Questions about becoming a pilot

Student Experiences
1

Hello, I am thinking about becoming a pilot and have so many questions that I can’t all fit onto one forum. I am thinking about going to an ATP school but I was wondering if you ever get breaks? Are you flying all 7 days of the week? How often do you fly? Are you ever in an actual classroom? Is it kind of like being on call? Like what was the ATP student experience like? Was it worth it? Sorry for all the questions but I would like to know, I have tons of others but I think this is a good start and I will most likely be back on here.
Thank you for your time and consideration.

2

Jaxon,

You can’t but we can and have, virtually all your questions have been answered in the Student Experience section (which I suggest you visit). That said here are some quick and dirty answers:

  1. Yes you get breaks, how many and how long will vary at various points in your training and how you’re doing.

  2. Generally no. The average is 4-5 days of flying but the caveat is you need to be available for 7 to adjust for weather and possible extra training.

  3. See above.

  4. You’ll have both in person and online ground school almost daily (there’s LOTS to learn). There’s also simulator training.

  5. Kind of. Your schedule will be set but again ATP requires flexibility to keep you on track (ie, you were supposed to fly Fri am but the weather was junk so you’re expected to be there).

  6. EXTREMELY challenging but also very rewarding.

  7. For me without question. I’m a Capt at a Major airline and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for ATP. For those unwilling to put in the work (or unable) probably not.

Adam

3

Jaxon,

  1. There are time for breaks during training, but not many, you will get holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they’re not long breaks like high school lengths. There may be delays in the timeline due to aircraft maintenance, weather, and DPE availability.

  2. You are EXPECTED to be AVAILABLE 7 days a week, while ATP aims to have you there Monday through Friday.

  3. Flight Training Typical Day / ATP Flight School

  4. The training center is a ‘classroom’, you will find various resources at your fingertips that many smaller-scale flight schools do NOT have. Pretty much, the training center will become home for you for many many months.

  5. You will have a set schedule; however, changes happen, planes break, weather adjusts every second we’re breathing. There is a reason ATP has implemented the driving time to the training center, to mitigate open time and keep students training, if something changes in the training center.

  6. We have a Student Experiences on the forum, I HIGHLY recommend checking it out:

  1. I love everything about my job, I look back at the process and see others doing it, encouraging them to always keep on working hard because it’s the most rewarding job in the world.

Brady

4

Thank you so much for the response. I’ll go read that forum and be researching different types of schools. Have a good day
-Jaxon