Summary
- ATP Flight School offers a variety of training programs for aspiring pilots, including their ATP CTP program with partnerships with several airlines.
- The ATP Certification program prepares students to become airline pilots through flight lessons, simulator training, and mentorship. It is typically completed in seven months.
- The Airline Career Pilot Program is the fastest track to becoming an airline pilot, with partnerships with major airlines available at all 83 locations.
ATP Flight School is one of the most popular flight training companies in the world. It has become the largest overall training company due to its large network that spans the entirety of the United States. ATP, which stands for Airline Transport Professionals, was founded by a group of airline pilots over forty years ago, in 1984. The company was founded in Atlanta, Georgia.
However, since then, the company has moved its headquarters to Jacksonville, Florida. By 2009, ATP Flight School had opened 25 locations. In the 2010s, the flight school saw an incredible amount of growth and expansion throughout the US. As of the time of this writing, ATP Flight School has opened 83 different training centers. This includes training centers in the following locations:
- Orlando, Florida
- Tuscon, Arizona
- Los Angeles, California
- Dallas, Texas
- Denver, Colorado
- Chicago, Illinois
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
ATP Flight School was founded to help United States military pilots adapt to airline pilots. Since then, the company has expanded to offer ab initio training, which means training pilots with zero prior flight school training. It has also adapted to include several other types of training for a wide variety of applications. Most of these programs offer full financing and are eligible for the GI Bill for military graduates. Let’s take a closer look at the unique types of aircraft flight training that ATP Flight School offers.
1
Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program (ATP CTP)
The ATP CTP is one of the ATP Flight School’s most popular training programs. Currently, this program is offered in partnership with several different airlines, including the following airlines:
This program is offered at the company’s ATP Jets facilities, which are currently located at Orlando International Airport (MCO) in Florida and near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in Texas.
Photo: Joseph M. Arseneau | Shutterstock
This program is technically the first step toward receiving an Airline Transport Pilot certificate. The program includes thirty hours of ground school, four hours of fixed-base training, and six hours in a full-motion simulator. It also prepares each student for the ATP Multi-Engine knowledge test, although this is not included in the program. Even so, over 10,000 student pilots have graduated from the ATP CTP program offered by ATP Flight School.
2
Airline Transport Pilot Certification
The ATP certification is the complete program for becoming an airline pilot. This is a fixed-cost program, meaning it can be completed in a flexible timeframe. However, most students graduate from the program in seven months. During this time, students utilize flight lessons and simulator lessons, complete ground school, and participate in independent study. Additionally, students receive mentorship from local training support specialists. Many of the students enrolled have zero training, which means this program is an ab initio airline pilot training program.
Photo: ATP Flight School
Along with the ATP certification, many students enroll in the follow-on flight program. This typically allows graduates to enroll as ATP flight instructors to gain additional flight hours and further their experience. Many of these graduates will enroll as ATP flight instructors for up to 18 months in order to gain the necessary experience to be hired by a major airline. Many airlines offer tuition reimbursement during this time, which allows the students to get hired almost immediately after reaching the necessary flight hours and experience.
3
Airline Career Pilot Program
Another similar program offered by ATP Flight School is the Airline Career Pilot Program. This is the fastest track to becoming an airline pilot, and it has been proven by over 25,000 successful graduates. This program is considered to be the airline’s direct track, so it makes sense that this program also comes with a significant number of airline hiring partnerships, including with the following airlines:
Photo: ATP Flight School
This is the most popular ATP flight school program, and it is available at all 83 of its locations. It is so popular that the class begins every Monday at each of its locations. There are several options for beginning the program, each of which has varying costs. Some of these options include:
|
Experience |
Timeline |
Cost |
|---|---|---|
|
Zero time |
12 months |
$108,995 |
|
Credit for solo |
11 months |
$96,995 |
|
Private pilot license (PPL) |
9 months |
$86,995 |
4
A320 Type Rating
One of the more advanced programs at ATP Flight School is the Airbus A320 type rating course. ATP Flight School offers this type of rating in the form of an eleven-day course, which is the fastest timeline available. Some of this course’s features include:
- Provided manuals, cockpit panels, and study guides
- 12 hours of ground instruction
- Two hours of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oral examination
- 24 hours of full flight simulator training
- Four hours of line-oriented flight training (LOFT)
- Three hours of an FAA simulator check ride
Photo: Airbus
This eleven-day program is offered at the ATP Jets facility near Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in Dallas, Texas. The flight school also provides discounted accommodation for students. Just like the other programs, ATP Flight School offers unique financing options for the majority of its students, including allowing students to utilize the GI Bill benefits within any ATP Jets program.