Dear All,
Yes it’s been discussed many times and yes I have waded through the different threads about
: ATPL Distant Learning.
Generally, it would appear the big guns in the field have been revamping their respective product.
In my mind I have singled out Bristol & OAT as contenders. (The former combining CD-rom with folders and the latter with revised manuals only – although OAT do have some material offered on CD-rom that could be used in conjunction).
PPRUNE threads definitely have a bias towards Bristol; yet OAT manuals appear to be used as back up solutions to other courses’ failings and pop up regularly as preferred training material. In terms of constructive negative comments against OAT – the worst I have come across is the content is too deep.
Does the latter point mean Bristol’s notes cut to the chase and are concise where OAT fulfil other requirements to cover a greater scope? At the end of the day passing the exam is what one is measured on and technique is king. [Not teaching to suck eggs].
It was suggested to me some months ago by an instructor at OAT to pick up a copy of the Navigation manual and have a browse to obtain a gut feel as to the depth and level required; suggested because in his experience Nav being one of the heavier subjects tended to prove more challenging. This I did and whilst there is a lot of detail I couldn’t grumble about its’ conciseness.
BUT that’s where I’d appreciate some input please:
Apart from the 3-D animations and CBT solution Bristol boasts that their course can be done entirely from paper: How does the content compare to the typical OAT manual?
What is the typical turnaround time from emailing instructors at OAT with queries?
Does anybody have experience of using the OAT Virtual College and how does the forum compare with that at Bristol which looks both user-friendly and accessible to even non-Bristol students?
Kind regards,
EG
P.S. I have no axe to grind and certainly would prefer if replies answered without entering the usual unconstructive slagging match. Many thanks in advance.