Hey Mike,
That's a tough one. There are a couple of problems here. First off even the 10 Month Self Paced requires a commitment of at least 2 days weeks. The reason is CONSISTANCY. The ATP program is based on the fact that you'll be training continously and therefore not have the opportunity to slide backward. Flying skills are definitely perishable and it's a "use it or lose it" thing. Two weeks here is great, it's the two weeks "there" that could potentially be a problem. Short answer, don't think it can work.
As far as showing up with other advanced ratings, you would still need to repeat the training and there would be no cost reduction (as you would still be doing the flying, however, you obviously would save on the checkride fees). The reason is when ATP places their "stamp of approval" on your head, they're putting their (very solid and respected) reputation on the line as well. They're saying "we trained this guy and we're confident he can do the job".
Can't speak for the guys in the home office, but I'm reasonably sure they left SLE either because they found a "better" (for any number of reasons, financial, logistical, etc) location or perhaps simply a lack of attendance/interest in that location.
Wish I had better news. If you can think of anything else that might work for you, feel free to write here or SkyWest Todd, or to call ATP direct.
Adam
|