Is ATPL training enjoyable?

[Mark 3:16]

I'm off to FTE shortly to begin the integrated course. Preparing myself for a lot of hard work, stress, homesickness, sunburn and so on, but hopefully a lot of fun as well. And that's what I'd like to know about.

Is it actually enjoyable? Do those of you who have your licences and are flying the line look back with fond memories of your training, like I do with university - great times, great memories, great friends made for life etc. Or is it really - as I have heard it described by some pilots - 'hell on earth?'.

Is there a collegiate feel to things, and do you keep in touch with your fellow trainees after you all bugger off to different airlines, or not, as the case may be?

Obviously not going to change anything for me now, but would be interested in any opinions.

Cheers
Mark

[just_go_to]

Hi Mark,

I've just finished an intergrated course and it really was on the whole a great time. The best thing has been the people I have met and the friends I have made. For me the groundschool was intense but mostly interesting stuff that I enjoyed studying. The single engine flying was great fun, especially the solo nav sorties. I have to say though that the least enjoyable phase was the section building up to the IR. I found it pretty hard going especially when it seemed that my skills had plateaued and yet I was still short of where I wanted to be. I got told by an instructor that although the IR is a skill test it is actually a test of how much confidence you have in yourself. I couldn't agree more.

My advice for you would be to get your head down and work hard whilst not fogetting that you need to get out and enjoy yourself too.

Look forward to hearing back from you in about 18 months to see what you made of it.

All the best,
JGT.

[ElNino]

It's great fun from about 1700-0600. It starts by reporting for an earlycampo or seven, the better to prepare for a detailed reconnaissance of the target rich environment that is O'Donoghue's/Canterbury's, followed by launching a full scale assault on El Puerto at about 0100. The survivors then convene at 0530 at reporting point Victor for a Campo Gold to round off the evening.
Or at least it used to be like that, though I've heard it's gone fairly quiet in the last few years.

[Beaver diver]

I don't see anything enjoyable about learning a 9500 pages of intensly over-knowledged subjects while you do your full time job on the side and try to positively affect your family, wife, friends and work another side job at night to pay your flight training.
But hey, we all want to fly don't we?
All the best for the guys who managed to get their ATPL and all the other training paid by the "daddy" , great and you should definately take the advantage out of that one shortly.
ATPL was suppopsed to be fun for some reason or another...
It might not be the integrated course for me, but If you have a chance go for it!

[dartagnan]

was the hell for me!!! u may make some good friends!

[5150]

Yes.

It's bloody hard work, but you're all in the same boat.

[AndyCirl]

If there is one thing you learn doing ATPL study its that there are 24 hours in a day and you need all 24 for 8 solid months!

[rick0]

Ive also been wondering this.. I dont particulary fancy going to uni but I know the whole experience is great - is an intergrated course similiar to uni? in respect to the social side?

cheers

[MarkColeman]

I would say not rick,

Im not integrated im doing atpls at the minute by the modular route, but you will be blown away by the amount of material (most of it useless information) that you will have to learn in a short period of time.

I think having a uni lifestyle will only lead to atpl failure. However you will make great friends, i certainly have and there is alot of socializing, but dont lose sight of study or else you will suffer!

[Finals19]

JAA ATPL material = 20% interesting, useful, practical information, 80% pointless, tedious sh*te.

Compared to other countries in the world, where the ground school is much leaner, much shorter and the content is totally applicable to your REAL LIFE flying experience you are about to have, the JAA material is more an exercising in time wasting, and your ability to not want to throw your manuals / laptop out the window! This is certainly the case at times for distance learning.. Its only other purpose is to act as a filtration system for "those who really want to do it" It is also a ticket to print money for the JAA in my opinion - reflected in each member states charges to the end user (£60 per exam - an insult in something like Comms, where each exam takes about 15 mins, and to make the ££ they have deliberately separated IFR / VFR)

Just grit your teeth, take a deep breath, and try to rejoice when your sitting up late one night learning about things like the sun, time and the solar system...(or any other riveting subjects that you will never use again)

[matt_hooks]

Is it enjoyable? I guess that depends on your outlook on life.

I enjoy learning new things, so I thoroughly enjoyed the ground school.

I also enjoy flying, so I loved the flight training.

At the end of the day it's all time invested in reaching out towards your dreams. (If not then why the hell are you doing it?)

Think of it that way, that every minute, every hour you spend studying moves you closer to your dream, then it's not so hard to stomach.

So what if most of it isn't particularly relevant? It's relevant in as much as if you don't learn it you can't hold a licence!

Go to it, enjoy the hard work, enjoy the hard play and move that step closer to your dream!

[matt85]

JAA ATPL material = 20% interesting, useful, practical information, 80% pointless, tedious sh*te.



That is correct unfortunately.

[Keith.Williams.]

Studying for the ATPL (or anything else for that matter) is a bit like having sex............If you're finding that it's a pain in the Ar*** then you're doing it wrong.

I meet a good many students who start the course by saying "I can't do maths". My response is quite simple....If you keep telling yourself that then it will be true. But if you keep telling yourself that you are going to become better at maths, then you will probably succeeed.

If you tell yourself that the ATPL material is a lot of "pointless, tedious sh*te" then you will never enjoy the course. This will make the whole thing much more difficult.

But if you start with the atitude that you intend to enjoy learning something new, then you will find the whole thing much easier and at the end of it all you just may find that you have enjoyed it.

[Finals19]

Keith...
I see your logic. Unfortunately I suppose I look it at in a much more black and white way...

I have already been working in the industry, in another country, and have a fairly good idea of the daily requirement for practical knowledge of all things aeronautical. I think for me the ATPL G/S is more something I just want to get over and done with - the other thing that bothers me is that it takes quite a chunk of time and a lot of money (even the GS is pricey) and I don't feel that in my career it will benefit me to any great degree. So, the cost/benefit analysis of 9 months or so of Ground School is negative. If the material was actually relevant (as I have said) then I would enjoy it. I do not, however, see much relevance at all.

An exercise of the mind? Definitely. In itself, a practical use, beneficial to my time? Definitely not.