09 - Documents Received

I received a large shipment of books from ATP today. They sent them immediatley after I made my downpayment of $1,995 to reserve my official starting date of July 13th. The following images below include nearly all of the documentation I received, excluding two books which were exclusive to ATP [do not want to infringe on any copywright]. I have been paging through some of them and it really gets me excited to begin my studies. Studying really is not all that bad when the material is covering something you love. Two weeks until I graduate, then I can hit the books!

I have also begun looking for a Piper Seminole add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator X so I can practice flying in and out of Montgomery Field. I plan on being proficeint in the Seminole as well as familiar with the area prior to my first day of training. I did not receive a checklist for the Seminole, so I order on from mypilotstore.com.

08 - Even Better News!

I recieved a call today from ATP financing/admissions department congratulating me on being approved for the full cost of tuition.  This is exciting news, and only 5 days after submitting the application.  I must say I am immpressed with their quick turnaround.  I once again would like to thank my co-signers for the support, we love you very much.

This is a quick overview of the general steps I have been presented with thus far:

1. Apply for financing
   
2. Reserve a starting date ($1,995 payment to reserve spot, goes towards total cost)
   
3. Schedule an Interview ($100 payment to cover instructor fee, any ATP school nation-wide)
   

As I spoke with the ATP representative today he requested that I commit to a starting date within a couple days in order to secure my spot at the school in San Diego.  The program I am enrolling in starts each Monday and is limited to only two students per Monday.  The good news, all of June and July starting dates are available, I have reason to believe this is in part because of the current status of the economy as well as the school being only a couple months fresh out the door.  Anyhow, I expressed to the gentleman that I would need to discuss it with my wife and that I would get back to the admissions department tomorrow.  Once again, the ATP rep was extremely friendly and informative.

After discussing it with my wife we decided that July 13th will serve as a great day to begin the program.  We plan on leaving Minnesota on July 5th and leisurely making our way down to San Diego, with a stop in Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Sequoia National Parks.  We are both so very excited to see our lives transforming to the next stage.  We thank god.

However, prior to our trip, I am required to visit one of ATP's flight schools to partake in what I have called a 'Placement Interview'.  They are interested in testing my knowledge in order to give them a better understanding of where I am in the aeronautical knowledge department.  They will have me take a test as well as have me show my skills in their flight simulator.  I am a bit rusty, considering I have not flown in over a year, I will need to hit the books.  Anyways, the wife and I decided that I should interview at the location I will be training at.  We are tentatively looking at flying down to San Diego [probably the cheapest locale to fly to in comparison] on Tuesday, June 2nd and returning on Friday, June 5th.  My Aunt and Uncle have been kind enough to offer us a room, a car, and lots of love.  Our 1 year anniversary is on June 7th, so this is will be our gift to one another.

We are both very excited! 

On another note, 4 weeks until I graduate!  My father plans on throwing me what I call a GAG [Going-Away-Graduation] party on Saturday, June 20th.

07 - Great News!

Effective April 1st, 2009 ATP cut the cost of the program I am interested in by $5,000!  The total cost of the 90-Day program is now $44,995.  My two co-signers have also begun the process of submitting their info.  The wife and I are very thankful!

The on-line financing application has proven to be quit simple and straight forward.   The application made it really easy to contact my co-signers.  I entered their basic information, clicked a button, and ATP sent them an email with a link.

I am now awaiting word from ATP as to whether I will get the necessary financing.  

A word from ATP:

ATP Consistently Provides the Most Qualifications for the Money

ATP designs its training programs to always serve your best interest. During this phase of the economic cycle, ATP is looking for ways to reduce your cost and still meet your career training objectives.

ATP’s Airline Career Pilot Program includes over 100 hours of multi-engine experience. That’s more multi-engine time than offered by any other major flight school, academy, or college. 100 Hours of multi-engine pilot-in-command time meets regional airline hiring minimums and gets you past the threshold required by insurance companies for the best job opportunities.

ATP has 25 years of experience training professional pilots in the cyclical airline industry. ATP remains focused on providing the best qualifications for the money, ensuring the ultimate success of all graduates. ATP students get real industry-valued qualifications such as multi-engine experience, turbine experience, true nationwide cross-country experience, Certified Flight Instructor certificates, multi-engine flight instructor jobs, and—at the right time—professional airline-level training in the Regional Jet Standards Certification Program. The highly-structured, multi-engine training you receive at ATP will set you apart from your peers in the competitive airline and corporate pilot job market.

06 - Calling ATP

I am a little frustrated with ATP's email reply, it seems rather generic. I remember them answering my questions so quickly in the past. Anyhow, I decided to call the school direct, perhaps I should have done this initially in conjunction with the email.

The phone call went well. They were extremely friendly and excited to talk to me. They expressed that the next step [first of many] I need to take would be filling out the on-line application for financing. There was a minor mishap in the system which was not allowing me to log in; it had something to do with me starting the online process last August '08. The guys over at ATP fixed it almost immediately.

I began filling out the online application. The guys at ATP expressed that having two co-signers will better my chances of financing the total cost of the program as well as establishing a lower interest rate.

Subject: ATP Financing Application

Hi Joshua -

Thank you for starting the financing process with ATP. Please click the link below to activate your account and begin the financing application:

If you have any questions along the way, give us a call at 800-ALL-ATPS (800-255-2877). On behalf of everyone at ATP, we look forward to helping you successfully achieve your career objectives.

Sincerely,

James

05 - ATP Replies

I was beginning to wonder if ATP had received my email.  I recall when I had initially requested information from them back in August of '08 that they were quite expeditious in their reply.  11 days have passed before receiving the following email:

Subject: Following-up on ATP flight training

Hi Joshua -

I want to quickly update you on the latest flight training programs at

ATP. There's a lot of bad sentiment out there, but the good news is

that those who are passionate about pursuing their dream careers will

be successful. We have 25 years' experience and have seen our

graduates succeed through numerous airline hiring cycles.

We've recently introduced a new program that we've developed with

Gulfstream Training Academy to combine our Airline Career Pilot

Program with 250 hours of turbine flight experience in Beech 1900

airliners.

About half of ATP's new student enrollments are taking advantage of

this program. They realize that during this down time in the economy,

building more high quality flight experience will ensure the most

opportunities as airline hiring resumes.

Plus, the new program opens up additional student loan options at much

lower interest rates.

For many students, this program will provide one more option to start

making progress towards achieving their career goals. For program

details click here:

<http://www2.atpflightschool.com/go2.lasso?c=119403&l=33>

Another great way to learn about the new program is to join the

discussion at BeAnAirlinePilot.com. Hosted by ATP graduates who are

current airline pilots, you can engage in constructive discussions

with credible, identified sources. Be sure to check it out:

<http://www2.atpflightschool.com/go2.lasso?c=119403&l=32>

I look forward to talking with you again soon.

Sincerely,

James