Does Enrollment in a University reduce Flight hours from 1500 to 1000? I heard that if you enroll in certain 4 yr University Programs, it can reduce your required hours from 1500 to 1000, but yet I see everyone in here talking like 1500 is still required. Can you go through ATP and then enroll in university while doing CFI and accumulating hours to reduce amount to 1000?
Hello Tim!
Thank you for your question. In order to take advantage of the reduced total time requirement for the ATP certificate one has to graduate from a part 141 flight training program that is completed in conjunction with an aviation bachelors degree at the same aviation university.
There are pros and cons to this approach. The obvious benefit is the reduced total time, but you have to keep in mind that it still takes four years just to complete that agree and then however much longer it takes for you to reach 1000 hours, whereas if you were to go to ATP it would only take you seven months to complete the program and then 18 to 24 months to hit the 1500 hour mark and then you would be at least two years ahead of everybody else that decided to take the aviation university route.
We are all graduates of ATP’s program. We all believe in its value. The total time reduction that you would get from an aviation university program hardly pails in comparison to the benefits that you would receive from ATP’s program. Not only would you be able to achieve the ATP certificate minimums faster, but you would also be eligible to participate in one of ATP’s many regional airline partnerships which would help you get a foot in the door at a regional before you are even eligible to become a first officer.
Tory
Tim,
Tory answered your question really well. You only get the 500hr reduction IF you’re flight training is done as part of an approved degree program. Problem is aviation degrees are generally expensive and offer no backup should aviation not work out. Most important is after you earn the degree you still need to find a way to build the 1,000hrs. That often means a job at the local flight school which will end up taking up much longer than building the 1,500hrs instructing for an academy like ATP.
Adam