CPL/ATPL GS? AFT/Bristol/Cranfield?

[enevill]

Hi,

Sorry if this has been done to death.

I am looking at doing a CPL and following that up with a FI rating and later and IR rating.

I am debating whether to do the ATPL or CPL ground school. I have been told that if I do the ATPL ground school then I do not need to do the IR ground school provided I do the IR within 3 years. Is this correct?

How much more difficult is the ATPL ground school? As far as I understand the CPL ground school involves 9 exams, the ATPL 14. Are the 9 for the CPL a subset of the 14 for the ATPL? Or are they completely different exams? If so, how much easier are they?

I would like to get my CPL by Apr next year. I can do 15-20 hrs a week for the next 5 months and 40 hours a week from then. Is this realistic for the ground school + the flight training (I have all the pre-qualifications already, 200hrs, 300nm trip, 5hrs night). Is it still realistic if I do the ATPL ground school?

Finally, the $20M question. Which ground school? I have spoken to AFT and Bristol. Bristol gets a lot of recs on PPrune. AFT is not mentioned much but what is mentioned is good. Any other opinions?

I get the impression that Bristol is very much geared towards airlines (easyjet?).

I like the fact that they also do flight training at AFT and are happy to train on my own 172.

Are there any others I should be looking at? Cranfield? I get the impression that Cranfield is very busy and can be somewhat impersonal?

Any comments welcome, thanks for your help,

Ed.

[silverknapper]

IMHO

Not sure what exactly is involved in the CPL stuff, however you are going to have to do the full set of 14 eventually - do it now and get it out the way! Unless you want to instruct and will never need a CPL/IR.
15-20 hrs a week should see you get the exams done distance learning in around 5-6 months if you work hard.
I went to Bristol so can only comment on them - although I did masses of research before I chose them, and was in a position to go either D/L or full time. I don't know what you mean by 'geared towards the airlines', I found them to be exceptionally geared towards getting you through the course and couldn't recommend them enough.

SK

[V1 Rotate]

Guys................What is the web address for the Bristol school???

V1 Rotate

[Mobieus1]

www.bristol.gs

[High Wing Drifter]

Hang a sec! Where did my post go? It's gone; mysteriously in the night :confused:

[FlyingForFun]

Enevill,

If you do the CPL exams now, you will then need to do the IR exams before you can do your IR. Some of these exams are the same as the CPL ones, so you will have to do them twice.

What's more, once you've got 1500 hours, 500 of which are on a multi-crew aircraft (and there are a few other requirements thrown in too), you will then be ready to upgrade your CPL to an ATPL. But you can not do this unless you've done the ATPL exams. So you will then have to do all 14 exams - all of which you'll have done once already, and some of which you'll have done twice.

No doubt at all - do the ATPL exams to start with.

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

[Nearly Man]

True silverknapper ... I just finished at Bristol, got me through, they know their stuff! I had heard they were a bit of a sausage factory but I found them to be helpful and sincere!
Though, by the time you get your ATPLs out of the way .. things could have changed as they tend to do!

Had a few chums went through the Cranfield machine .. not too good a write up on them to be honest!

[Aim High]

If you are considering an IR in the next couple of years do the ATPL theoretical knowledge course.

Cranfield Aviation Training School offers PPL, CPL, IR and ATPL theoretical knowledge training with longer course lengths than other schools and trains students well.

Do not confuse them with sausage machines please :D

[Dick Whittingham]

Agree. Stick with helpful, sincere and honest schools.

Dick W

[Barley Bean]

I am currently an ATPL student at Cranfield Aviation Training School with last exams in May !

I initialy looked at the so called 'sausage machine' and realised after months of research' that' type of school wasn't suited to me and my style of learning. At the same time I was investigating CATS and indeed visited the school on three seperate ocassions over a period of time. Having spoken at length with the CGI and other instructors, I began to realise that this was possibly the school for me. I also made sure I spent time with many of the students who were currently studying the ATPL and CPL subjects, chatting to most of them, gleaning much needed information for what is hopefully a career change. I have to be honest and say that the atmosphere and learning pace at CATS allows the individual to follow either sylabus at a more relaxed pace. This, as I have already mentioned, has certainly benefited me in the long run.

I was there when CATS took on the 4-forces students, who, as far as I am aware have all finished their courses. I personally saw how each CATS instructor dedicated a great deal of time to their individual needs considering the stress each student had been through! I have also just found out that CATS has now taken on the ATA students since they unfortunately stopped training in Coventry. I wish the ATA students well in their future studies at what I can only describe as a very friendly, very helpful school who's instructor's are entirely dedicated to seeing each and every student through their course.

I never thought I would reach the stage that I am at now, a somewhat mature student who struggled miserably at school with very impatient teachers. To complete the ATPL will fullfill a lifelong ambition of over 40 years of finally allowing me to become an airline pilot.

Thank you Cranfield Aviation Training School for your excellent training,well structured sylabus and gaggle of very patient, very tolerant dedicated band of superb instructors .

[Jelly Doughnut]

Bristol has my vote!
First time pass in all ATPL subjects, 89% average passmark.
Excellent notes, support, brushup courses, and practice exam papers which are very close to the real thing.
Good luck
:ok:

[Jetgate]

Again to clarify, out of the two Ground Training facilities that are at Cranfield CATS get my vote and recommendation. They have helped me and others in my class to pass all the papers which we attempted a couple of weeks ago. The marks are all fantastic and thus a lot of happy campers at EGTC today!!!!!!!

The general Buzzword might be 'FEEDBACK' but at CATS the motto is 'DON'T rely on the Feedback'. They teach you the subject THOROUGHLY and also prep you for the exams at the very end. Other than being good at teaching they strive to maintain good relationships with the students along with an ethical pricing policy.

In my books certainly well, WELL above the 'Duty and Care' we have come to expect from the UK Flight Training industry......

Thanks again to all the staff.

(.....and also a BIG well done to all my class mates!!)

[Keith.Williams.]

Barley bean,

Your post is really quite fascinating.


If I may quote you:

QUOTE
I was there when CATS took on the 4-forces students, who, as far as I am aware have all finished their courses. I personally saw how each CATS instructor dedicated a great deal of time to their individual needs considering the stress each student had been through!
UNQUOTE

Well 4-Force went out of business in August 2001, so if you were a CATS student at that time, you have been studying for at least 32 months. If this is the case you have probably had to start over again having used up your initial 18 months. Your second 18 month period will also now be close to expiry. Is this really how long it takes at CATS or have I missed something? If on the other hand you were not actually there as a student, perhaps you will tell us all what you were doing there. A member of the staff perhaps?????

If I may quote you again:

QUOTE
I have also just found out that CATS has now taken on the ATA students since they unfortunately stopped training in Coventry.
UNQUOTE

When my school (EPTA) offered jobs to staff from ATA they insisted that they would be unavailable until ATA had completed it current course. They are doing this for the very honourable reason that they are not prepared to let down any of their students. It is possible that CATS is taking on some students who had failed exams in the past or some who had planned to join ATA for their next course. But let's not give the impression that ATA have cut and run. From the information that I have available I believe that they have done no such thing.

I note that this is your first post on pprune. I find this a little bit curious given the history of first-time posters making comments that are strongly supportive of CATS. The most recent poster playing this game started by slagging off BGS, then had to admit that they had never actually studied there.

Curiouser and curiouser???????????????

[Pilot Pete]

For what it's worth I recently saw a set of Bristol Groundschool notes and they looked extremely well presented, of high quality and very comprehensive. I trained pre JAR and my notes were just black and white photocopied in a binder. These were colourful and contained many, many pictures (a great help!)

They get my vote.

PP

[EGCC4284]

Have a read of the following

http://www.bristol.gs/news4.htm

[Malc]

I can't comment on the others, but I'll second any praises heaped on Bristol GS.

I got 8/8 for Mod 1, first sitting. The distance learning can be hard, but the phone, email and forum support from Bristol is absolutely first class.

The 2 weeks crammer prior to the exams is purgatory, BUT just what's needed to get through them. I thought I'd worked pretty hard at the distance learning phase, but the 2 weeks residential course showed just how many more hours per day it's possible to work.

Thanks to all at Bristol.

Seconds away, Mod 2.....:O

[Barley Bean]

Sir, in response to your last post ..... I wish I could say the same of yours, but thanks for the compliment anyway !

I have absolutley no wish to become embroiled in a slanging match on here concerning the above establishment or indeed any other training school.

In conclusion, CATS suited me very well, that is not to say other schools aren't the same high standard or possibly even better in some areas.

Edited by PPRuNe Towers as we've been through all this before with another ID and BB doesn't do stinging rebuke very well at all. Cats are more than happy to simply to stand by their record in the exam sittings and the resulting word of mouth. An eviable position for any company in the industry