Today marks one month at ATP. I wanted to give a little recap of my experience so far. I came in with my PPL so I started on my instrument rating at the Phoenix KIWA location. I’ve flown 30 hours so far, most of it under the hood. I’ve logged 12 hours in the sim and done multiple ground lessons. I flew through my first cloud. I’ve flown to several airports including Riverside, Yuma, Tucson, Casa Grande, Coolidge, and Marana. I’m most impressed by the organization of my training, the lessons are accessible online and I can arrive well prepared for each lesson. The aircraft are all in very good condition and maintenance is always on top of any issues. I’m planning to take my instrument written next week. All the CFI’s and other students are very willing to help answer any questions. I can’t wait to see what’s next. If anyone has any particular questions about the KIWA location or my experience so far I’ll answer them the best I can.
Robert,
This is awesome! For an aspiring future student to see this it helps get rid of worries one may have. I know it helps reinforce what the mentors have been saying.
Thanks for the update and I can’t wait to see more as I progress towards the time I enroll.
Tom
Robert,
Thanks so much for sharing your experience thus far. I am glad that everything is going well and that you are pleased with everything. Please keep us up to date and good luck!
Chris
How much free time do you have outside of studying? Have you been able to actually have a weekends off or do most students study and fly on the weekends as well?
Robert,
Thanks for the report and glad it’s going well. Keep it coming and keep up the hard work!
Adam
Hey Robert,
I will be starting at KIWA in late June. How would you rate the pace of training at the location? Is the pace manageable from what you have experienced? Thanks.
Jonah W.
I have had every weekend off, I’ve made myself available for the weekends but my instructor typically wants a little off time(I don’t blame him). The pace has been manageable so far, I am studying for 3-4 hours a day on my own time. I am not required to be at the facility except for my scheduled flight/sim/ground lessons, so i will sometimes stay and study with other people, but I find I study better by myself at home with fewer distractions. I keep a notepad to right down questions I have while studying. I’ve heard once I get past my instrument rating and crew cross country the the pace intensifies with multi engine, commercial and CFI training. I’m staying ahead of the game so far and I’m enjoying it.
That is very reassuring that there is still plenty of free time and that the pace is manageable! Thanks for the info!
Do you have scheudaled training mon-Fri or do you have some random days off?
Tucker, I am scheduled for something, be it a flight, sim, or ground lesson every day M-F. I know my schedule about a week in advance. My instructor has several other students so typically besides long cross country flights I have about 2 hours/day with him.
That sounds very reasonable. My only concern is I have a wedding I have to head home for in September and I’m hoping I can get a few extra days off so I don’t have to fly home Friday night and back Sunday!
Tucker,
When you schedule your program make sure to talk to the admissions department about your wedding. As long as you are not asking for too much time off they should be able to accommodate that into your schedule.
Chris
I’m so relieved to hear your experience. I’ll be starting at Mesa ATP with zero hours next week and I tend to retain and study better alone.
Felecia,
Just some food for thought. I was always a study alone kind of guy and that always served me well. But when I got to ATP (and later at the airlines) I learned the benefit of group study. Everyone has their strengths and by study in a group it allows you to cover more ground and often uncovers weaknesses you may have not even known you have. Give it a shot.
Adam
Felecia,
I’m in my 2nd week and typically retain more when I study alone; however, I’ll echo what Adam said and tell you being on site is helping tremendously. We’re all here for the same reason, and we’re all in different phases of training. This has already proved to be very helpful in understanding some aspects of the training. You can only get so much from a book…hearing several different ways of retaining information really helps!
Scott
I talked to them and they said as long as they are given the notice about a month in advance it usually is not an issue.
Great feedback! I start on the 10th and I’m excited to start my training.
The 10th of April? What location?
Chicago Dupage (KDPA)
Are you enjoying the Mesa location? I’ve veen seriously considering it but can’t seem to make up my mind lol