Jonathan Partlow from ATUSchool.com, as an Education Provider and Kent Shilling of Douglas Aviation, as a premiere Pilot Training faccility, recognized the need for a Comprehensive, Cohesive and Coordinated Aviation program that would effectively address the Disconnect between Education and Training.

Prior to meeting each other, both Mr. Partlow and Mr. Shilling had begin working on solutions to these issues independently.

Mr. Partlow of ATUSchool.com, understood that the "Manuever based training programs" that existed fell woefully short of providing students real knowledge or prepared them for anything other than repeating manuevers or flying around the local airport pattern.

This understanding was based on over 20 years of "being a student" in this system.

In May 2008 Mr. Partlow, met an Aviation Educator that had been "preaching & teaching" the value of Education and it's correlation to safety for years.

It was this meeting, and the Education received from this Teacher, that began Mr. Partlow working on the Educational part of the solution in earnest.

To solve the problem, ATUSchool.com, focused on building Educational programs, from the ground up, that would provide the student with a thorough educational base, providing a deep knowledge and understanding that could be applied to real life situations.

+Providing "Knowledge deposited into the Pilot's Resource Account"

Unfortunately, the education (no matter how good) was only a portion of what it takes to be a safe pilot.

The best educated pilot is still limited, without experiences from which to build, in their resource bank to apply and correlate that knowledge.

Mr. Shilling, and Douglas Aviation had come to the same realization and conclusions, and had already begun implementing "Situational Based Training" into his curriculum.

Douglas Aviation, students were flying in Uncontrolled and Controlled airpace, at night, under REAL Instrument Metereological Conditions, in Stable & Unstable Air, made REAL Short Field & Grass Strip Takeoffs and Landings, planned and took real trips, etc.

Mr. Shilling had already adopted using real life scenarios for Aeronutical Decision Making task and used REAL application of manuevers in training.

In short, Douglas Aviation students actually went places, made decisions and were treated from Day 1 and acted as if they were the Pilot in Command.

+ Providing "Experience that is deposited into the Pilot's Resource Account."

Unfortunately, the training (no matter how good) was only a portion of what it takes to be a safe pilot.

The best trained pilot is still limited by the level of their specific experience.

After receiving feedback from Students, Instructors, Pilots, Technology providers, Educators and Professionals across many fields including Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers, Manufacturers, Trainers and researching the studies from pilot groups including The AOPA, EAA, FAA and Flight Clubs - we discovered that we were all in agreement that Coordinated Situational Based Education & Training was the Best Way to create Safe, Educated Pilots.

The BIG question was "Since EVERYONE agrees that this this is the way to do it... WHY has it not been done already?"

The answer, as we soon discovered, was that the Technology in many instances JUST did not exist.

So - Together ATUSchool.com and Douglas Aviation - began with the technology that did exist as a basis.

After seeing what was available to fill the need - ATUSchool.com started with the same platform used by NASA, Boeing and Microsoft for education delivery.

Building on that base, and then developing proprietary systems, integrating other systems and researching and implementing the "best practices" from aviation, technology and other professions - ATUSchool.com was ready to deliver an extraordinary and dynamic Coordinated aviation education and training program - that was accesible to Students ANYWHERE in the World. Using ourselves and willing students as test subjects - What we discovered was even a surprise to us.

What we discovered is that:

(1)Our students better prepared for their flight training lessons and were able to CUT Their flight training from the National average of 85 hours to get the Private to less than 50 hours.

(2) Our students were not just doing "Monkey See, Monkey Do" rote learning excercises while flying - They UNDERSTOOD what was happening and how to Make the Aircraft Do what they wanted when they wanted.

(3) Students were able to anticipate events, required actions, evaluate options and MAKE GOOD DECISIONS beyond their level of prior experience.

(4) Our students Aeronautical Decision Making Skills were way beyond what the Stand Alone Educational or Experience Levels alone would have yielded.

(5) Students were "making withdrawals form their Resource Bank" and correlating Knowledge with Experience and APPLYING THESE TOGETHER to Get the results they wanted!

(6) Flight Instructors began telling us that ATU Students were teaching them / or reminding them of things they had forgotten.

(7) It bacame OBVIOUS in the Rate of accomplishment, between the students that took the "Pilot in Command" role seriously and those that took the "Passenger" role - Those that Studied, Did the Assignments, Took it upon themselves to participate fully and use the tools and resources - SAVED BOTH TIME & MONEY and their abilities far exceeded those in traditional "Manuever Based" training programs.

(8) Even those that did not work as hard - still outpaced those in conventional programs - in understanding, knowledge and in time and money cost AND were still flying to better than commercial pilot standards at the Private Pilot Level.

(9) One benefit, that surprised us was the difference when the Student progressed beyond the Private Pilot Level to additional ratings. The shortened learning curve was Extraordinary! Our students ability and skill levels, decision making and understanding were BEYOND Any Minimum Practical Testing Standards - WELL before the required minimums were reached in flight time. **

** This is so common that both ATUSchool.com and Douglas Aviation had to change our curriculum. We began instituting and preparing into the curriculum - the next level (and sometimes 2 levels) of Education & Training.

For example: Students in their Private Pilot Training that are alos in the Instrument and Instructor Programs are introduced to both Instrument and Instructional Educational and Training Procedures - before they even get their Private Pilot's License.

We found that this introduction had the effect of further increasing the Students abilities and Skills.

The most notable results and feedback show that this program increased exponentially the amount of "Deposits into Pilot Resource Bank", Reduced the students training Time and Cost and prepared the Student with a very Large "Balance in their Resource Account".