90 Day Program Schedule

[AlexanderA-FL-608]

Matt,
Hey, How's it goin? I was just wondering if you could give me some info on what your schedule is like during the 90 day program. What is a typical day like? Do you have much freetime or are you pretty much going all day every day? What time does your day usually start and end?
Thanks,
Chris

[ASA Matt]

Chris,

ATP offers "total immersion training" in all of their programs. That's a euphemism for working your butt off from day one! Actually, what it really means is that you'll be exposed to "airline-like" training from the start. The way the airlines do things is fast and furious, so that's what you can expect the ACPP to be like.

I'll tell you what I tell everyone who asks about the pace of the ACPP (90-day course). All it takes to succeed is passion and hard work. The advantage of ATP’s programs over other Part 141 schools is the ability to complete a ton of training in a relatively short amount of time. How do you accomplish this? By studying hard and showing up often times 7 days a week ready to learn.

I had an advantage when I started the ACPP in August of '05. I had just completed the Private Pilot program which was identical in pace and structure. Right before that, I had graduated from college and was still in the studying mindset, so to speak. Two things I knew for sure: I wanted to get my training done as quickly as possible, and I was prepared to work as hard as I had to to do it.

That being said, here's what you might expect when you start. Of course, the best disclaimer I can give you is that it totally depends on your instructor.

Expect to show up every day of the week prepared for at least half a day of ground and half a day of flight/sim training. You will be expected to do a fair amount of studying/reading on a nightly basis both as part of the ground training and in preparation for the written tests you'll be completing throughout the course. This is what it'll be like though the instrument rating (first 45 days or so).

As soon as you start cross-countries, your schedule will resemble that of, well, an airline pilot on reserve. I'll get into that in my answer to your next post.

When you start commercial training followed by CFI school, it'll be back to the books and daily ground school/flight training.

None of this is meant to intimidate you but it is meant to be taken seriously. While days off are not scheduled, you may find one every now and then. But that solely depends on how hard you work. I had a lot of fun during my training at ATP. This is because I knew how to balance work with leisure having done it (often times unsuccessfully) throughout my four years at UGA. At no point was I overwhelmed. I worked hard and made the best out of my training. And it paid off for me. The best way to sum it up is that it'll be the most fun you'll never want to have again!

>Matt