea” or “nay”, as they were going to ask the admissions board to reconsider. As it stands I’d love to be able to start in January as I have planned, however if they require me to get a PPL on my own and 80 hours it isn’t going to work for me. The money I have set aside for training is not only for my living expenses while at school, it’s to cover my child support for the 6 months that I’d be in the program. If I have to go someplace else to get a PPL, then that money will no longer be available to cover my support when I finally get to ATP, as I’ll have to use it to cover the cost. I have a finite amount of cash available for this, which is what attracted me to this program in the first place. Zero to hero is quite the attractive course.
