I am curious as to how the whole pipeline works and what the average day to day is like in flight school. I have a full time job and I am the main provider of my family. Is it possible to have a full time job throughout the process or is it not recommended? It’s always been a dream of mine to be a pilot and for whatever reason, I did not pursue my dream while I was in the Army. Since leaving my time in service, I used the GI Bill and received my bachelors degree in Business Management. I have a great job and rely on it to pay our bills. As you can probably guess, it’s tough to be able to walk away for flight school seeing as I pay the majority of our bills.
Give it to me straight, is working possible or not during the process?
Is the flight school a full day event, 5 days per week?
Short answer: No. I was lucky enough to get into their Flex program before they stopped offering it which allows for you to work and balance family while going to ATP. Even in the Flex program it’s a lot to manage. I believe the Fast track program is 7 months total before you start flight instructing. If you’re motivated, you could save enough to cover expenses for that amount of time while you plow through it.
Straight or otherwise there’s only one answer. Working while at ATP is HIGHLY DISCOURAGED. It’s not prohibited simply because this is America and ATP can’t tell you what to do when you’re not in training.
One of the most attractive aspect for most people is the timeline. They love the idea that you can complete the program in just 7mos while most schools take years. Thing is that timeline comes at a price and that price is you will be training full-time. While most weeks is 5 days a week you need to be available 7, morning, noon and night because flying is dynamic. Weather changes, there are also requirements that must be met. Most people find the program exceptionally challenging dedicating all their time to it. Attempting to work is a recipe for failure. The average washout rate is about 20%. Those who try and work raise it significantly. Some figure they’ll try (again this is America) but know you have been cautioned and when (not if) you struggle or bust checkrides that will affect the rest of your career ATP will have little or no compassion. These are grownup decisions.