ATPL study time

[oceanicclarence]

Hi guys and gals.
im after some advice on ATPL study time.
having gained my PPl, IMC and night ratings I have just purchased module 1 of the ATPL correspondance course from GTS. I am determined to study by correspondance, because it is the only option open to me at the moment. basically I have a crap day job, (15-17k pa) and also work as a part time firefighter on a night and at weekends (10k pa) this takes up alot of time but is the only way im able to pay for my training.
can anybody who studied by distance learning tell me the best ways of being disciplined with study, learning techniques, etc? I realise alot of this is down to the individual, but I like to hear the experiences of others.
my aim is to be paid to fly professionaly. simple as that....so im looking at ATPL, multi IR and an instructor rating.

many thanks.

[High Wing Drifter]

Highly subjective. I needed to commute to London each day, so I did all my reading on the train (2 hours a day), and spent a couple of extra hours a week doing the progress tests. That allowed me to complete in 12 months. I would have found it difficult studying at home.

[Epic_mg]

Currently studying distance learning and now seriously considering a full time residential course. I really admire those that have completed the theory while holding down a day job.

Looking at GCSN which starts in Feb.

Good luck

[no sponsor]

I would study for around 15-20 hrs per week. The entire course took me around 600 hrs of self study over about 8 months, although I could have done it a bit quicker.

You pass these exams at the brush up courses, not by doing all your studying. I would aim to understand the basic concepts, then attend the full-time part of a D/L course.

[Darlick]

I've just posted a reply on exactly the same subject on another thread so below is just a 'copy and paste' of that reply. That thread is called Full time job + Distance learning (HOW). Hope it helps.

I did distance learning whilst working full time and having two young children and had exactly the same fears as you've got. However, don't worry too much. Just do as much study as you can and don't worry about learning things in too much detail, Also don't worry about remembering it once you've moved on.

I say this because when you go on the brush up course at your school prior to taking the exams you will find that all of that forgotten stuff will come flooding back and you will do MOST of your learning there. The school will go through the whole sylabus and give you loads of feedback papers (ie loads of known/past actual exam questions). These brush up courses are hard work - all day in the classroon and then up 'till gone midnight studying but you will learn it all.

At the start of each of my two brush up's i didn't have a clue and would never have passed any of the exams but because of the quality of the courses i got 13 out 14 first time - and i'm fairly thick!!!

Good luck. The course notes are totally daunting but the actual exams are not that hard if you have a basic knowledge.

[High Wing Drifter]

Hello!

I have these personal pointers:

* I found that it was very easy studying on the train. If you drive to work, find out what the public transport scheme is and take a bus/train instead. Even if it adds 30mins to the commute, all the better.

* Momentum is crucial. I found it very useful not to get obsessed with high scores in the progress tests. A simple pass is I think suffient to move on to the next section/frame. There is alot of cross referencing and pressing on usually helps make things clear that previously weren't. If, on avg, you get more than 85%, then you are either extremely capable or going too slowly (just a sweeping generalisation to start the day, but you get my point).

* Aim to complete all the tests for the module a month before the brush-up course and then revise. I revised by skim reading the text from the begining and redoing the progress tests. This time I am looking for scores in the nineties.

* This might be controversial. I did not make any notes as such except for a Forumula Dictionary that I made several copies of for easy reference whereever I might be. I found that creating notes was a labourious and slow process that added nothing to the clarity of the original notes. Just reading and remembering worked for me.

* As mentioned above, create a forumla dictionary that lists ALL the formulae and equations in the course. Structure it such that you can easily locate the Met ones, or the Gen Nav ones, etc. Learn and understand these and a good 50% of the course snaps into place without much extra effort and you will be able to work from 1st principles during the exam should you need to.

I somewhat agree with Darlick's comments about the brush-up course. However, I think it went well for me because I had plenty of spare capacity during the course so I could concentrate 100% on detail, exam quirks and slogging through the feedback.

Personally, I really enjoyed the ATPLs. I learned much. Virtually without exception the subjects were fascinating, knowledge of some was long overdue.

[helicopter-redeye]

Oceanic C, see my previous on another post today on same subject.

Focused on GTS as I'm there too but ahead of you in time, so happy to discuss personal experiences etc if this is usefull.

PM me or mail me, to avoid boring everybody else,

h-r

[G SXTY]

Obviously everyone is different, but I’d work on round about a year to complete the ATPLs. For me, that involves reading notes on the train to & from work, doing a 2-3 hours work 4 nights per week & all day Sunday. This leaves me Friday nights clear for letting off steam / drinking beer / kicking the cat, & Saturdays free for sorting out the rest of my life.

HWD’s advice is pretty much spot on. Don’t get hung-up on sections of the coursework that don’t ‘click’ straight away – move on to the next subject and come back to it later. (I struggled with gyroscopes & long-range plotting, and they were both non-events by exam time).

Would also agree (with hindsight) that making copious amounts of notes doesn’t serve much purpose – I have a whole file full of notes which I’ve never looked at since writing them. Equations are a different matter, and I would definitely write them down and memorise.

Just as a general point, it’s easy to be intimidated by the sheer volume of coursework, and it’s perfectly normal to feel ‘behind the curve’ all the way through your studies. You just have to trust people who have been through it before when they say that the brush-up course will do it’s job, and it will all come together on exam day. (Who knows, you may even find the exams are quite straightforward, because your school have deliberately over-prepared you by throwing all the nastiest questions at you during the brush-up).

[stratotanker135]

Well you've got the best instructors to get you thro, as they have with so many others, me included. Just don't get drowned. Make that call if your struggling so you'll not waste your time on stuff thats not so important. Good luck. A little self flaggellation helps!

[G-ANDY]

GTS, who are they??? I haven't done my home work im affraid :ugh:

Just did my homework and am now in the know!!:ok:

[tu154]

Interesting comment from High Wing Drifter

* This might be controversial. I did not make any notes as such except for a Forumula Dictionary that I made several copies of for easy reference whereever I might be. I found that creating notes was a labourious and slow process that added nothing to the clarity of the original notes. Just reading and remembering worked for me.

I have been toying with this idea. I'm about 1/3 through the module two reading and while 'laborious' note taking does work for me, I do wonder if there's a better way. I do know everyone has their own way of approaching study and not everything works for everyone. In particular I've been trawling through the Air Law stuff, rewiting it in english, and summarising the points. But there's a huge mass of material and I'm constantly unsure of how much I'm retaining. The thought has occurred to me that a good read, summarise some main points, move on, progress test, then revise later might be as good in terms of retention without the writing. Might help with the RSI too.

Would be interested in hearing some pore thoughts on this point.

To answer the original question. Momentum is key.

[no sponsor]

I made notes for both modules, however, when it came to Mod 2, I did introduce some changes.

I did not make any notes for Operational Procedures from the moment I started. I read the notes, and did the progress tests from memory. I decided that for the items you need to commit to memory, I would do that in the days leading up to the exam.

I did start note taking on Air Law, but stopped a few chapters in. The notes are written in such a way that writing summary notes is almost impossible. You pass this exam simply by learning the questions and answers.

For the other four subjects, I did make notes. AGK was a nightmare, as it took me the longest to complete, but if I had my time again, I don't think I would. My advice is to read the notes and look in other sources for knowledge. Perhaps reading Mike Burtons books on the subject, since Mike is the one who teaches it at Cheddar.

I, like others, never looked at the notes again once I'd written them, but somehow it made me concentrate, and felt the right thing to do. I guess it must be some psychological thing left over from my O and A levels.