The blog is still alive, and the dream is coming true somehow. I haven’t flown more than 2 months, but I subscribed for a theory course in a Polish flight school. It is an online ATPL course with 2 weeks on-site. So, why Poland? The country is close to Russia, and the price is not very high. I have Oxford ATPL books, and I use the school’s software for studying too.
In Poland I needed a police approval for enrolling in a program, something like a TSA clearance in the US. It is not a big deal, but takes some time.
The schedule is very tight. It is a 14-weeks course, about 45 hours per week. I am studying after work, and all the weekends. The subjects contain a lot of information. Now I am studying Air Law, and basically it is a collection of facts and numbers for memorizing. I have tests every day except Monday, and some mock exams every two days. Monday is supposed to be a holiday, but I study anyway.
I also have an AviationExam subscription, and I use it too. I like the comments section, sometimes some useful mnemonics or tricks for memorizing can be found there. But I am a bit frustrated by people like ‘I don’t want to remember everything, I don’t want to learn, I cannot read the question carefully, I want just to know how to push and pull my yoke and how to engage my autopilot’. Yes, it is a lot of information, but it is not really anything too complicated, one should not be a superhero to pass these exams.
From my opinion, the good pilot should make wise decisions, know more and constantly learn. Anybody can fly the airplane, but being a pilot is much more than that. It’s about decisions and responsibility. I want to be professional and experienced, both in flying and in knowing what to do.
Anyway it’s fun: I am a student again. I am not flying, and I feel like I am pushing in my head those facts jumping on them to make them fit there 🙂
For now I have a plan for 2019, and then we’ll see. Again there is no any guarantee, the schedule is tough, and it’s incredibly expensive. But it’s an adventure, and the reward is flying. It definitely worths it.
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