ATPL Theory and Hour Building whilst holding down full time job...

[HLloyd26]

Hi,

I am a PPL holder with about 20 hrs PIC time and have been reading around the topic of hour building and ATPL study for a while now. I am going to have to make a commitment soon, so I was hoping for a bit of advice from anyone who has juggled ATPL theory with a full time job.
I am working on the assumption that full time employment and studying for ATPLs is not going to allow enough time for any meaningful flying, so as far as I can see the options I have are;

1) Build the majority of my hours first then hit the ATPLs, which I think will take me just over 18 months distance learning, then build up the small amount of remaining hours before starting CPL.
2) Hit the ATPL theory hard now, whilst doing bare minimum hours to stay current. Then embark on all hour building once they are complete. (Possible downside here is that the clock will be ticking on me completing all hour building & CPL/IR issue before the theory credit expires)
3) Some sort of compromise whereby I fly about 40 hours, then do the ATPL Theory, then finish off with the remaining hours.

I’m thinking of the last option as I am not in any great hurry to qualify and I would like to enjoy some more flying and maybe get my IMC too, before I get bogged down with the serious matter of ATPL study. But on the other hand I think doing the flying consistently at the end may leave me in a better position for my CPL course, as I have already noted how rusty I become when I don’t fly for long periods.

Would be interested to hear how others have done it.

Cheers.

[Nashers]

do you intend to do the ATPLs full or part time?

i did mine full time in the classroom and i left my previous job to do it. i studied monday to friday in the classroom and at home, but was working monday, friday and saterday nights. was very hard work to get up on tuesday mornings but i managed to get through it in the course time.

it would prob be best if you just do the hours you need to stay current then do the rest as soon as ytou finish your atpls. winter is nearly here and you wont get much flying in anyway. have atleast 40 hours to do after your atpls as i found that doing them all in one go got my flying very accurate and helped in my cpl.

[HLloyd26]

do you intend to do the ATPLs full or part time?

I will be doing them part time alongside a full time job(Mon-Fri), if i can manage it. Not in a hurry though and appreciate it will take time doing it this way.

Thanks

[Shunter]

When I started flying I had no intention to take it any further than a PPL. Hence my hour-building was spread over about 18 months. I found that having an IMC rating reduced the amount of cancelled flights by around 90%. Because I passed my PPL in 45hrs it meant I could do the IMC and still have 100hrs P1 when I got to 150hrs TT, thereby not requiring further funds to build my P1.

I still have no plans to go for an airline job (wouldn't pay the mortgage!), so instead of doing the ATPL exams I did both the CPL and IR. It's probably about 80% of the work of the ATPLs. I knocked the whole lot out in 5 months whilst holding down a full-time job. By the way, I also flew about 50hrs during that period. Flying 4 or 5 hours a month isn't going to put a big dent in your study time.

Just depends on your lifestyle really. If you're happy to commit to 15hrs study per week it's not such a big deal. As the idea of going out "into town" at a weekend makes me want to vomit, I spent many a Saturday night with a bottle of wine and a big stack of boring books. It can be done, but it's all about compromise and planning.

[DarkSoldier]

I'm currently in a similar position although I manage mine as follows:

I am taking the ATPLs DL over 18 months. I allow 10 hours a week for studying. So a typical week will see me study 3 x weekday evenings for 2 hours after work and 4 hours over the weekend.

I also try and do around 2-3 hours flying each week, usually at weekends. Although 2-3 hours flying a week 'should' see me build around 100 hrs over a year, I expect that due to weather it will take me around 18 months to get them. So should hopefully tie in nicely with the end of my ATPLs.

I am yet to sit any exams so can't tell you how successfull this whole thing is. However, be careful - choosing this way will take a lot of dedication and sacrifices - I have found it hard many times and think 'is it all worth it?'....However, we all know what the answer to that question is, so most of the times I push through somehow...

[HLloyd26]

Thanks for the info so far.

Dark Soldier;
Yes i read your "fATPL masterplan" thread with interest, when you posted. Think my situation is very similar to yours in terms of back ground and current position except i'm in the financial industry rather than law.
The route i have planned & time scales are pretty much similar to yours.
Would be concerned whether the 10hrs a week will be sufficient, but i don't think i will be able to gauge this until i get stuck into it.

Cheers

[Shunter]

Also, don't forget the time-tested exam strategy:

Read the books.
Understand the books.
Do the progress tests.
Hammer the questions banks.
For any aspects you truly don't understand, go back to the books.
Hammer the question banks again.
Pass exams.

[DarkSoldier]

Would be concerned whether the 10hrs a week will be sufficient

By looking at how long others have taken and what the recommended reading time is, I hope 10 hours a week over 18 months would be sufficient. I am sure there are people who have taken half the time or taken twice as long, but as far as averages are concerned I think 10 hours a week over 18 months is a good number to aim for

I hope my own experience doesn't prove me wrong