Admissions Flight and Start Date

Hi Everyone-

Looking for some info on how long it takes to get a scheduled start date once you’ve taken an admissions flight. I’m planning on finishing up my PPL at a nearby flight school while I continue to work and then attending ATP once I’ve obtained my ppl (I currently have 45 hours and still need to knock out all my solo xc hours and 1.5 more hours of simulated instrument time. I also plan on knocking out all my written tests before starting,

Is it possible to take an admissions flight and then get started with a class that starts in the next two weeks or month, or is there normally a wait time? Most people I see on here have start dates that are months out. I plan on finishing my ppl in January and would love to start atp in February or March, but I know at this point I can’t count on a day that I’ll have my ppl due to weather and DPE scheduling.

Thanks for your help.

Sam,

Most people seem to book start dates ninety days or so in advance. Of course it is sometimes possible to book sooner, it just depends on availability. It is one of those things that you will not really know until you actually go to book your start date as availability is constantly in flux.

Chris

Sam,

Also don’t forget to start the program with credit for your PPL you’ll need at least 78hrs of total time.

Adam

Just to add to that, you won’t be able to schedule your start date until you meet these requirements. Either way, there’s a waiting period.

Tory

Thanks for the insight. Once I have my PPL, I don’t see any big roadblocks of getting to 78 hours. I’m guessing I’ll be around 60-65 by the time i take my checkride. Looks like at the very least I’ll have a month to two months lag between finishing PPL and starting at ATP. That seems like a reasonable amount of time to work through the sheppard air material and get the writtens knocked out.

Thanks for the input everyone!

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