Good Afternoon! First, thank you all for always answering everyone’s questions and taking time out of your busy schedules!
To jump right in - I am curious if I would sound like a good fit for ATP.
My background includes being a PPL holder as of August from a smaller, part 141 school. I have a first class medical. I have an associates degree with a 3.8 GPA, and am currently serving in the U.S. Air Force National Guard as a Military Police Officer.
As I begin to study for the instrument written and simultaneously contemplate ATP, I begin realizing the difficulty of moving into instrument. I understand ATP is a quick-pace environment, but is it too quick for someone who might not pick things up as fast? I am not concerned with the workload, but my ability to obtain and process the knowledge quickly enough in such a rigorous environment. In other words, what would make someone a good ATP candidate in your eyes?
Thank you for the introduction and welcome to the forum. As well as thank you for your service in the military.
The only real true answer whether ATP is a good fit for you or not, is to schedule an Admissions Flight and get a firsthand experience at the training center, in the aircraft, and meet current students/instructors, with the ability to ask questions, learn about their success stories etc.
I will say this, ATP is difficult for those that cannot adapt quickly or pick up on things fast. There is a time and place when that may be the case, but instrument is a FAST phase, it is completed generally in less than two months, some complete it in a month. There are ways to alleviate workload, like completing your writtens early, being in the training center on days you’re not scheduled for a flight event working ahead of your ground school studies, etc. Think of a P141 school that is 4-years accelerated into 7 months (Zero Time).
I second all that Brady said above but Id like to throw in something else to consider.
ATPs program isn’t accelerated just to hurry you through in short order. It was created by airline pilots to train airline pilots as they recognized that many civilian pilots, who took their time getting their licenses and rating, were incapable of keeping up with airline newhire training. ATP pioneered the airline partnerships and preferential hiring long before there was a pilot shortage and everyone with a pulse can get a job offer. People read about the shortage and the historic hiring number but what they don’t advertise is the highest failure rates in history. Getting an offer is easy, getting through training is not.
The question then becomes if you don’t think you can handle the pace of ATP, what makes you think you can handle airline newhire training? I understand some people are “slow learners” but the airlines will not slow their program down to accommodate you. Does that mean that slow learners can’t be airline pilots? Not at all, what it means is that if you want to be successful you’ll need to work harder than you ever have in your life and ATP gives you the opportunity to put that into practice.