Considering the leap- Training at KOWD

Hi all,

I am strongly considering taking the leap into a career in aviation; A little about me- I grew up flying with my family essentially my entire younger life and have had my PPL for about 2 years and have about 140 hours. I am 32 y/o, I have a degree and manage a small team in my current position and don’t necessarily dislike what I do. However, I am looking for something a bit more fulfilling, exciting, and a clear promotional path which aviation checks these boxes. Intimidating leaving a steady job with good benefits and starting over but I can’t imagine a better office view than at FL380.

I currently live in NH and the closest ATP school is KOWD, any feedback about attending the program there? A few questions;

  • How were the instructors and culture?
  • Were the aircraft maintained properly?
  • How was training in the New England weather? (I think there are some benefits here training-wise rather than severe clear 360 days/yr)
  • Any setbacks?
  • How long did it take from start to finish? I assume I will likely start working on my instrument

Thanks in advance!

  • Nate

Nate,

Hopefully someone who trained at KOWD will come in but I’ll start with some generic answers and things to keep in mind.

  1. ATP instructors build their time then move on. That means there’s a good chance whichever instructors are there now (or were there) might not be when you arrive. Regardless ATP works very hard to guarantee all their locations have the same level of instruction and resources throughout their network.

  2. Aircraft Maintenance Centers / ATP Flight School

  3. Everywhere in the country has it’s weather challenges but I agree, the NE will provide good exposure and the opportunity for some actual IMC. There was a famous story of a new pilot at my old Regional who bugged out because he had never actually been in the soup during training. Not good.

  4. Setbacks can and do happen on occasion but the 5 or 7mos actually has some buffers in there to allow for that. In reality the program was originally designed for less time but the buffers were put in to give people a more accurate and realistic timeline.

  5. Yes. You have your PPL and the required 78hrs so the 5mos timeline should hold.

Adam

Hi Adam,

Thanks for he insight- makes total sense regarding the instructors. Sounds like there are some possibilities once you complete your certifications to work for ATP to get to the 1500 hours req. I can’t imagine not getting real IMC experience and the first being at the regionals! I know winter flying can be challenging so hoping that won’t be too much of a hindrance.

Ideally not planning on setbacks but things happen of course so good to know that’s factored into the timeline.

Thanks again,

Nate

Nate,

I can tell you that absolutely, ATP’s airplanes are maintained well. ATP has been in business for over thirty years and part of that success has been maintaining their fleet well. There are numerous ATP maintenance locations around the country and those that are not ATP maintenance centers rotate the airplanes through, or use contract maintenance as needed. I never had a problem with any of the airplanes when I flew for ATP.

Chris

Hi Chris,

Appreciate the response and good to know about your experience. Happy to hear they prioritize maintenance and ensure safety.

Thanks,

Nate