CATS ATPL Distance Learning Course

[Transsonic2000]

Hi all,

CATS (Cranfield Aviation - UK) offers a Distance Learning Course (ATPL) for 999£ including three in-house classes. The price seems to be out of competition? How about the price performance ratio? I checked the website which provides a few samples of the study material which appears to be worked out well (concise and down to the point) I got the impression that it could save you a lot of reading and time (compared to the Oxford/Jeppesen books, which in my opinion are far to detailed and long winded).

I was wondering if there are any folks around here who could provide any first-hand-account about the course? How did you like it (pros/cons), would you recommend it to a friend? Are there any additional/hidden costs? What's the quality of the staff/instructors and the atmosphere at the campus? How about accommodation (within walking distance) and pricing?

Thanks for reading and any feedback is greatly appreciated!

[stupix]

Trans..
I have spent the last 12 months doing CATS and have been really impressed. I am not the most intellectual of students but the combination of the way the books are done, with the website and the passion of the owner, Stuart Smith have got me through the exams first time so far. I have have my final exams tomorrow. The ground school is good, and its on a more informal basis, so will keep to the speed of the students and they have a lot of extra time if you need any help.
I couldn't help but recommend them. I have not experienced the others but a definite thumbs up for CATS.
stu

[Transsonic2000]

Hi Stu,

first off, good luck for the final exams! Would appreciate a brief report on how it went! And thanks for your feedback! If anybody else can contribute to the above question(s), please chime in!

Thanks!

[oldspool]

Hi,

I started with CATS last September and finished this May with 14 first time passes, average 94%.

Pros:

Price - £999 including ground school. Seems to be up to 50% cheaper than some other suppliers.

Flexibility - the course is split into 3 modules but you can chop change to suit individual needs (I did two lots of 7 exams).

Instructors - overall very good instructors. Stuart is very knowledgable and laid back.

Online access to notes - worked well for me, as you can do 15 mins here, 15 mins there - all adds up.

Cons:

Study Material - perhaps some of the study material isn't as 'flashy' as some of the other providers. Personally this doesn't matter a jot to me, but it may for some. I had some Oxford books that I used if I thought I needed to read extra stuff on a particular subject.

Good luck,

[XXPLOD]

I've just finished my ATPL groundschool with CATS. They have pros and cons as do all providers, and there is an element of you get what you pay for at £999 for the online course.

CATS on-line product is adequate but leagues behind Bristol. I actually only used it for about 4 or 5 modules and borrowed a friend's Bristol folders for the rest. Frustration is the lack of indexing of the main material, you can't look up a topic easily without scrolling through masses of material, and the practice questions don't refer back to the material. Various pop-ups which should form part of either material or questions seem to be missing. The overview lectures are good though and the material is updated.

The brush up courses are a frustratingly mixed bag, varying from disappointing to superb. Some of the guest tutors are fantastic, e.g. Prof Bill and an A&E Doctor for HPL. I've always come away from the brushups with the feeling that a bit more could have been achieved. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but I felt the days were a bit lax; 0930 starts, hour for lunch, generally finished by 1630 ish.

The admin at CATS could be improved, e.g. there is little management of the attendance at the groundschools e.g. no joining instructions. They seem to do a headcount on a Mon morning and then work out if they have a big enough room!

But, it is a good atmpshere, Stuart and Dan will go the extra mile to help students, both in the classroom and in the flexibility they offer. They take the approach that you're the customer, if you want to do all exams in one sitting or spread them over the maximum 6 allowed it's down to you, they'll do their best to support you and will always be accomodating if you want to drop in. The response to online help requests is absolutely superb, I've had many an e-mail back when burning the midnight oil!

CATS are very well located just outside the centre of Luton. It's a modern business complex which has a decent and well priced little cafe. Accomodation in Luton is as cheap as you can bare! I'd recommend looking at advance bookings at the Best Western, they have free wifi and parking is free in the shopping centre carpark overnight.

So far I've passed my first 10 exams first time. Hopefully I'll edit that to all 14 in just over a week's time.

With any distance learning the clue is in the title - you've got to put the work in. CATS are a good value option and will get you through.

NEWSFLASH - 21 July - All ATPLs passed! Averaged 89% so not too shabby I think.

[Transsonic2000]

Thanks everybody for the great feedback, very much appreciated!

@ XXPLOD: great account, very detailed and objective! Answered all of my questions and gave me a pretty good picture of what to expect and the pros and cons! I think your account is of great value to others as well - thanks!

One last question. How much is the total fee (CAA testing center) for all 14 ATP exams?

[XXPLOD]

No problem. Fees are £68 per exam, so with first time passes: 14 x £68 = £952.

You'll want to allow for a questionbank, Bristol is the leader, but other questionbanks are available! Cabair do one, CATS now have an iPhone app too. There's another iPhone app called JAA ATPL for c£40. The lite version is free and it seems good.

You'll need a CRP 5 and a Jeppesons route manual. Check out e-bay, ask around at flying clubs, with luck you'll avoid shelling out upwards of £100 for new ones.

One other factor of course, unless you live on the doorstep of an exam centre, i.e. Gatwick, Oxford, Shuttleworth, Glasgow, factor in some accomodation for the exams themselves.

[Transsonic2000]

No problem. Fees are £68 per exam, so with first time passes: 14 x £68 = £952. That's quite a price! Better pass all 14 exams at the first attempt!

Thanks for the additional advise! So far I'm pretty much geared up, I bought the CRP and the Jeppesen Route Manual from someone who was done with ground school and exams for about half the official sales price. Found the Jep books at a garage sale, although a few years old and used, but got them for a real bargain price!

Once again, thanks for your account and advise, very useful to me!

Cheers!