I took my 1st class medical exam and received a deferral. I fully expect to be cleared but I don’t want to wait the extra time to register for class and so I am considering getting my PPL from a school that doesn’t require a medical certification prior to enrollment. I am interested in a specific school with a great reputation that doesn’t require the iPad or other equipment during training. If I do pursue this path will not having previously utilized said equipment cause me any headaches or delays when and if I transfer to ATP for my further certs and licensing?
Not previously utilizing the equipment should not be a big deal for you. What does concern me though is you starting to train without a first class medical. I understand that you would like to start as soon as possible and think that you will be cleared, but what if you are not? Deferrals are not the norm and are usually indicative of something that isn’t quite right. I know you want to fly as soon as possible, but I would wait until I had the medical certificate before I started to fly.
Appreciate it. It’s not a big deal deferral and I’m sure it’ll be cleared up, and the doctor told me she’d seen the same issue before and it was fine and a consultant I spoke to said that he’s seen the same issue 100s of times and it just ended up as a few hoops to jump through. Appreciate your concern, though!
Oh yes and I forgot to mention that I called the airman analyst and they knew the case I was talking about and said the deferral was ridiculous and they couldn’t believe it… so yeah. Not too worried. Worst case scenario I get my PPL, which I want anyway.
Also be aware that if starting the program with credit for private, ATP requires your Private Pilot Certificate as well as 80 hours minimum total time. So if you go to a separate school, you will need to factor those additional hours (let’s say 30 hours assuming you complete your PPL in 50 hours total time) into your financial situation.
If speed is your goal, you may actually be hurting yourself as it may require much more time than you expect to pay for those additional flight hours after your finish your private. Just a thought to consider.
You are required 1500 hours in either scenario. The difference is that in one scenario, you are paying money for each flight hour while in the other, you are getting paid per flight hour. There are certainly arguments to be made if favor of both approaches (arriving at ATP with zero time vs. getting your PPL first) and if you search this forum, you will read many of the arguments that have been made. In short, if starting ATP with zero time you will reach your PPL quicker, get started on your IFR training faster, and likely compete all your ratings way faster than if you get your Private outside of ATP and opt for the 6 month track. In addition, if starting at 0 time, you will learn the ATP methods and procedures from the start (which are designed to set you up for a career in the airlines). That being said, you can probably get your PPL and 80 hours TT cheaper outside of ATP…this is really the ONLY argument in favor of using a local flight school first and then transferring to ATP with credit for private and completing the 6 month track (well maybe there are other pros but I cant think of any at the moment). The choice is yours obviously but if I were starting zero time with the goal of becoming a pro, I would start at ATP first as I would pretty much guarantee myself a better overall experience…albeit a little more expensive than the alternative I just described.
Hope that makes sense and that I did not step on the toes of our mentors. Again, it sounds to me that time is an important variable in your decision. If speed is your goal, I would do some more analysis to determine if your proposed route is actually faster. And as Chris said, never assume the FAA will hand you a First Class.
I’m not concerned regarding the medical. Like I said, even the analyst was surprised I was deferred and I spoke to a consultant and so on. If I described the situation I am sure you’d agree but I do value my privacy. I understand your argument but if it takes three months to even get through the deferral process it hardly seems it would be faster to start at ATP and not a different school -> 80 hrs -> ATP.
Just wanted to put in my two cents as I had to make the same decision.
I opt’d to get my PPC outside of ATP due to a new baby and money issues at the time.
Pros:
-I’m on track to save $5-8k this way
-It worked better for my schedule to be able to take care of the Baby and get more money in the house with the wife working
Cons:
-I was looking at starting last Oct with ATP and am still working on my PPC.
-Most mom and pop flight schools only have PT instructors as most either fly FT or have a regular job and teach for extra money and/or Love flying.
-Weather: it’s your friend at times and your enemy and with only having PT instructors if the weather doesn’t favor you not only does that push you back but then you have to try and find a slot in the +/-3 days a week they have available to make it up and hope the weather doesn’t get you again where ATP it’s 5days a week (7 if you and the CFI agree to it)
-Mom and Pop CFIs have lives that aren’t working to the goal of 1500hrs so they take vacations and will always put events first over their PT schedule
Also a side note: If you go to a Mom and Pop for your PPC visit numerous places and treat them like a job applicant some don’t always fit and I’ve heard some horror stories where they will try and milk you for every thing like putting off your solo for “more training time” or there’s a few clouds so we will just do pattern work instead of training in areas you need.
Not to hijack Elias’s thread but it made me think about something. Let’s say the FAA will only issue a Class 2 medical. Will ATP still allow a student to attend training?
Regs would allow that person to still fly commercially, just not get their ATP and fly the airlines, correct?
I don’t believe they would (question for Admin), regardless I would strongly recommend against it. While the “regs” allow a person to fly commercially their career prospects would be severely limited. Even for corporate and many most other positions, for insurance purposes most companies require their pilots to get their ATPs.
Be aware, you will need your medical by the time that you solo which at a mom and pop shop isn’t long. Mine took 7 hrs so you’ll need a medical one way or another
I’m in the shoes as the OP here. I have zero ACTUAL flying experience (other than sims and ground knowledge), and FAA issued me a medical fly test first class. I checked with the local FSDO and the requirement to pass this test is pretty much the same for a PPL. I checked with ATP admin if they offered a PPL track, and they answered negative. And they won’t admit me without a cleared first class medical. So, therefore, my hand is forced to find a local CFI to pass the required medical flight test (and might as well get my PPL, since the requirements are identical) and then reapply for ATP admission.
This, and other things, have thrown me off track, and now I have to re-apply with the FAA. I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to ask this here, but would anyone know/recommend a trusted CFI/local flight school around the Phoenix, AZ area to train with them for a PPL? It’s okay to PM your response. Thanks.
Thanks for all the replies, folks, and if anyone wants to use this thread for other medical / training venue questions I personally as the thread originator encourage it as I’ll be automatically informed.