Originally Posted by
rudestuff
Reality check. There's is no such thing as 'half integrated', you're going modular. It's one or the other. Some integrated providers will allow you to hold a PPL but nothing more and certainly not ATPL theory.
Integrated courses are all about milking you for as much money as possible, sending you to somewhere sunny to do most of your flying in places where flying costs half as much, delaying your training in favour of any other customer who happens to be paying more than you and then wrapping it up in a glossy package that says "We're better".
Now this you have 100% right.
You obviously have your class 1 medical and PPL already - what else does your local airfield offer? My advice is to do your commercial cross country and get your IMC rating as soon as you have 25 hours. Get as much IFR/XC/night hour building as you can.
That way once you have the ATPL exams your IR can be done in 10 hours.
Perhaps I didn't word it correctly. Yes it is all modular really but once I get my 150 hours. All my remaining ratings/CPL will be done under one roof who also do integrated packages so I guess the learning will be similar to what they do with integrated students from then on.
My local airfield offers night and IMC which I will be doing. I am not far off my 25 hours solo but will commit to it once I have gotten my first module out of the way on my ATPL. All my flying since passing my test has been XC as I normally book 3 hour slots. I am planning to do my commercial cross country to Holland and back with a stop in the UK to make up the requirement. It is a requirement for the place I want to do my ratings to have a 300 mile XC before which I presume is the commercial XC as I haven't read up on this yet?
Like you have mentioned it keeps my options more opened and my hours not wasted by putting as much as possible into IFR etc.