Flying while ATPL distance learning?

[G SXTY]

I’d appreciate some advice from anyone who has studied ATPL distance learning while working full-time. How did you manage to juggle flying and studying?

Let’s say I’m in a job that eats up 12 hours per day including commuting, and have a home / wife / mortgage to look after. Realistically, I can expect to read up notes on the train, study for a couple of hours each evening and all day Saturday or Sunday, leaving one day clear for household (and marital) duties.

Looking at this schedule I’m not sure how flying can be fitted in as well, given that even an hour of bumps eats up half a day by the time I’ve driven to the airfield, pre-flighted, tied down, paid and gone home. In any case the budget would only allow a couple of hours per month, so at best I would just about be keeping current.

Given this, I’m seriously considering putting the flying on hold until the ATPLs are out of the way, then picking it up again afterwards to continue hour-building and then launch straight into the CPL/IR.

I’m guessing I’m not the first to experience this dilemma – would be grateful for any advice from people who’ve been through it before.

[PilotOnline]

Hi G SXTY,

Thought I'd reply as although I haven't finished my ATPLs yet I am in a similar boat to you in that I am out of the house for about 12hrs a day and have a wife, flat and mortgage to think about too!

I have decided to keep my hand in by flying a little each month when possible. It doesn't mess up my schedule too much and it stops me going mad as I can't keep away from aeroplanes for too long at a time!!! On weekends when I am flying my wife and I usually go together so that we get to see each other a bit and then on the other day I study. On non-flying weekends we do something together on the one day and again I study another which seems to be working fine for now.

I guess my case is a little bit different to some in that I am now working to a slightly longer time frame for the first set of exams as my employer will only let me go away to do my brush up and exams when it is convenient for them, i.e 3 months later than I wanted to do them. However, this has allowed me to build a little slack into the schedule.

[FlyingForFun]

I managed to keep flying whilst studying, but I had the advantage of not having a family to worry about, so I could fly on Saturday and study on Sunday.

G-SXTY, sounds like you've already worked out what your options are, so it's up to you to decide which one's best. How many hours do you have? How many do you still need to build before starting the CPL? Nothing wrong with having to spend the first few hours after you finish the exams "getting back into it", with an instructor if necessary, if that's what it comes down to, although carrying on flying whilst studying does relieve the boredom of reading the books every single day!

Good luck!

FFF
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[G SXTY]

Thanks for the replies.

FFF
I’ve got around 85 hours, so some way to go before I get to 150. Flying while studying would obviously help, but I suspect if I did the hours-building intensively after finishing the ATPL’s, I’d be more current, and the flying would be higher quality and more relevant to the CPL (e.g. I’d be happier planning routes through class ‘D’ airspace and going off in murkey conditions if I was flying regularly, rather than just stretching my legs a couple of times a month).

[Northern Highflyer]

I work full time during the week and study in the evenings when I get home, although I don't have too far to commute which saves some time. Sometimes I will study for half an hour at work during a lunch break when I can. I don't have a family or girlfriend at the moment so I don't have to worry about making time there.

I fly on Saturday's (weather permitting) and study on Sundays. I have found that several shorter periods of study helps it to "sink in", whereas if I sit down for several hours at a time I find that I read the words but don't understand the content.

I intend to keep flying throughout my ATPL studies as it provides added incentive and motivation to get through the exams. Since I started the studies I have completed my night qualification and have started the IMC course (exam passed). I see it as a mix of theory and practical, where I try to apply some of what I have learned to my flying which helps me to improve both.

Everyone is different but this is what works for me.

[Dufwer]

I'm in a similiar situation to G SXTY and I have decided to 'ground' myself until the theory exams are done. I initially wanted to keep current by flying every thrid weekend, but I found that apart from adding the occasional hour in the logbook I was not doing anything of value towards the CPL. Each flight was just a re-cap of the basics, instead of concentrating on improving my skills.

D

[no sponsor]

I've recently started the ATPLs distance learning, although I almost have the 150 hrs in the bag. Nevertheless, I had not flown for the past 8 months for financial reasons in the main part due to my original plan of doing a full time course.

Now that I am not doing the full time course, I have money to spend on lights for the house, decorating, new carpets, holidays, sophisticated expresso machines with the chrome bits, and very fast expensive cars (well that's what my wife says anyway - except the last one obviously ).

I study for 2 hrs in the morning (7-9am), and about 2 hrs in the evening (7-10 ish - with a bit for dinner etc), and 5 hrs for each Sat and Sun. I work very close to where I live and have no commuting time whatsoever. (Even so, I find the above difficult in terms of good solid studying.) I just don't think I could squeeze in commuting - my hat off to people who can do that.

However, I decided to start flying again, and am planning on every other Saturday. I went last Saturday and loved it. It brought home to me a couple of things:

1. this is what those long evenings are about
2. You've got to live too (which is why the Porsche is also a good idea)

[FlyingForFun]

posted 28th January 2004

From: Cambridgeshire, UK

this is what those long evenings are about

You must live in a different Cambridgeshire to the one I know if you get to experience "long evenings" in January!

FFF
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[no sponsor]

Does the light on in my study count?