Allowing Your ATPL Exams to Expire. did you?

[Mintflavour]

Hi
Has anybody out there allowed there ATPL exams to expire before doing the IR (therefore resitting all 14 ATPL exams again)?

If so how did you get on and how did you go about it, ie. just revised your old feedback question collections etc.

The reason I ask is that I am currently a part time instructor and love it. I currently have CPL, FI, IMC, ME. (my age is 30) As we all know instructing doesnt pay enough to do it full time and therefore I only do 1 day a weekend while holding down a fairly decent job during the week, which to be honest doesn't excite me. By March I will have paid off all my loans/debts to get as far as I have. At the moment I am not 100% sure if I want to go through all the hassle and financial burden of going to the airlines. However my feelings may change in the future, but my ATPL exams expire June 2006.
So as you can see I am now under some pressure to make a decision whether to do the IR (have to be part time and therefore need to allow 3 months plus contingency to complete). knowing it could be in the long run a waste of time, £11-12K and stress. or could regret not doing it.
Any advise would be nice

Cheers

mint

[A330 Biggles]

Do the IR! It'll give you better oppertunitys as an instructor possibly better pay??

Anyway do you really want to go through the 14 exams again, i wouldnt... that was 7 months of working my balls off to get them!

[642vgs]

As above. Do the IR mate. I'm in a similar situation to you. My exam credits expire in October 06. I'm 42 and have no real expectation of a job with the airlines but who knows. I'd like to instruct commercially at some point in the future but if I haven't got the IR it would severely hinder whatever opportunities present themselves. I start mine in December.

If you don't, you'll always wonder 'What if.....'

[Unusual Attitude]

Hi there, yes unfortunately my ATPL exams expired about 8 months ago having only completed a CPL. Am now looking to undertake an IR and gain a frozen ATPL but I cant seem to get a firm answer on exactly what I need to do.
From what I can tell I need to sit all the exams again (nightmare) but nowhere seems to be able to offer me any kind of reduced course of study to take into account I've already done them and currently hold a JAR CPL. Basically it looks like I need to undertake the same course of study as a basic PPL holder would which is utter madness.

All a bit of a grey area from what I can tell so my advice would be to do anything you can to avoid having you ATPL's expire !!!

Regards

UA

[Mintflavour]

Cheers for the response so far

Unusual Attitude...... Do you know for sure that you have to resit the refresher courses as well or can you just sign up for the exams??

mint