I have some questions regarding getting started. I’m looking at a potential career change. I have a bachelors and masters degree. Been working for about 3 years now but being a pilot is something that has interested me from childhood. I have some questions as I look to see if this is something that I can realistically attain or not. Assume for these questions that I’ve quit my job and am full time pursing a pilot’s career.
-Going through ATP, can I expect 7 months of training until becoming an instructor as the website says? Does that mean you start earning a paycheck right away once you’re an instructor?
-After becoming an instructor, how long does it typically take before you’re flying regionally?
-Is ATP the quickest route if I’m full-time pursuing this or are there other options (flight schools) that work just as quickly?
Also, it’s pretty easy to find all of the pros about being a pilot. But what about the cons? Just want to get a clear picture and look at the whole picture of the career path. What are some early-on struggles? Is the pay as good as everyone says? (I know it differs depending on who you end up with) Are there long-term cons to look out for? What’s time away from home like early-on vs as you progress? Do you guys find it easy to still have a good home life? Anything else I’m forgetting?
Thanks in advance! Just trying to do my due-diligence.
Welcome to the forum. Full disclosure, all of the mentors here are successful ATP graduates, so our views are biased. That being said, we all give of our time here because we believe in the program ATP offers and are where we are in large part because of the training we received at ATP.
Yes, you can expect to be a full CFI in seven months. Occasionally people take a bit longer because of examiner delays or training issues, but the vast majority of people finish on time. Once you become an instructor, you will be earning a paycheck:
Typically most people go from zero hours to the airlines in 24 months, total. Now your mileage may vary, but that is a fair number. So 17 months of instructing. ATP’s CFI pay rates are here: Flying as a Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) / ATP Flight School I would plan 80 hours per month.
I am not aware of any place that is quicker than ATP. That being said, speed is not everything. It is important to get a quality education, because let’s face it, your life and those on your airplane depends on it. ATP has produced thousands of airline pilots over the years and has a strong record of doing so.
As for the cons, I suppose that is different for everybody. I would say my only real con is my three hour drive to work, but that is my fault for choosing to live where I do. Do yourself a favor and move to within an hour of wherever you are based.
Due diligence is a good thing. This is a major decision and one to be taken seriously. Chris answered your questions well, I’ll simply add a little color commentary.
Just to be clear earning your PPL, CPL, ME, IR and 3 CFI ratings is not easy. These are not certificates the FAA simply hands out. It takes tremendous work and dedication and frankly not everyone is successful. But yes, if you are, after 7mos you will be able to earn money as a flight instructor and build the required time to fly for an airline.
1.5-2yrs is the average and a pretty good estimate.
If you look up and to the left you’ll clearly see the ATP logo. That’s because this is ATPs forum and all the mentors are former ATP grads. Chris said “we’re biased”, that not because we’re salesmen, it’s simply because we were all where you were, trying to figure the best route and decided on ATP. Most important we’ve all become successful airline pilots. Are there faster schools? Honestly I couldn’t say but this is not a race. What I can say is ATP had almost 1200 grads hired by the airlines in the last 12 mos which is a number no other school can boast. If it were me (and it was) that would mean more to me than saving a month or 2 if that were even possible.
Kent I’ve been flying professionally for 17yrs now. The one thing that will never cease to amaze me is the different viewpoints of the people I fly with. I LOVE my job and consider myself beyond blessed to be able to get paid really well to do something I enjoy doing. I fly with many pilots who feel the same. BUT, I also fly with pilots who are absolutely miserable and find this job to be one step above slavery. Literally bows my mind! Being able to travel and see the World is a pro to me, but if you can’t bare being away from your family it’s a con. How’s the pay? I know a senior check airman who earns $500k a year and complains constantly how it’s not enough. You can literally live anywhere you want in the World BUT that means you’ll need to commute. Pro or con? EVERYTHING is based on seniority which is fair but nothing is based on merit and your advancement, raises, schedule will always be based on your time of service never on your merits. Pro or con? I could go on but you get the point. Which one will you be I can’t say. Its all about your expectations and the things you consider pros and cons. For me again it’s simple I get paid to do what I love which makes everything else relatively small.
Thanks for the responses. Both are incredibly helpful and I appreciate it!
One more question, once approved for a loan, can you start at any point? Or are there starting and specific “starting” dates similar to semesters. I assume the former but just wanted to check.
You can start on any Monday, but start dates can also be affected by instructor availability. ATP won’t start a student unless a training center is appropriately staffed. So depending on staffing levels there may be a slight delay. We suggest having a date in mind and calling to schedule in advance.
Check out ATP’s admissions requirements while you are at it. You will need some things in hand before a deposit to reserve your spot can be made.
To answer you other question about pros and cons, I also love my job and I cannot think of anything else that I would rather do. That said, the beginning years can be challenging. For me, my schedule has played the biggest role in my quality of life. When you are new, typically you start on reserve. Usually reserve is short call or long call i.e. a two hour call out or twelve, give or take, depends on the airline. More to the point, a reserve pilot only knows the days that they are on reserve and the days that they are off. Not knowing when you will be called, where you will be sent, at what time of day, and for how long, the unpredictable schedule can be draining. This is why seniority is king.
Aside from that I really do enjoy my job. It’s fun and I enjoy the responsibility. I was just hired at Alaska. I have been on reserve for a month and a half now. I fly a lot of red eyes. But even in the short amount of time that I have been here I already have people below me and my load this month has actually been fairly light.
Makes sense about the scheduling. Could you give me the link for admission requirements just so I’m sure that I’m looking at the right thing?
As far as the reserve pilot goes, that’s what I figured. I had a feeling it would be pretty draining at first until you build some seniority. It sounds like it doesn’t take ultra-long to build seniority (I assume that also depends on who employs you), you just have to stick with it long enough and know that the better days are around the corner. It sounds like that is the trend with this career path. Grind it out and do the work early and the payoff is more than worth it.
As far as the time it takes to hold a line, it depends on many factors. For instance, is the airline hiring? During the pandemic, no one was hiring. All those hired end of 2019/early 2020 were stuck on reserve for 2 years. All those that were ready to upgrade, didn’t. A few even had their upgrade class cancelled.
Also, how large is the base? If it is relatively small, typically it takes longer to gain enough seniority within that base to hold a line.
That brings up another point. Seniority is multifaceted. There is your company-wide seniority and there is your relative seniority. Your relative seniority can change depending on your seat, aircraft, base, etc. I just met a flight attendant last night, while obviously not a pilot, but their schedules are dictated by their seniority just as much as ours are…anyway we got to talking and they have been LAX based for three years and they are still on reserve.
Compare that to someone in my position, SEA based, I already have 120+ pilots below me in SEA. SEA is considered a relatively junior pilot base so a lot of new hires are being assigned SEA. Now, of those 120+ pilots I don’t know how many of them have completed training yet, but I suspect as the airline continues to expand, I should (hopefully) be a line holder relatively soon. In the meantime, I am playing the hurry up and wait game on reserve
Understandable. Thanks for the insight! Just out of curiosity…I live currently close to Nashville. Any idea what status Nashville holds (ie. Seattle being a relatively junior pilot base). And others in the general area (Louisville, STL, Indy, ATL)?
There are currently no airlines with BNA bases so if you’re not planning on moving, you will be commuting. Problem is Nashville is a very popular, up and coming city and there are ALOT of pilots commuting out of there. Depending on where you’ll be commuting to, could be a challenge.
