Sergei,
I agree, and I think that there is a possibility of reputation damage in terms of this, which may lead to a significant reduction of prospective ATP students in the near future… On one hand, the FAA is trying to come up with some source of solution for the current and upcoming pilots’ shortage by increasing the retirement age for the pilots, whereas, the agency is not being proactive in encouraging and expediting the new pilots to enter the industry… in terms of your FAA joke, that sounds cool… lol. In my home country there’s is an expression that “There is a portion of truth in every joke”…are u still planning on joining ATP and making a career change? (I remember you saying that in one of your previous posts)
Well, the school administration can only do what’s in their control to offset anything like that and be open about any possible delays with their potential and present students. There are a number of school choices for folks looking for an airline pilot career, and if someone thinks that other schools in the same area aren’t subject to the same FSDO DPE shortages I have some land in the Everglades that I can sell them.
Yes, ATP is still on the top of my list. I am working on the 2nd part of my financing and will lock in a starting date when that goes through.
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John,
There is absolutely no current discussion on increasing the pilot retirement age. The last change was almost a decade ago and there is currently no credible movement to revisit the issue.
Chris
Good to know Chris, I was told by one senior FAA medical examiner that FAA is currently considering the increase of the retirement age for pilots from 65 to 67 as one possibility to fight the shortage issue… yet, as you said, there has not been any official information released as of today.
Is the Tampa location a good one for having more instructor availability for the instructor portion or will I likely be going somewhere else?
Cody,
You will be sent to one of the CFI training locations for at least your initial CFI.
How are those written exams coming along?
Chris
Hello Chris,
I finished the PAR modules and reset all questions and have pretty much completed that. I took one practice test and will take the other two practice tests when I get to Florida and can actually sit for the exam the next day. I’m about 400-500 questions into the IRA material. It started off easy because I knew a lot from PAR, but it has started to get a little more difficult with the new material and the charts they use are not easy on the eyes at all lol. I’m still getting used to learning through just practice questions with no modules, but I’m doing my best to intuitively think about why the answer is what it is and the explanations help most times. I’m not freaking out too much because I know the point is just to knock the written out and I can get an elaboration in ground school. It’s amazing how well the Sheppard method works. Seeing the correct answer only at first and then going through with all the answer choices, the correct answer just pops right out.
I’ll be in Florida on June 28, at which point I will hopefully be ready to take PAR, IRA, FII. Then my classes start July 23, giving me about a month to try and knock out the rest. I won’t be working anymore so it’s definitely possible. At the very least I intend to have PAR, IRA, FII, and CAX knocked out before my class date.
Thanks so much for the follow up. Made my day haha.
Cody,
I am glad the test prep is going well, keep at it as it will give you a huge leap ahead in the program.
Chris
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Cody,
While reading your post, it sounds like there is a ton of material that one needs to study for the tests to make it all the way through successfully…I am fine with that but just curious what percentage of all ATP students make it all the way through the program and get to instruct at ATP, while working on their flight time to transition to the airlines? I am about to start my ATP program and just a bit intimidated of what to expect along the way and if getting through the instructor’s phase is the toughest in comparison to the whole school work? How possible is it to finish strong and reach your final goal? Thank you
John,
I do not have official figures, but my understanding is that 80% of those who start the program from zero hours successfully complete it and 90% of those that start from PPL do so.
Chris
John,
I’d say at least 80% of the students successfully complete the full program.
The hardest for some is the Private phase. For others it’s the Instrument phase. Once you get over those hurdles the rest of the ratings get a little easier each time. As long as you retain your knowledge, CFI school should be a breeze because there’s only a few new things to learn.
My advice is to get as many written tests out of the way as you can before you start. Also, hold yourself accountable during the program and use all of your resources to ensure that you are maximizing your potential. Don’t just show up and expect your instructor to teach you everything you need to know. You won’t be able to get through the program without them, but they are not there to hold your hand the entire time.
Tory
Thank you Chris. That’s a pretty good number I guess.
Thank you Tory for the heads up. I’ll try to focus on completing at least one of my written prior to my start date, since currently I am working hard to finish my BS by the mid of summer before I start ATP.
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John,
It’s really about attitude and hard work. As the others have said it’s important to get the writtens out of the way. Frankly this should not be a very arduous task. While it requires a fair amount of time to study and complete them all, it really should be accomplished through rote learning using the provided study material (King’s and Sheppard). IF you can ACCEPT the fact that the actually learning will take place AFTER you’re in the program and just treat the written material for what it is it actually should be the simplest part of the whole program and shouldn’t be intimidating at all.
Adam
Thank you Adam for your input and valuable recommendations. Do you know if there have been any foreign students going through the program and still completed everything successfully even though English is not their native/former language? Have you encountered pilots who come from that kind of background?
John,
Many foreign students have and continue to be successful in the program. Obviously your level of English proficiency could be a factor but if you’re fairly comfortable speaking, hearing and understanding (which you seem to be) you should be fine. A strong accent is fine, struggling for words is not.
Adam
John,
I have known several pilots that are not native English speakers, as long as their English is up to par, they usually do fine. Based off of your writing, you should not have any issues.
Chris
Thank you Gentlemen for your responses and encouragement, I appreciate it. Just trying to analyze all of the related factors that may influence the progress along the way.
It seems like there maybe is at least a little bit of a delay for starting CFI school. I don’t know exactly how frequently they start CFI classes, but the earliest I am currently able to get is a July 9th start date, and I’m taking my Commercial SE check ride this week. Although I was also told that if something earlier becomes available, they’d let me know.
While I wasn’t expecting almost a month between finishing my Commercial ratings and the start of my CFI training, I’m going to try to make the most of it by working on some lesson plans so I show up super prepared for CFI school.
Kyle,
Sounds like a great plan. Lesson plans, endorsements, and FOIs is what I would focus on. When you get to CFI school, you’ll be a step ahead. Best case scenario, you’ll be the first in your class to pass your ride.
Tory