Hey there. Im Jonathan I’m 18 years old and I just finished High School. My dream is to be a pilot a one of the major airlines.
I was recently doing research on the different flight school there are. At first I was looking at Spartan Aviation College, since the 2 years for an Associates degree and a possibility to get the a Bachelor with 2 more years seemed really attractive. But after doing some more research and finding out the differences between regional accreditation and national accreditation I lost the interest.
So I came up with a new plan. Try ATP’s accelerated program to get my flight training, then get to 1500 flight ours and start flying with a regional airline. Then while I’m working at a regional airline get my BC degree online. I think this would be the most effective way to have a good chance to work for a Major Airline.
This is where my question comes; is this a good pathway?
Now that I have my target set and I’m willing to work hard to achieve it I have some other questions.
What is the average response time of ATP Admissions? I requested more info about 5 days ago and then I requested to star my admission process but they never replied.
Also are there any differences between which ATP location im going to attend? right now im planning on attending one in Dallas, since my mom lives there and I could save up on housing expenses.
Welcome to the forum. I for one am not familiar with Spartan College, but I can tell you that it is not a name that I hear very often in the aviation world. I am also not a fan of aviation degrees, they tend to be rather expensive and do not offer you any sort of backup plan. Now it is no secret that all of the mentors on this website went to ATP and are fans of their program. We volunteer our time here because we believe in the program and the training they offer.
I like your plan of going to ATP, building your time, going. to a regional and then finishing a college degree. Just make sure that you have the dedication necessary to actually finish the degree as you will need that if you would like to go to the majors.
ATP’s response time is usually pretty fast. I would suggest calling them tomorrow as these types of discussions are usually best had over the phone and not just email/
ATP tries vary hard to standardize the student experience at all of their locations. I would simply pick the location that works best for you and not think twice about it.
You’ve obviously done your homework which is good. My question is do you have any flight experience? (and by flight experience I don’t mean during l sitting in the back of a Boeing going to grandma’s for Thanksgiving). If the answer is no I suggest your slow your roll a little first. While many people dream of a career in aviation honestly not everyone can or should be a pilot. Further ATP is a HIGHLY accelerated program that compresses years of training into months.
Before you delay college, take out a substantial loan and dive in head first I STRONGLY recommend you take a lesson or 10 and make sure a) you like it, b) aren’t terrified, c) don’t get sick, d) have some aptitude for flight training.
Please no that I’m not trying to discourage you in any way but this is a huge commitment and not one to be taken lightly.
I apologize that you have not heard from our Admissions Department. I would recommend (if you haven’t already) giving us a call at your convenience at 904-595-7950 and we would be happy to discuss any questions that you have about the Airline Career Pilot Program!
Jonathan,
Your plan is a good one… atp then a regional and getting your degree while there. However like Adam said, if you don’t have any experience in a small aircraft we HIGHLY recommend you trying that first before making any big commitments. You will get an intro flight as part of the atp admissions process but you can also take discovery flights at many other independent flight schools. If you get your loan approved first, I believe the intro flight fee is waived.
Looks like Addison has you in contact with admissions now so you should be on your way!
Thanks to all of you for your responses. I was able to get important information from all of them. Thanks Adam for the recommendation. I will take a tour in ATP in Addison soon, so I’m going to get the intro flight as well. I think that this way im going to be sure Flying is something I want to do for the rest of my life.
Also since I don’t have that much experience I’m considering the Flex track option, so I can have more time to make sure I get everything right.
Once again, thanks to everyone for replying!
The choice of program is yours. I just want to point out that the Fast Track program used to be 6 months, but is now 9 months. Again the choice is yours. You know yourself better than we do.
Jonathan,
The flex track program is meant for students that need to work part time as they do their training. It’s longer and much slower paced and ends up costing more. If you’re not sure it’s something you want to do or if you’re worried about catching on, I’d consider doing your private outside of ATP at your own pace and then jump in to ATP credit private when you’re ready and have some foundational experience. At least then you’re not learning the atp pace and how to fly from zero time all at once.
I would not do the Flex Track program just tog give yourself more time. The program is designed for people with little to no experience. The Flex Track is for people who will be working during training.
ATP; did everything there.
I can’t say I absolutely loved it, but they got me through 7 ratings in 9 months, so I’m satisfied. Right now I’m instructing at a 141 school in San Jose called TradeWinds aviation.
Got 1000+ hours, hopefully I’ll be in the airlines soon
Sooooo, you’re 2yrs out of HS, you got all your training done in a timely fashion and now you’re only 500hrs away from an airline career. Curious what you didn’t “love”?
