Hi Everyone,
Seriously considering the ATP school but want to have an accurate understanding from current/former students on the actual schedule of the school and as a CFI.
Is the ATP school 5 days a week? 7?
8 hour days? Longer?
CFI schedule: 5 days a week? 7? 8 hours per day?
Am I going to miss 100% of my kids events for the next 2.5 years ? or just 90% lol.
Thanks in advance! Really enjoying the forum. Very helpful.
Chris,
Check out this link. If you click on “explore this stage”, it will give you a good idea of the schedule.
I would plan on five days per week, with occasional weekends. Eight hour or longer days.
I think missing 90% of events is a good guess 
Chris
Chris,
Check the link Chris provided but seriously for the first 9mos when you’re training your family should consider you a ghost. After that it’ll open up a little. At least until you get hired by a Regional. Then you’ll disappear again.
Adam
To follow up on Adam’s post, if you want to be successful in the program, maximize your investment and finish on time or ahead—make it a “full-life” program. It worked for me. Worked really well for that matter. I will disagree with the Captain unfortunately on the CFI stage of your life… While you can relax a bit and become more available to your family, if you want to continue progressing at a good rate, you will work your butt off. When I was a student, many of our CFIs were at the training center for 10-12 hour days, 6 or even 7 days a week. As a CFI myself, I am more busy now than I ever was as a student. Days with a 06:30 show time that end at 23:00 are not that unusual anymore. You don’t have to do it this way, but making ends meet becomes really tough when the loan payments kick in and you have other mouths to feed.
Hi Chris,
thanks for the reply…perhaps you forgot to attach the link for me ? 
I didn’t say the CFI portion was a vacation, just saying it allowed me a little more breathing room.
We also got alot more snow in Jersey than you FL folks
Adam
Can you do full time school and maintain a part time evening job?
NiK
Adam,
Can you shed some light on the schedule as a First Officer at the Regional level and how that schedule may look as a Captain ?
Thanks!
True. Yeah, I do hate having to cancel for weather. You don’t fly, you don’t eat. And I like to eat at least once a day 
“Full-life” program. My opinion is no, absolutely not. Many have tried and most have failed in one way or another. You start adding other priorities and you start creating challenges for yourself. Fail one checkride and that’s at least $700 more for a recheck, a review flight, and a delay waiting for that recheck. Then you find yourself on a forum or FB group whining that ATP program is taking longer than advertised while omitting that you are getting only what you put into it.
Chris,
Take a look at Tory’s schedules. You can see his schedule progression from a new Regional FO to Capt.
Thing to keep in mind is anytime you’re new in either your seniority will be low and you’ll have min control over your schedule. I missed countless plays, baseball games, etc.
Adam
Thank you!! I will be going full time.
Nik,
This is America and no one can stop you. BUT ATP HIGHLY discourages any work while in the training. The program is highly accelerated and most find it very challenging devoting 100% of their time. If you choose to work and can’t keep up you’ll receive no sympathy or consideration as you’ve been warned. Fail a few checkrides and that could impact your entire career. $85k is alot of money to gamble with.
Your call.
Adam
I sure did forget: https://atpflightschool.com/airline-career-pilot-program/flight-training-timeline.html
Thank you Adam, I do plan on doing this full time and have quit my job. I do appreciate all your advice!!
NiK
thanks Adam!
Thanks Chris!
So I saw the timeline. Just wondering if anyone knows if, assuming you have done all the written exams, you’re very competent and weather of course, can you potentially complete the PPL and Instrument in about a month each? How strict is ATP on their timeline or is this for the “average” student with some taking considerably less time and some taking considerably more time? Considering training is full time, I heard it is very doable but ATP’s timeline has 3 months for the PPL and 2.5 months for the Instrument. On the other end of the spectrum, it only has half a month allocated for Commercial which seems strange considering they allocated 5.5 months for PLL and the Instrument. Anyone able to shed any light on this? I’m just hoping to study my butt off on all the academic stuff before starting so all I would have to do are the actual flying stuff and checkrides, truncating the timeline.
Alex,
The short answer is no. The timeline is pretty well set and there really isn’t much “considerably” longer or shorter. Sure the PPL can be completed in less time but ATP still needs to get you up to 80hrs before you start your instrument training and that takes time. The Instrument portion is arguably the most challenging portion of the training and it cannot and should not be rushed. In truth the program was shorter but another problem is examined availability. Just as there’s a pilot shortage the FAA has an examiner shortage. There’s little point in rushing you through any segment if there’s not going to be an examiner available for a checkride and you sit around getting stale. Finally while completing the written exams will give you a leg up it in no way covers the academics of the program. The writtens are a box that needs to be checked but there’s considerably much more information which needs to be learned to make you a safe and competent pilot let alone put you in a position to pass an oral exam.
While you may find if the stars align you’ll get done in under the 9mos I wouldn’t count on it.
Adam
Y’all have all been very informative. I do have a question. If you don’t have time and are highly discouraged to work even part time while in training, what funds do you use for housing/food/personal items?