I’d appreciate some advice from anyone who has studied ATPL distance learning while working full-time. How did you manage to juggle flying and studying?
Let’s say I’m in a job that eats up 12 hours per day including commuting, and have a home / wife / mortgage to look after. Realistically, I can expect to read up notes on the train, study for a couple of hours each evening and all day Saturday or Sunday, leaving one day clear for household (and marital)
duties.
Looking at this schedule I’m not sure how flying can be fitted in as well, given that even an hour of bumps eats up half a day by the time I’ve driven to the airfield, pre-flighted, tied down, paid and gone home. In any case the budget would only allow a couple of hours per month, so at best I would just about be keeping current.
Given this, I’m seriously considering putting the flying on hold until the ATPLs are out of the way, then picking it up again afterwards to continue hour-building and then launch straight into the CPL/IR.
I’m guessing I’m not the first to experience this dilemma – would be grateful for any advice from people who’ve been through it before.