I am considering ATP Tampa. I have zero flight experience and would sign up for the 9 month accelerated program. My concern is the training schedule and how it works. I have two kids and a wife and we all live in the same house. My wife works full time but has some flexibility. Would I be able to drop my kids of to school then head in for the day? Do the training schedules have any consistency to where I would be able to drop my kids off each day and then have my wife pick them up.
I can’t imagine this being an issue assuming you are dropping your kids off around 7AM or so. This is something you’d work out with your CFI once assigned.
No. The schedule is not consistent. The schedule is typically created one day at a time and your lesson times may change based on CFI:Student workload, weather, aircraft availability, sim availability etc.
Plus, not all of the training is done at the same training center. For example, after your instrument check ride you’ll be assigned a crew cross-country partner. The two of you then operate like a crew and build time towards commercial flight experience requirements. This lasts for about 2 weeks and you may be away from base for that time if ATP needs airplanes moved around and you happen to time out at a training center other than Tampa, for example.
Then there’s CFI school which is conducted at one of ATP’s CFI School locations, which might end up being Daytona Beach for you, which is another 2-3 weeks.
With all that being said, if you were my student and you expressed that lessons needed to be scheduled before or after a certain time, I would try to honor that as best as I can, but because of the schedule’s accelerated nature, I would not be willing to risk your progress and all of my other students’ progress because you and/or my other students have training conflicts. So, if I am unable to honor my students’ scheduling preferences I would expect them to all have a backup plan.
Now, that’s just how I would handle that. Other CFI’s will manage those kinds of situations their own way. Each CFI is making their own schedule and they’re all trying to keep their students on or ahead of schedule. If one too many lessons are missed, it affects the whole system. ATP usually calls the student at this point to discuss if the program is or is not a good fit for them.
Thanks for the details. Just to confirm what you are saying… not all training would be completed in Tampa? I am starting with zero experience and looking to do the 9 month program based out of St. Pete. I also understand in regards to a back up plan. Thanks for the input!
That’s correct. https://atpflightschool.com/airline-career-pilot-program/flight-training-timeline.html This link discusses the training schedule in more detail. Click “Explore This Stage” on each stage to see which stages require time away from base. Some stages simply state “up to ____ weeks away from base required…” Other stages state “Some time away from base may be required.”
Beyond what Tory mentioned, some flights are done very early in the morning and some can run late into the night (FAA night flight requirements). I think you will need to have a more flexible schedule before you are able to commit to the program.
Granted I’m not in FL, but with ATP in UT that shouldn’t be an issue with your family. I would imagine FL would be similar. Typically their biggest thing is you’re putting your time in and not showing up at 10 and leaving at 1. For the most part the instructors are pretty flexible. A lot of common sense comes into play with this. Good luck. Stay focused. Keep the discipline.
You asked for a clear cut answer and it seems you’re getting anything but. Chris and Tory are correct. For the most part it should be alright but there will absolutely be days and phases of the program (crewing and CFI training you’ll be away from home) when you will not be available and you will need to have contingencies.
Just to throw my two cents in currently being at KPIE, but yes, the mentors are all spot on. The instructors here are very flexible and are quite accommodating, but as mentioned, there are times when certain stages of the program require you to fly at various times. This could be due to the stage of the program itself (crew cross-countries, CFI school, etc.) or due to weather or maintenance issues. For instance, I was on crew for over 10 days without making it back to PIE due to a combination of weather and maintenance.
Flexibility can be found, but as Adam said, you would definitely need some contingency plans in place for when things don’t go as planned.