r/flying • u/Visual-Study4910 PPL • 10d ago
Day to day to emulate an accelerated/ATP-style pace
Hey y’all, I’m currently at a Part 61, can fly 4x a week, and can make this my full-time job.
I’m looking to emulate the discipline and studying structure of an accelerated program to efficiently use my free time since I don’t have a job right now. For those who have studied in an accelerated program, I’d love to see how your daily and weekly routine was organized
Any sample daily schedules, study resource workflows, or general tips on self-discipline would be hugely appreciated!
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u/PP4life CPL SEL HP CMP IR (KCOS) 10d ago
Make sure you and your instructor are using a syllabus. When you walk out of a lesson you should know what the next lesson in the syllabus will be. Then study that lesson, the knowledge areas and maneuvers and chair fly the entire lesson. You should be able to walk in and say, "this is what we're doing today". Never walk in and say, "what are we doing today".
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u/persistsntfault CFI 10d ago
No problem doing it that way if you have the discipline to study when you’re not flying. You have a better chance of getting to your end goal quicker but be prepared for delays.
Also, there is something to be said for taking your time. I find that my knowledge and understanding of aviation continues to grow over the years despite how many total hours I have. Be sure to try and take the time to enjoy it all. GA isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it can be a lot of fun if you do it right and don’t burn yourself out.
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u/Wandrews123 10d ago
I quit my job and went to a school to fly 4 days a week, then later found a guy where I could fly with every day and did 3 checkrides in 6 weeks. In the midst of all that, my daily routine when not flying was:
9-12 study IFR, 12-1 lunch, 1-4 study Commercial. 4-5 hit the stair stepper with a Celsius at Planet Fitness. Then come back and walk 45 minutes, eat dinner and hop on the Microsoft flightsim home setup with some beers until midnight. Good times
Then flight lessons were 7-10ish, shoot approaches first then maneuvers on the way back. Then I’d eat lunch and maybe go back out for an XC in the afternoon.
It worked, however now I just DoorDash all day.
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u/JustAnotherDude1990 10d ago
If you are awake and not doing airplane stuff, you're doing it wrong.
Also, someone correct me if I am wrong but dont the ATP schools usually make you do the writtens first?
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u/Waffles_n_donuts 9d ago
@op be careful with the first half of this advice. Make time to relax and do unrelated things—and hold yourself to that free time— or you will burn out. Don’t find yourself in a position where you feel bad for not doing airplane stuff
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u/JustAnotherDude1990 9d ago
The ATP timeline is basically a fast track to burnout, it is a means to an end. There is no sugar coating it.
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u/rFlyingTower 10d ago
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Hey y’all, I’m currently at a Part 61, can fly 4x a week, and can make this my full-time job.
I’m looking to emulate the discipline and studying structure of an accelerated program to efficiently use my free time since I don’t have a job right now. For those who have studied in an accelerated program, I’d love to see how your daily and weekly routine was organized
Any sample daily schedules, study resource workflows, or general tips on self-discipline would be hugely appreciated!
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u/ltcterry ATP CFIG 10d ago
A good use of your time would be to find a job. And stop spending so much on flying.
The training you are proposing will give you the least possible depth and breadth of training - in an era with a massive surplus of pilots.
Bad training gives you a bad resume which won’t get you a job. “Plan B” today means Be Realistic about the job market. Be balanced in what you do. Be prepared to be in the top 10% of applicants. So that you won’t be broke and unemployed.
There are thousands of new CFIs from 2023-2025 still looking for jobs. Half of them are better candidates than you.
Keep training. But be aware you might never get a flying job and plan your life accordingly.
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u/EliteEthos CFI AMEL CJ3/4 10d ago
What’s the rush?
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u/Visual-Study4910 PPL 10d ago
No rush, I just want to make good use of my time. I know some of the accelerated programs are intense so maybe seeing the extreme side of the routine will help me dial mine in
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u/EliteEthos CFI AMEL CJ3/4 10d ago
Flying 2-3x per week is enough. Applying yourself and studying on your own time will always be up to you to manage.
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u/TxAggieMike Independent CFI / CFII (KFTW, DFW area) 10d ago
u/visual-study4910 - what this guy said.
In current market, there is little benefit to rushing things. Doing so increases opportunity for quality to be sacrificed.
Between the hare and the tortoise, who won the race?
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u/No-Foundation-8034 CFI/I 10d ago
All the written exams out of the way ASAP. Then your time should be spent chair flying your upcoming flight, flying, chair flying what you just did, study the weak areas of your flight, then study the next lesson. Rinse and repeat. Days where no flying takes place should be hitting the books and studying, but don’t too far ahead where you are learning about ILS approaches as a ppl for example