Airline Training Academy out of business

[328dude]

I second what FL000 said. Caveat emptor.

"You get what you pay for. Buyer beware"


Also, I have a vacation home in Cocoa Beach that is vacant right now untill April 5th. If ATA guys and gals need a place to stay for awhile while they sort things out, PM me. It's nothing spectacular, but it's free.

 

[350DRIVER]

How did they go out of business, for god's sake? They must've poured all that money somewhere. Discover Air is probably a good bet. You could go to Comair, FSI, or Riddle for less than that price. Why in the world would anyone choose ATA?

Very good questions, however when you are young, nieve, and being promised the world as a student pilot sometimes people can make mistakes and choices that they will only regret down the line. It is just very hard to imagine how in the world they were financially in trouble when they got that astronomical sum of money ALL up front.

How many students lost the majority of the money.?? I heard somewhere that most of the students were close to being all done with training when this happened.?

3 5 0

 

[jetpilotjay]

Hind sight being 20/20, I would have gone anywhere but there. That being said, the only reason I went there was on the urging of 2 of my friends at ASA. They told me about this school where all these low time pilots were coming from. They said they were hiring 20 or 30 a month and said I better hurry up and get there, so I did. I had 300 hours and a pvt multi/single at the time. It sounded really great, lesson learned: If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. I should have looked into other routes, I could have gotten a CFI, I would have been less broke! Ya'll know how it goes though: shoulda, woulda, coulda's

 

[Skyrunner]

Tryin' to help

Hey Ya'll,

I'm so sorry for all of the ATA students. Not a good way to start a flying career. I hate this kind of stuff. If you guys/gals are going to use as much ammo to take this group of j@ckasses out, here is some more. These people have fun on there own time taking out people like this.


Corporate Accountability Project

An organization of activists dedicated to –you guessed it– holding corporations accountable for their actions. Learn "how to overthrow corporate rule in five not-so-easy steps" at

http://www.corporations.org.
1434 Elbridge St.
Philadelphia, PA 19149
Tel: (215) 743-4884
E-mail: [email protected]


CorpWatch

The San Francisco–based group counters corporate-led globalization through education and activism. Grassroots mobilization is underway at

http://www.corpwatch.org.
PO Box 29344
San Francisco, CA 94129
Tel: (415) 561-6568
E-mail: [email protected]


Democracy Rising

Founded by Ralph Nader in 2001, Democracy Rising is a nonprofit grassroots group advocating corporate reform. Empower yourself at

http://www.democracyrising.com.
320 SW Stark Street, Suite 202
Portland, OR 97204
Tel: (202) 465-2764
E-mail: [email protected]


Public Citizen

Founded by Ralph Nader in 1971, Public Citizen fights for consumer justice and government and corporate accountability. The umbrella organization sponsors six watchdog groups, including Congress Watch and Trade Watch. Take action at

http://www.citizen.org.
1600 20th St., NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
Tel: (202) 588-1000
E-mail: [email protected]


I wouldn't want Ralph N. houndin' me.

Ya'll take care and good luck,

SR

 

[surfnole]

You can read about it here:

Orlando Sentinel


Here is a website for those affected:

Screwed by ATA

 

[flydog]

This should serve as a wake up call to those fickle minded whores that think they can just plop down 50k and become a professional pilot. There are no shortcuts in life. In my opinion you all deserve what you get.

No one in their right mind should fork over money up front for ANYTHING and that includes an education if what ATA provided can be called that.

Regardless of my personal opinion I dont see how what ATA did was illegal. It certainly was IMMORAL and UNETHICAL but thats not againist the law and neither is filing for bankruptcy.

If that was the case Frank Lorenzo, Al Dunlap, and a lot of other corporate has beens that screwed both employees and customers would all be in jail.

 

[jetpilotjay]

flydog wrote
This should serve as a wake up call to those fickle minded whores that think they can just plop down 50k and become a professional pilot. There are no shortcuts in life. In my opinion you all deserve what you get.
____________________________________________________



You are an absolute a$$clown, I cannot believe someone could be this heartless. Alot of these people have lost everything. And for you to say they deserve it is probably lowest, cheapest shot I've ever seen on this board. There's more than one way to achieve a goal. Just because someone didn't do your way doesn't make them stupid. Everyone has their prefered way, doesn't make it the only way. Being a CFI isn't the ONLY way. The military isn't the ONLY way. Dusting crops isn't the ONLY way. Flying patrol isn't the ONLY way. Ferrying planes isn't the ONLY way. The CAP isn't the ONLY way. Towing banners isn't the ONLY way. The ONLY way to achieve one's goals is by ANY method that DOESN'T cost someone else a job. If someone feels that giving someone like FSI, Comair or some other school their money will advance thier career futures, than I wish them the best. I do, however, hope people think hard when considering a school. Flydog, you sir, seem to be one bitter old bastard!!!!!!

 

[AutoTransfer]

Originally posted by flydog

This should serve as a wake up call to those fickle minded whores that think they can just plop down 50k and become a professional pilot. There are no shortcuts in life. In my opinion you all deserve what you get.

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude towards those members of this board that have assisted the former ATA students with emotional, as well as informational, support . This is exactly what these aspiring pilots need at this time. I do however question how calling the victims of this situation whores helps in any way whatsoever. I recognize the right for flydog to express his opinion, but I wholeheartedly disagree with the statement above.

ATA students did not just plop down 50k and become professional pilots. They worked (or wanted to work in the case of the current students) for every rating they received. They learned from some great instructors (not management) about what it means to be a good pilot and what it takes to become a professional pilot. Oh, and they got the chance to interview with a regional (who was under no obligation whatsoever to hire them.)

I was one of these students and the friends and acquaintances I met there were mostly hardworking people who decided to change careers and had either made some money at their previous jobs or built the credit they needed to secure the educational loans. It was not a short cut, but an alternate path. We took the check rides, we built multi-engine time and incorporated CRM into our flying life. I still want to be a CFI and am planning to return to GA flying for this very soon.

As far as the students getting what they deserved, I guess the enron folks who depended on that company to support them into their golden years got what they deserved too, huh? (TIC)

In hindsight, I do agree with flydog on one respect -- the pay up front thing. I won't do that again if I can help it. After my loan checks cleared, I lived in constant fear that the very thing that happened to the current students would happen to me. I worked through this fear by trying to complete the program as quickly as possible.

Again, I would like to send my regrets to the ATA students affected by this horrible situation. And I hope it is settled in a manner that will allow them to continue pursuing their flying career.

Tailwinds,
AT

 

[flydog]

Youre right jackass jetjay

Those arent the only ways to do it. But they are the only ethical, morally responsible, and honest ways to do it. You wont go to the Air Force and buy your way in for 50k and no one should be able to buy a regional airline job but according to you its just another means to an end.

What a great world this would be if only those with the deepest pockets were the surgeons, lawyers, and airline pilots. I certainly wouldnt want someone with the biggest Visa credit line in college to perform open heart surgery on me but your position is this is ok.

Working as a CFI, banner tower, crop dusting, arent the ONLY ways to do it but they are the ONLY way to do it while learning your profession instead of BUYING A JOB you whore!

 

[jetpilotjay]

flydog,

F--K you, you moron, you obviously didn't read the part where I said "by ANY method that DOESN'T cost someone else a job". I never once told ANYONE to go to Gulfstream now did I? Not one single student at ATA that did get a job, bought it. They WERE NOT gaurenteed a job. They only got an interview, not all were hired! I don't know where you get the idea that people simply paid 50K and were handed their ratings to them. Ratings had to be earned just like any where else. ATA didn't have in school examiners they used DPE's out of Orlando FSDO. The same ratings that would have been earned at any local FBO, except the fact that twice the money was spent. AND YOU CAN SHOVE THIS WHORE **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** UP YOUR ASS!!!! I'm out washing jets and cleaning hangers everyday scraping the money to get my CFI.

 

[CatYaaak]

This should serve as a wake up call to those fickle minded whores that think they can just plop down 50k and become a professional pilot. There are no shortcuts in life. In my opinion you all deserve what you get.

No one in their right mind should fork over money up front for ANYTHING and that includes an education if what ATA provided can be called that.

Well, I forked over money up front prior to every semester of education at UND, where I also earned some of my ratings. I guess that makes me a crazy, "fickle-minded whore" also. Imagine, me thinking that paying for those ratings and degree would help me become a professional pilot. I also busted my butt working in order to be able to afford to do that.

Where is the so-called "shortcut" you accuse these students of taking? My understanding is that ATA was a flight school where one earned ratings, not an ab initio pay-for-a-guaranteed job program. So what if the school had some kind of networking agreement connections at ASA? Even back in the 80s many commuter airlines etc. looked at UND grads (like a lot of other schools), and even if most of those connections weren't "official" at that time, they were very real. This issue is about fraud; students/customers being bilked out of money for TRAINING (not a job) they were promised and will never receive, by people who most likely knew they couldn't deliver at the time they took the money. It's not a pay-for-a-job debate, as much as you'd like it to be.

Flydog, didn't you pay for your initial training and ratings? If so, then that makes you just as much of a whore as any student at that flight school.

 

[Bouyer]

fly dog ????

you have to be one of the most ignorant people i have ever seen
and to think that you are a pilot, you are a discrase i need to find out where u live

 

[Bouyer]

idiot

your such an idiot i see you didnt go into the military what did some feel sorry for u and just give those ratings to you or did you pay for them

I cant belive some people are such self minded morons and are pissed off at the world because he not happy in life get a life you jackA$$

 

[jetpilotjay]

Bouyer and CatYaaak,

I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels like flydog is a moron. This guy really pisses me off. I have never been more bothered by any other post on this board. These students have had their whole lives turned upside down with no warning. They need positive ideas, guidance and support from other members of this board. What they don't need is blasting from ignorant people that don't have a clue what they're talking about.

 

[Bouyer]

he is just pissed off at the world because he didnt get what he wanted out of life

how would u like to have him in the cockpit with u ( wow )