This is for all the ATP naysayers, and this is usually who they are:
Failed out of ATP.
Graduated ATP, but were poor students and not given instructing jobs.
Chose another school and regrets have caused contentments.
Hey, there is a reason some people hate the Yankees, probably because they have won 25% of the World Championships.
But seriously, Track Record is everything. Why do the airlines hire ATP candidates with half the amount of hours that they will hire graduates from other flightschools. Notice that I said half the amount of hours, not half the amount of experience. The experience is usually double or triple with ATP. Is it because these airlines own ATP? Nope. Is it because the airlines get some kind of cash kickback? According to some, it is all about money right? Nope. What kind of airline would risk millions of $s in liability putting a lesser candidate in their cockpit, carrying their passengers? But some of these people say that you just can't learn what it takes to make it to the airlines in such a short amount of time. Wouldn't you think that the airlines would know what they are looking for. So it begs the question, why do the airlines hire so many ATP graduates. Nobody sends more pilots into the airline cockpits than ATP. It all about REPUTATION!
Here's why:
They know that ATP has already weeded out the lesser candidates. If they make it through ATP, and instruct for ATP, 99.9% will make it through airline Indoc training. Yes, cash is king at most flightschools, but not ATP. If you are slow to learn or not motivated at other institutions, that is great for them. Cha-Ching! They will be more than happy to charge you for more ground, more flight, more sim, whatever, the slower the better for them. Most flightschools are run by non-aviators that are looking to extract every penny that they can out of the student, like turning cross-country flight planning into an entire semester. Give me a break. ATP is run by career pilots, for career pilots.
Here is what airlines know about ATP:
Everything is strict, focused training with ATP. There is no timebuilding by going to see grandma, or chasing cows. Everything after Private is Multi-engine and IFR, shooting approaches and shutting down engines, working with a dispatch, Cross-countries that are legitimate CROSS-COUNTRIES, not burning holes in the local skies, CRM. FOCUSED TRAINING! Let the naysayers say what they want. You can't get around the track-record. Who the airlines hire, speaks volumes, compared to some bitter aviator on a website.
ATP just wants your money?
That attitude angers me to no end. ATP is run by very good and moral people, who are professional pilots themselves and have built their school over the last 22 years to be the antithesis of what most flightschools are, and what they themselves sadly experienced as students. Yes ATP demands high standards, so do most highly recognized medical schools. There is not a flightschool out there that can come close in giving you the bang for your buck that ATP does. $54K for every rating, including housing, books, approach plates, motels on XC, and get this 130 hours multi-engine on $400K aircraft, not to mention jet introduction and flights. Some schools try to tell you that they are cheaper, but that is their "get you in the door price." Nobody ever mentions how they are left paying for the 100-200 hours of multi-engine that the airlines require before they will interview you. Follow that up with the extra 18 months that you will have to work as a flight instructor/pizza delivery boy, on top of the extra 24 - 36 months that it took just to get your ratings.
Those of you that are bitter. Get over it! Move on with your careers. And yes we get it. The amount of hour that YOU had when YOU landed that first big job, should be the status qou and bare minimum for everyone else.
Those of you that are looking for the best thing going in aviation training; Track Record and Reputation with the AIRLINES, is everything! Do yourself a favor, go to ATP. Don't fall for some slick salesman that is getting paid six figures to sell you something for triple what it is worth. Yes, there will be expectations of you to achieve high standards. The best description that I have heard is that " ATP is a BIG BOY program ." Flight Instructing is something that I hold near and dear to my heart. I have been in the flight instruction industry for 8 years, and have worked with many flight schools, some of the biggest names and some ma and pa FBO's, and ATP is by leaps and bounds the best thing going for someone serious about being a career aviator. And no, I didn't do my ratings with ATP.
Failed out of ATP.
Graduated ATP, but were poor students and not given instructing jobs.
Chose another school and regrets have caused contentments.
Hey, there is a reason some people hate the Yankees, probably because they have won 25% of the World Championships.
But seriously, Track Record is everything. Why do the airlines hire ATP candidates with half the amount of hours that they will hire graduates from other flightschools. Notice that I said half the amount of hours, not half the amount of experience. The experience is usually double or triple with ATP. Is it because these airlines own ATP? Nope. Is it because the airlines get some kind of cash kickback? According to some, it is all about money right? Nope. What kind of airline would risk millions of $s in liability putting a lesser candidate in their cockpit, carrying their passengers? But some of these people say that you just can't learn what it takes to make it to the airlines in such a short amount of time. Wouldn't you think that the airlines would know what they are looking for. So it begs the question, why do the airlines hire so many ATP graduates. Nobody sends more pilots into the airline cockpits than ATP. It all about REPUTATION!
Here's why:
They know that ATP has already weeded out the lesser candidates. If they make it through ATP, and instruct for ATP, 99.9% will make it through airline Indoc training. Yes, cash is king at most flightschools, but not ATP. If you are slow to learn or not motivated at other institutions, that is great for them. Cha-Ching! They will be more than happy to charge you for more ground, more flight, more sim, whatever, the slower the better for them. Most flightschools are run by non-aviators that are looking to extract every penny that they can out of the student, like turning cross-country flight planning into an entire semester. Give me a break. ATP is run by career pilots, for career pilots.
Here is what airlines know about ATP:
Everything is strict, focused training with ATP. There is no timebuilding by going to see grandma, or chasing cows. Everything after Private is Multi-engine and IFR, shooting approaches and shutting down engines, working with a dispatch, Cross-countries that are legitimate CROSS-COUNTRIES, not burning holes in the local skies, CRM. FOCUSED TRAINING! Let the naysayers say what they want. You can't get around the track-record. Who the airlines hire, speaks volumes, compared to some bitter aviator on a website.
ATP just wants your money?
That attitude angers me to no end. ATP is run by very good and moral people, who are professional pilots themselves and have built their school over the last 22 years to be the antithesis of what most flightschools are, and what they themselves sadly experienced as students. Yes ATP demands high standards, so do most highly recognized medical schools. There is not a flightschool out there that can come close in giving you the bang for your buck that ATP does. $54K for every rating, including housing, books, approach plates, motels on XC, and get this 130 hours multi-engine on $400K aircraft, not to mention jet introduction and flights. Some schools try to tell you that they are cheaper, but that is their "get you in the door price." Nobody ever mentions how they are left paying for the 100-200 hours of multi-engine that the airlines require before they will interview you. Follow that up with the extra 18 months that you will have to work as a flight instructor/pizza delivery boy, on top of the extra 24 - 36 months that it took just to get your ratings.
Those of you that are bitter. Get over it! Move on with your careers. And yes we get it. The amount of hour that YOU had when YOU landed that first big job, should be the status qou and bare minimum for everyone else.
Those of you that are looking for the best thing going in aviation training; Track Record and Reputation with the AIRLINES, is everything! Do yourself a favor, go to ATP. Don't fall for some slick salesman that is getting paid six figures to sell you something for triple what it is worth. Yes, there will be expectations of you to achieve high standards. The best description that I have heard is that " ATP is a BIG BOY program ." Flight Instructing is something that I hold near and dear to my heart. I have been in the flight instruction industry for 8 years, and have worked with many flight schools, some of the biggest names and some ma and pa FBO's, and ATP is by leaps and bounds the best thing going for someone serious about being a career aviator. And no, I didn't do my ratings with ATP.
