My name is Lincoln and I wanted to introduce myself as well as ask some questions.
1.) Has anyone on here attempted the Kansas City ATP. I have looked at some forums and haven’t seen one.
2.) Is it difficult to get flight hours in? Mainly asking because of Missouri weathers history of being temperamental.
3.) I have an associates, will I need to obtain a bachelors?
My background- I am 33 with two children, been in law enforcement for 8 years with an associates in Criminal Justice. I’m blessed to own a home inspection business on the side with employees so the two years of gaining flight hours with low pay should be ok. To be honest I am nervous to make the switch because of the unknown, but very excited and thankful for all the forums.
Welcome to the forum. I am not sure if there are any Kansas City students on here, but I will give you my insights on this.
There are weather challenges at any location in the country, they vary, but each place has its good weather days and bad weather days. The program is spread across several months and this tends to even things out. I would not worry about this.
There is a detailed post in the FAQ section on this, but short answer is, you will not need a degree for the regionals, you might or might not need it for places like Frontier, Spirit, Allegiant, etc, most of the majors still require a degree, the exception being if you flow through to American Airlines from one of their regionals.
Chris answered your questions so I’m simply going to address “the unknown”. The long and short of it is there are zero guarantees in this industry. Frankly not everyone can or should be a pilot. While it’s not rocket science it does require a level of intelligence and coordination that not everyone possesses. Obviously we don’t know you but if you’ve got average or better of both and (more important) you should be successful in training.
The good news is the country (and really the world) is in the middle of the greatest pilot shortage in history and its not expected to end any time soon. What that means is in this environment IF you are successful in your training and have a clean record (which if you’re in law enforcement I’ll assume you do) you will get hired at a Regional. For decades that wasn’t the case. While again there’s no guarantees this is about as close as you’re ever going to get.
Finally if you do have aspirations to fly for a Major (and you should) you will want to get a 4yr degree. There’s no question the Majors want one and it make you much more competitive when the time comes to apply. The other good news is with your Associates and credit for your licenses and ratings, you could get an aviation degree online for minimal time and expense.
I also had a question about the multi engine “upgrade” to training. Is it possible to do the bulk of my training close and complete the Multi 100+ at one of the other locations?
I graduated from the MKC location. It’s a great airport to fly out of with amazing instructors.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a location which doesn’t have weather considerations. There’s no shortage of non-flying days because of weather. That doesn’t mean you get the day off. You use that time to study, take written exams and/or jump in the sim.
I understand the uncertainty changing careers, especially with kids. It can be done and you’ll have to make sacrifices to make it work. This program is accelerated. Make sure you have the appropriate conversations with family and business partners to mitigate flight training conflicts with the rest of life ;).
So I think I am going to save up some more and try to get my PPL before starting! These forums have been very helpful and I thank you all for reaching out and answering questions!
Glad we could help. Mind if I ask you why? If you’ve decided that ATP is the way to go, why wouldn’t you want to do all your training with them (particularly your primary)?
Lincoln,
You say you’re thinking about saving money and doing your private outside of ATP. That’s fine if that’s what you want to do but I want to make sure you have accurate numbers. You probably can find a private pilot program for cheaper than ATP. However, to come in credit private you have to meet a minimum of 78 hours. Just make sure you factor that in to the finances. It will be quite a bit more than getting private at a minimum 40 hrs.
Here is the list of prerequisites:
If you need to save up money, then I would suggest simply delaying your entry into the ATP program. Local flight schools canoe a nightmare, I would know as I got my private at one. The whole process ended up taking way longer than I was told it would and costing significantly more. Plus, when I got to ATP I had to unlearn all of the bad habits I had picked up. I would really caution you to do some serious research before going down this path.
Hey Lincoln! Kansas city native and current student here in KC! I’m currently in the private pilot stage and you are right to be concerned about weather. I recently had my first solo flight after several weather delays and am now in the cross country phase which is even more difficult because weather must be good at downtown airport as well as 2 others. That being said I’m happy to be here because this is what I love and I know that I am still going to be getting all these ratings way quicker than other places. I also currently have no degree and dont see it being an issue since most airlines do not require it anymore.
First congrats on the solo. Delays on unfortunate but it’s winter in North America and you’d be hard pressed to find a location that hasn’t had any.
As for the degree, while most carriers aren’t requiring them they’re still preferred and those that have one will be getting hired and gaining seniority first.
I have decided to start apply for the flex path. I really didn’t want to delay any longer than needed, since seniority is important. Thanks for all the help and I will keep everyone updated.
While I think it’s clear we all prefer the FastTrack when possible, the Flex program is a great alternative and you’re right, it’s always better to start sooner. What’s also nice is if your situation changes, you could convert to the Fast Track and could even get a credit. I’m a big fan of options.
Lincoln,
Congrats, thats a big step! Starting sooner is always better because seniority is everything! Let us know if there is anything we can do to help prepare you for your start date.
-Hannah