Hi I am about to be 21 years old and a senior in college, graduating in 2023 spring and considering joining the program maybe next year July or August, from this forum, I am expecting to save up 20k and my dad assists me with some as well but I still have to get an loan(have cosigner). I learned flying before 2 years ago going to be rusty for sure, I have some hours(30- 40 hours). Before I join, I learned that I should get all the written tests done from this forum. I have some questions on the hours, if I have some hours and I still pay for the whole cost, can I relocate the hours to other certificates, an example: I would reduce the hours on the crew cross country and maybe more hours on the commercial?
My other question is when is the best time to apply for the loans if I am aiming for a class date around August?
Is there anything I should know before starting at atp?
If you were to start at atp again, is there anything you would change?
This forum teaches me a lot about the aviation industry, I much appreciate the information you mentors and other pilots provide about.
To my knowledge you cannot reallocate your hours (particularly because crew hours don’t require an instructor and CPL training does) with hours you’ve previously earned. The good news is those hours are yours and would simply go towards the 1500 you’ll need for the airlines. You should however check with ATP admin.
I started with credit for private and graduated recently, so I will be basing my advice on my experiences over the previous five months.
You can relocate hours that are not utilized to different certificates if you need them. For example, when I completed my Instrument phase, I had enough hours to where I did not need to perform crew and re-allocated them into my Commercial phase. During CFI, I needed an additional hour that was taken from Commercial that I did not end up using. When you reallocate, just call JAX and have them re-balance your hours.
I would aim for an application date a few weeks out from when you want to start. The loan process was not too difficult and I had an answer from Meritize and Sally Mae within 2-3 weeks. Adam recommended six months, which is not particularly a bad idea. It would honestly just depend on your financial situation, however that was my personal experience with application.
Things are going to move fast, like really fast. There are going to be days where you’re exhausted, stressed, and just want to quit. However, remember your goal and the dreams you have. Surround yourself with your classmates and you will see how much easier it becomes.
There honestly wouldn’t be much that I would change. I did my training in KVGT (North Vegas) and it was a relatively small center which allowed for a far easier training pace than Phoenix or Jacksonville.
There can be small adjustments in hours as needed, but not planned ahead. ATP offers two programs, starting with no licenses os starting with credit for private. Do you have a private license?
I do not have any license yet. During that time, I did my first solo but I wanted to continue with my education and come back after, I was not certain yet, so I took some lessons at a local flight school. I got 30-40 hours during that time, and that was why I was wondering would this help me reduce the time and relocate the hours on crew cross country to other licenses as maybe this can help me reach 250 hours faster for the commercial pilot license. I will still pay for the entire cost and the hours stated on the atp website.
As you do not yet have a PPL, you will start the program the same as somebody with no flight time and will go through the program as normal. There really would be no need to redistribute your hours.