Hi everyone, I’m going to be starting on the Airline Career Program soon. I recently took my introductory flight, and had an great time. I’ll be moving to the US from India in Jan-Feb 2021 to begin with ATP, and I have a few questions that I hope the mentors and others on this forum might be able to answer.
I’m finding it hard to decide on a location to train at. Following are my considerations
Since I will be living in the US for the first time, I feel it will make sense to stay close to some relatives in case of emergencies. For this, Dallas, Atlanta, Detroit and New Jersey are my options.
I know that ATP tries to standardise the quality of training across its locations. While instructing however, would it make a difference with respect to interview opportunities with regional airlines and to establish contacts in that region? Would it be better to instruct at a location like Dallas or Atlanta which are generally bigger airline hubs than a place like Detroit? Can you also confirm that the number of hours I’ll be able to log per month as an instructor will not vary with location?
How likely is it that I will be able to instruct at the same place I train at? Since Dallas and Atlanta have 3-4 locations each, am I right in assuming that there’s a better chance I’ll get to stay in the same city? I’m looking to cut down on the costs of moving across the country after training.
Another factor I’m keeping in mind is the cost of living. Detroit seems the cheapest, followed by Dallas, Atlanta and New Jersey, in that order. With limited finances, this is a major factor.
Please let me know what you think I should do. Also, a big thanks to all the mentors and others who are active on this forum. You’ve built up a wealth of useful information for people like me.
Personally I believe people stress wayyyy too much when it comes to choosing a location. As you said ATP does a great job of standardizing the training so be assured you’ll receive the same quality regardless. That said let’s address your questions:
Not really a question but I think being close to relatives is a great idea for emergencies, support, etc, particularly if you’ve never lived here. (Btw, can we assume you’ve gotten your background checks done as well as gaining permanent resident status?)
The location you chose will have zero bearing on your access to Regionals. The carriers know ATP has locations around the country and you’ll have opportunities to speak with them regardless of where you are. In addition to standardizing the training ATP also staffs each locations to allow all instructors equal opportunity to build time. Bigger busier locations will also have more instructors. The instructor to student ratio should be fairly equal throughout.
There’s zero way of knowing. In order to maintain the favorable ratio you desire ATP will also limit the amount of instructors per location based on demand. If there’s an opening you’ll be able to stay, if there isn’t you won’t.
If you were looking to settle and buy a home I might say the cost of living is a consideration but otherwise I wouldn’t lose too much sleep. Choose your location based on convenience, family or you just like the climate. Inevitably you’ll be happier vs how much a gallon of gas costs.
Thanks a lot for your detailed response. It’s made things a lot clearer for me.
I’m an American Citizen. I moved to India when I was a young kid. I’m not sure if the background checks and resident status formalities are required of me?
Many people really seem to get caught up in which location to attend and that is understandable. In reality though, the experience really is incredibly similar across all of the locations. To answer your questions:
I personally would not worry about the emergency thing, if it is a true emergency it will not matter where you are.
The airlines will not be remotely concerned with what location you training at and will probably never even ask. As an instructor you will probably not build that many contacts in the airlines, other than people ahead in time building that get hired by the airlines ahead of you. I would not make this at all a consideration. The hours will of course vary by location and even from week to week, nothing is perfectly balanced and some locations will have months that are busier than others, but that will change with each location and with each month. Remember, ATP matches the number of instructors at a location to the overall demand needed there. They account for fluctuations.
Yes, it would probably be easier to remain in a city that has several locations available.
I would agree with your ranking of the cities as to cost of living, but I am not an expert. I am based in NJ and I can tell you that the cost of living is rather high there. Although New Jerseyites will swear that it is worth every penny of it to live in the Garden State and not be allowed to turn left or pump your own gas.
I would just pick the location that works best for you.
I just finished up my time at ATP as both a student and instructor there. I think your top priority should be going somewhere with the most favorable weather.
What the guys said above is so true, the ATP program is executed the same no matter what location you attend. The only variable that is different is the environment you will be training in. Regions that get more severe seasons tend to have slower progress through the program on average than locations with more favorable weather. You want to get your ratings as a student as quick as possible so you can get an instructor position and start building your hours. With that being said, you do get priority when it comes to instructor placements to the location you attended as a student. So if there are two new instructor candidates and you both want the same location but you attended that location as a student, you will most likely be granted that location.
So If you want to instruct at a certain location, I recommend starting there as a student. Your priority should be the same though… where will the weather be most favorable for you to fly as much as possible to build your hours as fast as possible. Again, certain locations have instructors that fly more than other locations due largely to weather. Another factor, the size of the training center… somewhere with a high student load will have more planes so if one or two are in MX, it has less of an impact.
Thank you for your responses. You’ve made some interesting points. I’m now leaning towards Dallas or Atlanta, since they have better weather and for the fact that it may be easier to remain as an instructor in the same city (if not the same location itself).
I’ll let you guys know when I decide between the two. Thanks again for your time
Glad to hear it! I think you’re absolutely making the right call. Please do keep us updated! I know the Atlanta area locations very well! Lots of great places to choose from there!
I would plan on doing as many written exams as possible, but make sure you are getting scores above 90%. Quality over quantity.
Thanks for the update, please continue to update us as you go through the program and always come back with any questions you might have. Just don’t ask me about Eights on Pylons, I never understood them and still don’t.
Congrats on choosing a location and start date with ATP! This is a huge first step in a new journey in life.
Echoing what Chris said, if you can get as many writtens out of the way as possible with quality scores, it will make your time at ATP more enjoyable as you’ll be able to focus primarily on the stage of training rather then rote memorization of questions & answers. One piece of advice I can offer is trying to stay ahead starting on day 1 and chair fly a lot! It will pay off in the end.
I’ll be moving to the US only around the 1st of Feb, so all I can do for now is get the studying and endorsements done. Then I’ll try to schedule the tests on consecutive days once I’m there. And I’ll remember to get in touch with you if I need to know how to get through the program without understanding Eights on Pylons.
Brady, thanks for the advice. I’m no stranger to trying to stay ahead; I just completed my bachelor’s degree a semester early by loading up on courses. I don’t know to what extent I’ll be able to pull something like that off at ATP, but I’ll keep your advice in mind. The instructor who took me on my introductory flight said he completed the program in 7 months, starting from zero time, so it does seem possible.
I’ll definitely keep you guys updated as I move through the program.
It’s very feasible to finish the program in 7 months assuming you work hard on the ground knowledge to stay ahead. I would’ve finished early had it not been for weather during the private phase that grounded me for about 6 weeks overall. Still managed to finish on time
