Airline Career Pilot Program at your own pace?

Will ATP allow you to complete the Airline Career Pilot Program at your own pace other than the two year time line? I currently have a full time career but want to obtain more than just a PPL. (Which I currently do not have.)

Diana,

No, there is not any extended option like what you are talking about available. ATP is able to offer training at the prices they do because of the frequency with which you fly the airplanes. Spreading the flight training out even further reduces that meaning that you will spend more time relearning what you have already been taught. What level license are you looking to achieve? What are your long term goals in regards to flying?

Chris

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I would love nothing more to have a career flying 737s.

Getting my PPL would be on my own schedule but the gap between PPL and CFI is where I’m stuck at. Accruing the hours needed for Commercial will take longer than others as well which i’m fine with since I’m only 27. Quitting a job where I make 20k less than a new hire pilot at a major airline to start at the bottom is not the route I want to go. Having a program where I could complete it in segments would be ideal.

Hi Diana,
First off, 73’s suck! Repeat after me Airbus, Airbus, Airbus… :grin:

I completely understand you desire to not give up pay to start at the bottom. While I’m not aware of any schools that will let you train “in segments”, your local flight school can probably piece something together. American Flyers offers courses for specific ratings (Instrument, Multi etc) so you might want to take a look there?

Not sure what your goal is but keep in mind if you do in fact want to be an airline pilot at some point you will have to bite the bullet and take that cut. If you’re flying for your own personal enjoyment then you could take as much time as like.

Adam

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So Airbus and Boeing compete like Fords vs Chevys lol. I’ve only experienced 737s and 757s but no Airbus yet.

Do you know if a pilot with over a certain amount of hours, say 2,000 - 2,500, will be hired on at a higher rate of pay than a pilot that only has the 1500 minimum? Just curious if that’s a possibility or if seniority ranking is the holy grail.

We prefer a comparison like Chevys to Porsches but yes.

As for pay (and everything else at the airlines) SENIORITY IS EVERYTHING and the union makes sure it stays that way. You could be a space shuttle commander with 50,000 hrs, first year pay is first year pay, period. There’s no negotiation.

Adam

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Thinking SmartCar? :wink:

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:laughing:

:grin::grin::grin::grin::grin:

Adam,

I appreciate the humor haha did you find that you had a hard time adjusting from a yoke to a stick?

I love boeing, but the new A380 and the A350 is just beautiful.

Yuran

I did my private pilot training in a DA-@0, which has a center stick, I then transitioned to a Seminole. I found that the changeover from stick to yoke was almost seamless, I barely had to think about it. The EMB 145 has a rams horn type yoke that I found a bit strange, but Concorde had the same yoke so I figured that it was good enough for super sonic flight it was good enough for an RJ.

Chris

Yuran,

Personally I’m not a fan of the stick. It’s not a difficult transition what I don’t like is the “fly by wire” which gives you no feel or feedback. You basically fly the plane by the numbers and visually but again the “feel” isn’t there which I miss. That said the Bus is a sexy airplane.

Adam