JAA ATPL Modular?

[Somedaymaybe]

Dear All,

I am unaware if anyone has posted a similar question to the one i am about to ask, so apologies if its been heard before.

I am considering doing my ATPL groundschool the moudular route, probably with Oxford Aviation Training, reasons being i want to keep a job and also feel that this would be a more appropriate route, however i would love to here from all of you that have done modular ATPLs and whether you feel that they are a wise idea and vary much from going full-time.

Also those of you who have studied Oxford ATPLs pls let me know what the course is like and what i can expect.

Regards
SDM

[FlyingForFun]

SDM,

First of all, we need to correct what seems to be a slight misunderstanding on your part. The choice is not "modular" or "full time" as you seem to imply (viz. where you say "whether... [modular studies]... vary much from going full-time").

The choice is actually modular or integrated. If you choose the integrated route, you will have to study/train full-time. If you choose the modular route, you can study/train as fast or as slow (within reason) as you like. It is perfectly possible to follow the modular route, but still to do so full-time.

Ok, that's that cleared up.

The vast majority of us have followed, or are following, a modular course. Many of us are doing this part-time, myself included. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it - in fact, it is almost certainly the best way of training if you feel you need to keep hold of you current job.

How understanding will your boss be if you want to take extended periods of leave? If you have a boss who is not understanding, or if you choose not to tell your boss what you're doing, you will have to plan your holidays over the next few years very carefully to ensure that you can get time off for exams, brush-up courses, and periods of intensive flying training, but that is the only complexity with the route you are looking to follow.

Good luck,

FFF
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[High Wing Drifter]

I'm so close to completing my ATPLs I can smell it. I also just about managed it full time. If it wasn't for the fact I worked virtually without holiday last year I would not have been able to blag the six weeks holiday I needed this year to do the ATPLs. That would have been the biggest problem. However, I am doing mine with Bristol who require four weeks class time. However, London Guildhall 'only' require three weeks so depending on your constraints I think plenty of phoning and talking will be required to find the right course for you.

As to whether it was a wise choice, in my case it was the only choice.

[oompa loompa]

High Wing Drifter,

I'm at a similar stage to Somedaymaybe, only I'm definately going modular; for interest, how long has it taken you to complete the BGS modules, and appx how much study time did you put into it?

Also, am I right in thinking you're doing both module brush-up's back to back?

Thanks,

OL

[High Wing Drifter]

I will have been at it 2 weeks shy of a year if I pass all of the remainder in August. I think, even part-time, it is possible to shave another two months off of that as I seemed to have a month spare to revise once I did all the progress tests and prior to the brush-up course for both modules.

I reckon I spend about 10-15 hours a week...to be honest it varied from week to week but certainly no more than 18 hrs and a bare minimum of 5 hrs. However, my style of ATPL studying is a little odd as I don't make notes. I just read and do tests. I noticed that any notes I made were either more wordy and more inaccurate than the provided notes...so I stopped.

The Bristol course is structured with eight subjects in the first module followed by a two week crammer/brush-up course then exams. Then you start module 2 for the remaining six subjects followed again by the two week crammer and the final set of exams. Other schools can do things quite differently. I found Bristol excellent, but equally others have had a successfull time at their schools too.

[pinkpilot]

I did phase one distance learning and phase two full time and I could not fault oxford in their ground training at all!!

If you have the time and the money it is definately worthwhile doing the full time ground school course, I can pick up any of the notes that I studied in the classsroom and I can almost hear the lecture again, I just wish I had done phase one full time.

You work entirely at your own pace and they are quite flexible on brush up dates, Deena who works there is a star!!

[Send Clowns]

Dena really is a star, isn't she, Pink? Others on PPRuNe and other people I know who have done some training at Oxford have said so, and are much more complimentary than the general comments here about OATS admin.

It bemuses me why Oxford made her redundant :confused: However their loss is BCFT's gain. She is now PA to our head of training, and a great asset to the company.