Can distance learning be done without the brush up course?

[liftdrag]

I'm originally from Europe and fly in the USA. I have an FAA ATPL with type on the A320, B737, B747, SF340 over 7500 hours of total time. I'm looking into finally getting an JAA ATPL, and move to Europe. I currently fly Captain on an A320 for a small airline, have flow for a major airline but got furloughed after all the financial difficulty in the industry.

Because of my experience I know that I qualify to take the distance learning course without the two week classroom part at the end of each module. Actually if I was really smart I could just go sit the papers/exams.

It has been a while since I was in school so my question is. Can it be done without the two week course before each paper? I'm going to be busy flying and don't now if I can get 3 weeks of for the prep course and then the exams. Is it possible do the distance learning course and then study the feedback questions myself until I feel I got a hand on it.


How fast can it be done with a full time flying job on the side?


One more question for now. Can I sit the papers in the UK and do the skill test in another JAA country under FCL rules and then take out an JAA ATPL. Or do your course and sit the papers in another country and then do the skill test there?



Thank you for your time.



Best regards,

lb

[raceeend]

liftdrag,

You can even do your JAA-ATPL exam's in the USA, in Miami, check out www.nacgroundschool.com they can help you out on al your questions.

For as far as the exam preparation goes, Check out www.bristol.gs you can sign up for there EXCELENT feedback questions online. it will cost you a couple of bucks but i think it might be worth it!

Succes

:D André :D

[Luke SkyToddler]

Don't all those Easyjet cadets down in New Zealand do their ATPLs without coming back to the UK at all?

[stator vane]

with my experience i had no legal requirement to take any class time before taking the test, but i knew my limitations and did not want to risk a chance of having to retake the exams. the first exam i did take-air law, i did have to retake because i had no idea how absurd the tests would be.

i used bristol distance course and went to their two week brush up class for the heavies-gen nav, flt planning, (with those two alone i knew that a class brush up would be wise) performance and a/c general-(engines etc) (i used the class to get finished earlier) and bristol was great, they let me take just the classes i wanted to even out of their normal sequence.

the tests and time are too expensive to retake. and you will not know whether you pass or fail until after the deadline to apply for the very next months exams!!!

[liftdrag]

Thank you raceeend and Luke skytoddler.

Stator vane thank you. Can you please tell me how long it took you to do this long distance course start to finish. How many papers did you have to retake? And maybe a little about your experience. Did you study full time or did you do this on your off time after work.

Thanks again

ld

[raceeend]

Liftdrag,

I'm still at it, I have started a couple of months ago and i'm planning to do the May exams for the first part.

There's a lot of work to do, But.........with your experience you might be way ahead of me!

On the other hand, there are so many purely theoretical things to learn that I can't imagine one uses this knowledge every day as a pilot (at least not in the exact way the book puts it).

So maybe the best way is to book for a DL course and se for you're self what you know and what you have to learn (again)

Succes!!!!

:D André :D

[mundaka]

I started studying last november and wrote the 7 first exams(monday and tuesday ones) last 7 and 8 of february in Florida. Next exams, wednesday and thursday, I will try them in may. In england this time as I need to pass the class 1 medical.
I live in canada, and did not have a requirement for brush ups, based on my experience.
You can do them all in 5-6 months if you study and do the feedback.
I bought the courseware at Bristol a few years ago, but haven't been able to really study till now. Bristol Feedback is excellent in my opinion, and there was not any question in any of the exams that I had not already seen. Their online database at 30 euros per 3 month gets you ready for the exams without any hesitating.
I might be able to do my skill test for the ATPL in Montreal. CRJ Typed. I have to still finish the exams and we'll see what happens about the check ride. One day at a time.

E-mail me if you need any further information.

From Montreal,

JUST DO THEM. THE AMMOUNT IS THE SCARY PART. THE REST IS A MYTH. IF YOU PREPARE YOURSELF IS VERY DOABLE.

Cheers
JA

[stator vane]

captain B737 for 5000+ hrs; having flown in the states, korea and four years out of BRU.

studied full time from beginning of Oct 2002 to last test in first week of the next Feb 03. stopped from flying since belgian government would not revalidate my FAA licence like they had for four years before sabena went under.

i had a leave of absence from VEX which i know helped my morale since i knew i had a job waiting for me when finished.

as i wrote earlier, the only retake was the first-air law and that was due to the fact that one cannot imagine how absurd the tests will be until you see for yourself via tests preps or having a go yourself. i took the air law and human remains tests-passed the human part but failed the air law by one.

and because of the experience and first hand knowledge that 99.99% of required knowlege was totally useless in actual operations, made it very difficult for me to stay at it. i would actually get very angry knowing what the real world of flying was like, whereas one starting in the endeavor from a private pilot would think that the information would indeed prove useful in some way.

initial plan was to take the air law and human parts and the radio telephone lab test, sim ride and get the JAA but limited to UK aircraft. but due to being unable to fly, i studied and took all the exams while waiting for a sim, CAA examiner, instructor, first officer, to get in one place at the same time. and had two sim failures at LGW on exam days!!!! and then got the full JAA no restrictions when sim finally done.

would i do it again? i don't think so. cost a lot of money between the books, exam charges, hotels, sim warm ups (since by the time i got a sim check in July 2003, i had been out of the airplane for about a year), two week test prep and B&B for that etc.
16,000 pounds altogether.

sorry i can't be of more encouragement. but in this case the experience actually made it more difficult in my opinion, but still did it. so any one can if they put their shoulder to the wheel. (or under the wheel is what it felt like!)

cheers;