A Look At America’s Largest General Flight Academy

For young

pilots,

one of the most critical decisions to be made is what flight school to enroll in, as this is not only a major career decision, but could also have serious implications for one’s future career prospects. Of the hundreds of flight training programs across the United States for young pilots, among those with the most outstanding reputations is ATP Flight School. This private organization operates an impressive 83 training centers across the United States.

As the largest flight training company in the United States, ATP Flight School is responsible for a significant portion of individual pilot training across the United States and attributes much of its success to a curriculum focused on airline-oriented programming. Today, the organization stands out as the leading supplier of pilots for America’s regional airlines. These carriers operate subcontracted flights for standard commercial airlines and are the place where the majority of cadets first launch their passenger careers.

Photo: ATP Flight School

Founded over 40 years ago in Atlanta, Georgia, the organization has grown over time to include dozens of flight training facilities and operates an impressive and diverse aircraft fleet. In this article, we will take a deeper look at the history of ATP Flight School and its important role in pilot training today.

A rich history

Dating back to 1984, ATP Flight School was founded by a group of airlines with the original acronym standing for Air Transport Professionals. The organization was initially launched to train U.S. military pilots, who, despite prior flight training, were aiming to make the transition to commercial aviation. With so many ex-military pilots seeking out lucrative airline positions at the time, it appeared as if the company had targeted a winning business model.

Since its early days, the company has expanded its training offering to now include ab initio training for a variety of pilot certifications and licenses, which can include everything from private pilot licenses to advanced instrument and type ratings. By the end of the 2000s, ATP Flight School had now grown to over 25 different training facilities across the United States, a number that further expanded to 38 by 2017. The company also owns ATP JETS, a fully integrated subsidiary that offers extensive flight simulator training services, a company that previously was known as Higher Power Aviation.

By May 2021, the company had grown to over 61 locations, which had collectively racked up over 24,500 hours of general flight training every month. According to Flying Magazine, the company has managed to successfully place over 400 graduates in full-time airline positions throughout 2020 and the first half of 2021 alone. As of 2024, the company remains the largest civilian aviation training organization in the United States and has seen over 20,000 pilots pass through its doors.

Training centers & fleet

Currently, ATP Flight School operates 83 training centers across the United States, with many located in major cities like Phoenix, Dallas, and Atlanta, at all of which airlines, the primary source of employment for ATP alumni, have major centers of operations. One of the most elaborate training centers in the ATP network is located in Dallas, where the company houses one of its flagship jet training programs.

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Here, pilots can complete full Part 142 jet aircraft training, with the aid of multi-million dollar full-motion Airbus and Boeing flight simulators, with the 20,000th ATP student graduating from the center back in November 2023. According to the Pittsburgh Business Times, the company has continued to expand over the years, including new facilities in the Allegheny Valley.

Photo: ATP Flight School

The newest of ATP’s flight training centers was established recently in 2023 in La Verne, California, becoming the third such to be opened in the greater Los Angeles area. The company’s Tucson training facility is noted as offering the most elite level of instruction.

As a major flight training academy, ATP Flight School stands out as one of the most extensive operators of training and general aviation aircraft across the globe. The organization’s current lineup consists of multiple kinds of aircraft, which include all the following:

• Piper PA-28 Cherokee (Archer TXs)
• Piper PA-44 Seminole
• Cessna 172 Skyhawk
• Cessna CE-525 CitationJet

The organization operates the world’s largest multi-engine training fleet, which consists of its Seminole prop aircraft and jet-powered CitationJets. Initially, ATP Flight School’s single-engine fleet consisted of just Cessna Skyhawks before the PA-28s were later added.

Industry relationships and hiring opportunities

As in most industries, the reputation of an educational institution is almost always tied to its ability to land graduates with top jobs. In this department, ATP Flight School does not fail to deliver, as the organization boasts dozens of partnership programs with major airlines, and has placed thousands of cadets into entry-level pilot positions at these companies.

Photo: ATP Flight School

ATP Flight School maintains hiring relationships with 37 different U.S.-based air transportation companies, including regional airlines, full-service network carriers, and corporate charter operators. This includes Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, and Republic Airways, among many others. These complete partnerships allow for a select few graduates from ATP’s commercial pilot training programs to directly interview for entry-level first officer positions at these carriers.

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The company also has some smaller partnerships with United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, via affiliate hiring programs, and Breeze Airways turned to the organization back in March 2022 to help address a pilot capacity gap. Between March 2021 and March 2022, the company was reported to have placed over 1,000 pilots in full-time commercial positions, one of the highest among similar flight training organizations,