Got my ATP at Cobra Kai recently, and would definitely recommend. Solid instructors, program and big picture examiner.

I definitely appreciated the three flights, I would've been way uncomfortable doing a check ride after just 1 flight. It costs slightly more than others, but I'd use them again.

Happy to answer any questions via PM.

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Got my ATP at Cobra Kai recently, and would definitely recommend. Solid instructors, program and big picture examiner.

I definitely appreciated the three flights, I would've been way uncomfortable doing a check ride after just 1 flight. It costs slightly more than others, but I'd use them again.

Happy to answer any questions via PM.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

+2 for Cobra Kai. I had a similar experience recently. The extra flight prior to the check made it significantly less stressful. Definitely recommend if you're looking for solid instruction and a B.P. / military friendly experience.

Anyone done their ATP at Downtown Aviation in Memphis and had their new evaluator?

Anyone done their ATP at Downtown Aviation in Memphis and had their new evaluator?

So the retired Army neurosurgeon is no longer the only DPE? Please explain or PM me.

Along those lines, do you guys have a "mil-friendly" DPE in TX. Trying to add MEL and a type, local DPE retired while I was deployed.

I hear nothing but good things about Cobra Kai in Wichita Falls.

Edited for buffoonery

Edited July 17, 201510 yr by Robo

I hear nothing good about Cobra Kai in Wichita Falls.

Care to expand?

Every mention of Cobra Kai in this thread is positive.

I hear nothing good about Cobra Kai in Wichita Falls.

Please expand...I did their ATP program a few weeks ago and had a great "mil-friendly" experience in both training and on the check ride.

Care to expand?

Every mention of Cobra Kai in this thread is positive.

Fixed it. My proofreading skills on a single sentence post were non existent.

Only good feedback from Cobra Kai. Probably 10 people from both our squadrons at KDYS have gone. Everybody has felt prepared for their checkrides and nothing bad to say about the DPE. The only reason people were going to Memphis was cost and a shorter course.

I just finished the Sporty's ATP-CTP course at ABX Air in Wilmington, OH. If you went full retard like I did and didn't do the written before the deadline, you will have to do the ATP-CTP as a prerequisite for the written.

Great experience overall, considering I basically pissed away $5k by not doing the written in time.

Academics were repetitive but the instructor was very knowledgeable and did the best he could to make the 30 hours entertaining.

The sims were the highlight - 2 3-hour periods in a DC-9 full motion sim and 1 4-hour 767 sim (no motion) with a 30 year retired Delta guy who was hilarious.

I think they are the cheapest ATP-CTP program at $4600.

You still have to fly a practical, right?

You still have to fly a practical, right?

Yep, doing that at Cobra Kai in August. I'll post my feedback once complete.

Just finished up at Cobra Kai Friday. The program was really good and they are very military friendly. The two flights was a bonus. would definitely recommend.

Cost was $2850, eval fee 500

does anyone have a phone number for cobra kai? i don't know why they're so secretive, but their website's "contact us" section only lets me leave my contact info. two attempts and they haven't return my inquiry. i suspect it's because i don't have a cell phone that they can call outside of southwest asia.

Dude... You're going to be the first guinea pig. Good luck.

It already is a karate kid reference... Go to their website, it talks about "training your mind"... Wax on, wax off.

It's just an advertising gimmick though. I did my ATP there and they don't have any sort of breakthrough methods. Their IPs are former AF IPs (some US, some German)... So they're very mil friendly.

Like Toro mentioned earlier, they are more expensive than Downtown.

I chose them over Downtown because I live in WF and sleeping in my own bed appealed to me. So did not risking an extra night's hotel cost because of WX. Other things that weighed into my decision were the fact that Cobra Kai gives two training flights prior to the check, where Downtown only gives one (Cobra Kai uses that to justify the price difference, but even if calculated per hour, they're more expensive). I didn't feel like I was well prepared for the check after just one, but was fine after two... But I also admit that KNOWING I was going to get a second flight might have played into it (sort of a mental "I'm halfway prepared" kind of thing after the first... I don't know that the second flight had any significant impact on my ability beyond extra confidence).

As a current ENJJPT IP, I will state that lots of my bros choose to drive to Memphis to save money by using Downtown.They all have great things to say about the program there.

Both supposedly have a 100% pass rate, and from what's posted here, they seem to be the top two "mil friendly" places in the country.

Choose whichever one suits you, just get it done.

Or... wait until Sky_King passes the gouge on how big of an ass pain the new method is.

Memphis does not have a 100% pass rate. A dude in my squadron busted his ATP checkride there last year.

Any opinions on T. Black Aviation for Tampa?

https://www.tblackaviation.com/ATP-Training.html

Just finished up at Cobra Kai Friday. The program was really good and they are very military friendly. The two flights was a bonus. would definitely recommend.

Cost was $2850, eval fee 500

+1 for Cobra Kai. Got the job done, the price was right, and the location worked for me.

A word of warning, though..they will charge you for going over the alloted time even though their instructor is the one driving the profile on the practice flights. A 30 knot headwind at 3,000' makes for a long sortie.

Edited August 7, 201510 yr by Beaver

+1 for Cobra Kai. Got the job done, the price was right, and the location worked for me.

A word of warning, though..they will charge you for going over the alloted time even though their instructor is the one driving the profile on the practice flights. A 30 knot headwind at 3,000' makes for a long sortie.

having a real tough time establishing consistent com with these guys...

Any opinions on T. Black Aviation for Tampa?

https://www.tblackaviation.com/ATP-Training.html

Worked out well for me and some some other guys I know. It was scheduled for 5 days of flying last day being the checkride, ended up being 2 days of flying and 3rd being the checkride. PM me for more details.

Just knocked out my practical with Downtown Aviation in Memphis. The study materials, gouge, instruction and check ride were great. Dr Ray is an awesome evaluator. The whole program cost me $1850 including the examiner fee...I don't think anyone can beat that. Day 1 is ground school and an instructional flight and Day 2 is the check. They do it either in a Comanche or Dutchess. No military pilot who has been flying should have any problem. Get scheduled now because they told me they are booked through Feb '16 and get 25 phone/e-mails a day about their ATP program.

BTW...my written expired 2 months before I took my check ride because I got a short notice deployment and couldn't knock out the practical in time. If you get in the same position feel free to PM me, but SFAR 100-2 gives deployed military a 6 month extension on their written to complete their practical. A copy of your orders needs to be included with you application. This was a life saver for me.

BTW...my written expired 2 months before I took my check ride because I got a short notice deployment and couldn't knock out the practical in time. If you get in the same position feel free to PM me, but SFAR 100-2 gives deployed military a 6 month extension on their written to complete their practical. A copy of your orders needs to be included with you application. This was a life saver for me.

It's not just a 6 month extension, it's an extension to 6 months after your return date. And it works for overseas assignments too, not just deployments.

It's not just a 6 month extension, it's an extension to 6 months after your return date. And it works for overseas assignments too, not just deployments.

Busted, not true for a simple overseas PCS. Notice all of the qualifiers throughout the regulation (always includes the statement, "...and was assigned to a U.S. Armed Forces operation..."). Don't count on this regulation saving you unless you've deployed from an overseas assignment.

Edited August 9, 201510 yr by General Chang

Busted, not true for a simple overseas PCS. Notice all of the qualifiers throughout the regulation (always includes the statement, "...and was assigned to a U.S. Armed Forces operation..."). Don't count on this regulation saving you unless you've deployed from an overseas assignment.

Whoa, hold up chief. Your specialty seems to be more in shoe-clerkery. Who let GC post in a non-Personnelist thread?

Whoa, hold up chief. Your specialty seems to be more in shoe-clerkery. Who let GC post in a non-Personnelist thread?

It's kind of like "take your daughter to work day". We let him in, push a few buttons, give him a sticker, and he gets to tell his friends about it for weeks on end.

Any of you fighter types out there bothered to talk to your FSDO about a 'special need' for getting fighter Sim hours approved by the FAA? 'Special need' was the term he recommended I use, as it garners more attention from the FAA. It could mean the difference between a lot of us getting a restricted vs. full-page atp, based on hours. I spoked to mine, he seemed interested in raising that request to the next level, would entail a FSDO coming out to certify your sims, but seemed easier that one would think. Anybody tried this before?

Edited August 9, 201510 yr by PKmiss