Quick question from someone not in the industry yet. So you meet the minimum 1500 hrs and lets say you get hired by a regional. The last few years you have been flying prop planes to get hours. Once you get hired, at what point do you have to get certified and training on turbines/jet engines? Most regionals have CRJs/Embraers etc etc. The process isn’t clear to me yet so any information would help. Is it training that the regional airline would provide or is it something you have to come out of pocket for again?
Good question. That is something that the airline will provide. After they hire you they will provide all training necessary to operate whatever airplane you are assigned to, to include training on advanced engines.
Perfect, thanks Chris. Sounds the ATP is great as it gets you right to that point. The more research I do the more likely ATP will be my choice. Besides the debt, theres a lot of positives, but even the debt can be viewed in a positive manner depending on how you look at it.
I took out a loan when I went to ATP. Something to keep in mind is that the interest on student loans is generally tax deductible, I also doubled down on the payments and paid the loan off many years early. Also, keep the tuition reimbursement in mind.
True, all FAA ratings are the same, but it does matter how you get there. ATP has a proven track record of getting pilots into the airlines, I think that really matters.
Funny story, I just jumpseated on an airplane where all three of us pilots were ATP guys.
That’s awesome and very good to hear. I’m still a year and a half away from separating from Active Duty so I am sure I’ll have more questions. Thank you.
Adam, my guess would be that debt keeps you motivated, Robert correct me if I’m wrong.
Robert,
I just finished training at SkyWest Airlines on the CRJ fleet a few weeks ago. The training included a week of ATP-CTP, 4 weeks of indoc and CRJ systems ground training, and 4 weeks of simulator training, all provided by SkyWest. In addition to the training, I was also provided accommodation and travel to and from the training centers, and was payed a decent salary. To my understanding, this is standard these days at most airlines, so you don’t need to worry about that.
Personally, I have only spent about $200 on furthering my aviation career since I finished the Fast Track program, and that was for the ATP written exam prep course & exam fee (that was the only cost that the airline did not pay).
I look at it as an investment. The amount you get in debt with is worth it to me to realize and achieve a childhood dream. The positives outweigh the negatives. At some point in time I will be a homeowner with debt of more than 200k. What’s another 50k to have an amazing career. That’s how I justify it
I definitely agree it’s a very worthwhile investment (which is why I did it myself). Just saying when I wrote that check it never felt all that “positive”
