All ATP flight school=Joke

[Almerick07]

I'll vouch for pilotpat, took me a little over a year to go from 0 time to CFI while being a full time college kid. Spent about $25k which is a lot but no $40k some places charge, I'm now flight instructing while I finish up my degree so I can go to UPT...how is that for some airline placement program?

 

[FDAFCFI]

The problem I see with all the posts here is that the majority of folks here are in their 20s. Something is gravely wrong with American children these days and this is the common thread...no one wants to really study for what they are earning. I have seen countless students come in and out of the flight school I work at simply expecting us to give them their ratings. I don't speak for all of you, there are a lot of great, hard-working young folks out there who were raised with good hard-working principles. If you work hard at a flight school, have a great attitude, and expect a challenge through each rating, you will be rewarded. Additionally, I want to add that not everyone is cut out to be a pilot. That's a fact, Sorry to break it to you. If you keep failing the PPL practical, you may be one of those folks and its not the fault of a reputable 141 school if you can't pass.

Stop blaming each other and pull up your britches and get serious about studying. My best students are the ones who go home after a flight/ground school session with me and actually do the assigned homework. When that student returns with a completed assigned quiz, we grade it together, answer questions about it and then review it in the air, the whole thing dovetails nicely. We have thousands of letters of thanks from people all over the world who took the time to be serious about getting their licenses and they were rewarded handsomely.

Anyone with a solid work ethic will do well at any of the above listed schools, although I can't speak for a few (ATP). They have a different approach and its just perfect for someone else, maybe not you, that's okay. To each his/her own. Learn that phrase and you'll be a much happier camper in life.

 

[Buckeye]

Lets see, I learned to fly in 1993 while high school on my own dime, worked three jobs over many summers. Went to college, earned my Instrument in 1995, Commercial in early 1998 went to ATP in Atlanta Georgia for Multi in late 1998, CFI in 1999. Meanwhile graduated from college with a double major in 1999, paid for all my flight training MYSELF and college (no student loans), did it at the local FBO, then instructed flew 135 freight, then 135/121 Freight. I didn't have mommy and daddy funding it. I was smart enough to get degrees in something outside of aviation in case something like?... 9/11 would happen. I feel sorry for these kids that go through these rating crash courses and go right to a regional, looking back at it I enjoyed every minute of instructing and freight flying it took to build my time. Especially flying the ole' DC-3. Things have gone down hill. Thats my .02$ worth.

 

[imacdog]

I got my ATP though All ATPs. I got unlimited access to the sim, a reasonable rate on a modern aircraft, and no scheduling conflicts. I took my ride with an airline check airman and definitely had to earn the rating. I don't know about their career program but I feel that getting the individual rating at this school was worthwhile.

 

[FDAFCFI]

I agree with you Buckeye. What the heck is going on with these green newbs these days. Kids today suck, they suck bad, friggin worthless no counts driving brand new Z71 Tahoes to the flight school, cancelling lessons 10 minutes after they were supposed to show up, smelling like traces of last nights' bedsheets, and constantly worried about their tee-times at Daddy's country club at 4 pm. Pathetic. Any young bucks dropping $40,000 at MAPD to get the right seat job in an ERJ makes me damn leery of flying the friendly regional skies...especially Mesa. The Captains should be commended for being the true PIC of that aircraft with no help from the freq switcher sitting next to them. Teaching is where you learn so much.

 

[FlyinTim]

Woah Woah Woah...I am a 20 year old CFI, CFII and MEI, and I worked my a$$ off for all of my ratings, at a local 141 school. Worked 50 hours a week and flew 6 days a week... not all of us are bad.

 

[Buckeye]

Fly'n Tim, Key Phrases = "Local", "Worked" now all you need is the non-aviation degree and you should be at the Big - Boys by the time you are 30. Hopefully this wasn't a place that has some sort of bridge program. I always recommended All Atps for their training, but it looks like they are in the process of selling out too. I still recommend their Multi course.

 

[av8rbama]

I had no choice but ATP at JFX (The BHM location that's 50 miles from BHM) for my commercial as this was the only complex airplane for rent within 100 miles of my home a couple of years ago. Turns out I got a multi- and single- for the same price as a single. Of course, the program was about $500 less than it is now when I took it. Did the maneuvers in a rented fixed-gear 172 and all the Vmc and complex stuff in the Seminole.

I have nothing but great things to say about the operation up there... granted, I wasn't part of the career pilot program though. My instructor wasn't the checkpilot and didn't have wet ink on his certificate (I was his 1500th hour). The aircraft was brand new and when it was time for the 100hr inspection, they made sure another airplane was there so I could fly. The DPE up there is a DC-10 captain and really took me through the wringer on the checkride... he wasn't trying to fail me, just to see how well I could perform. I think it all depends on the ATP location where you get your training. It was explained to me that each location is a franchise so you could run into slightly different operating procedures from one to another.

I am a mid-twenties pilot and it bothers me to see the reputation guys and girls my age have because of all the PFT/PFJ programs out there. I worked my butt off to pay cash for my private at a part-61 operation, had (paid off now) very little debt for my instrument & commercial as I did it through the CAP (cheap airplanes and free instructors) and have earned every single hour since then by flying photo-mapping. Oh, and did all of this while going to school full-time to get a BS and MS in civil engineering and working as much as I could to get scholarships and grants to pay for those degrees. We're not all looking for a "direct-track."

 

[FDAFCFI]

FlyinTim,

Once again, read my whole post. What did I say? I said there are some good kids out there doing the right thing amongst the bad litter. Read before you post. I'm proud of your accomplishments, keep it up.

 

[172driver]

The problem I see with all the posts here is that the majority of folks here are in their 20s. Something is gravely wrong with American children these days and this is the common thread...no one wants to really study for what they are earning.

Yeah, well, I am in my thirties and have had training in the 61,91,121,and 141 environments. My experience at AllATPs a couple of weeks ago was horrible. Most disorganized, unprofessional training I have ever seen. I went there to get my ATP, expecting a structured program, assuming because of their name that they had done this before.

Airplane was in disrepair, CFI's inexperienced, both were gone when they were supposed to be there for me. No charts, no gouge, no way to deice the planes, and on and on. I ended up getting much less training time than what I paid for because of their disorganization. Should've gone to the local FBO and saved some $$$. Thought I was paying for a structured program and got the opposite.