Want to get a head start on your Airline Career Pilot Program? ATP encourages new students to complete their FAA Airman Knowledge Tests before their start date. These tests consist entirely of multiple-choice questions drawn from a predefined database, so with the right prep software you can get a good score even before you start one-on-one training with our flight instructors.
I can’t encourage students enough to take advantage of this. This fantastic that ATP will now handle the endorsements and reimburse outside test expenses. Every incoming student should take advantage of this!!!
You can take the tests before enrolling in the program. You would just have to pay to take each test out of pocket. If you wait to take the tests after enrollment, the cost is included in the tuition.
If you decide to take the tests prior to your start date, don’t take them too early. They are only good for 24 calendar months.
At what point do you take that exam? Before you take the introductory flight or sometime after? Do I need my medical before my introductory? Are these things typical protocol or should I ask the particular flight school it’s procedures?
I wouldn’t do ANYTHING until you take an intro flight. You can dream, ponder or imagine yourself as a pilot as much as you like but until you’ve gone up you don’t know for certain. Little point wasting money and time until you check that box.
Expect to go up for what hopefully will be a very pleasant experience. You should be allowed to do a fair amount of flying, possibly even taxi and takeoff. Most important try and relax and enjoy. I find far too many aspiring pilots put WAYYYYY too much pressure on themselves for this first INTRODUCTORY flight. It’s an intro, nothing more. It’s not a job interview nor does your entire future depend on the pilots skills you try and demonstrate. YOU’RE NOT A PILOT (yet) and no one expects you to be. For some reason people put all this pressure on themselves to perform like Yeager (or Maverick) and when it doesn’t happen they get discouraged. First off the pressure creates nerves which can actually make you physically ill and that’s no good for anyone. Second, again, this will be your first time at the controls so there are no expectations (other than your own). Listen to the instructor, they’ll keep you safe, simply do the best you can and you’ll be fine. I apologize for the rant but it drives me insane when someone gets on here and says “I just went for my first intro flight and I wasn’t AWESOME!?! What do I do now?”. You accept the fact that there’s a reason why the FAA says you shouldn’t be flying professionally until you get a whole bunch of training and gain some experience. Not saying this is you Grant, but believing that anyone can step into an airplane and just fly is simply arrogant, and no I don’t care how many hours you have on MSFS or X-Flight