I’m currently a junior in high school working on getting my private pilots license, however I need to know what would be best financially. I’ve wanted to be an airline pilot for probably 5 years now but I don’t know if it would be best financially to go to college and get my 4 year degree in aviation, or to go to college get my degree and then go to atp. Or if I could just go straight to atp?
Beau,
Please take a look at our FAQ section as we discuss the various options and their pros and cons.
Adam
Beau,
You will not be able to go straight to ATP unless you have a PPL or two years of college.
As for which is the best option, please check out the FAQ section as there is a detailed post there that deals with tour various options.
Chris
Is atp considered a degree for major airlines to accept?
No. ATP does not provide you with a college degree. It does provide you with all the ratings necessary to build your hours and have a chance at getting hired by a regional. There are currently a couple of “flow-through” programs at regionals which give you a possibility of joining a major with no degree (e.g. Envoy), but it would be a really unwise long-term solution not to have a backup plan in the event that you can no longer fly or the flow through is restructured and sunsets before you make it to a major airline. As the mentors mentioned, please check the FAQs and search the forum. This is a very common question on here.
Beau,
No. ATP is a flight school that helps you earn your FAA licenses. A college degree takes four years and is issued by a college or university.
Chris