CPL vs ATPL ground exams

[blagger]

Hi,

I'm looking for people's thoughts on taking the CPL exams as opposed to the full ATPL exams. I am intending to be in full-time non-flying employment for another 11 years (military if you wondered) but want to get my CPL + FI and instruct part-time over that time. I might then try to instruct full-time or move onto air taxi type work etc.. if possible. As such, I cannot see myself getting the fATPL in that time, so my ATPL exams would be wasted?

However, I can see that not many schools offer the CPL course, so would it be better to go for a reputed ATPL course anyway, despite the extra hassle/cost?

If only the BCPL was in existence still I might have gone for that!

Any thoughts would be gratefully read.

Cheers,

Blagger

[FlyingForFun]

If you do the CPL exams, but then "move onto air taxi type work etc..." where you will need an IR, you will then have to sit the IR exams before you can do the IR training. There is an overlap between the CPL exams and the IR exams, so you will be duplicating effort.

What's more, having obtained your CPL and your IR, if you then acquire 500 multi-crew hours you may like to upgrade to an ATPL. But you will now need to sit the ATPL exams, which will require re-sitting all of the exams which you've already done (either for the CPL or the IR exams).

Mad, huh? Which is why, if there's any chance that you're going to want an IR in the future, the best advice is to do the ATPL exams from the start.

The disadvantage of doing the ATPL exams from the start is that you must then get your IR within 3 years of the end of the month of your final exam pass, otherwise the exams lapse and you have to do them again. Once you have the IR, you must not let it lapse by more than 7 years, otherwise the exams lapse and you have to do them all over again.

FFF
---------------

[Stoney X]

Good advice from FFF (again ;) ) Due to the overlap between the CPL/ATPL/IR theory it is a juggling act to ensure you don't waste time and money re-doing exams. My solution, as I intend doing part-time instructing after CPL, is to postpone the last ATPL exams and CPL/FI course a bit so that I can ensure I'll be able to afford an IR about two years later. Money's tight and the roofs leaking and all that. I'm hoping that the part-time instructing will help me to save towards some of the cost on the IR as well.

Regards
Stoney X