Hello all, I’m interested in pursuing ATP’s program. I’ve always had a love in aviation ever since I was giving my first Microsoft flight simulator from an uncle. But from that I know real life aviation is much different. As I do want to take on the challenges, hard work and dedication of the program I do have some questions and concerns. I’ve flown many times as a passenger in airliners. During take offs and landings I feel a bit uneasy in my stomach but once we straighten off in cruise altitude I’m fine. I also am a bit afraid of heights or may be falls. I’m not sure. Crazy to say since I work for the oil and gas and are exposed to heights daily. I know the first step to really find out if this is for me is to take an introduction class but when would I know for sure that this will be for me? Or say throughout the class I’m exposed to 5k-15k feet and in the airlines I’m flying at 30k - 40k feet and be okay? I’m also thinking may be I have this uneasy feeling because I don’t know what to expect or know the mechanics of an airplane and the emergency procedures to have a better understanding that hey this is how it works and I’ll be okay. Has anyone felt this way? If so, what techniques or tips have you guys done to get you guys through the program? Lastly, is there any material that I could look over to better understand these mechanics of an airplane? I just hate that this be the reason why I didn’t pursue my dream in aviation. Again, looking for any tips and advice. I appreciate you for y’all’s time and responses.
Luis,
We’re not birds and flying is not a natural act. I also know plenty of pilots who fear heights (but altitude is different than height). That said sitting up front at the controls of a small training aircraft is VERY different than riding in the back of an Airbus. Some people take an intro flight and love it, some go up once and say ok this is definitely not for me. For many it’s somewhere in between. As everyone is different there’s really no way of predicting when (or if) you’ll gain some comfort. It’s really something you’ll need to discover for yourself. What I can tell you is if you can get comfy in a Cessna at 5,000’, you’ll be fine at 40,000’ in a Boeing.
As for books there a plenty and the FAA even has a library where you can download books for free (this is a good one to start with https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/) but honestly they’re just words and until you’re up you really won’t know how it’s going to go. You need to go fly!
Adam
Luis,
I think you just need to get out and go flying in small trainers. I had an issue with motion sickness when I first started. I hated small planes and the idea of 1500 hrs in them was a daunting task. However, after about 10 hrs a lot of my symptoms went away and when that happened I was able to really enjoy being up in the air. After that, it was smooth sailing and now I’m in regional jets and can’t remember the last time I felt any motion sickness symptoms. I hope you’re story ends up a similar way, but you’ll only know but getting up there and getting your mind and body acclimated to a small aircraft. Let us know how it goes!
-Hannah
Adam and Hannah,
thank you so much for the response. Yes, I agree. I just need to get out of the comfort zone, schedule a intro flight and get up there. Only real way in knowing if it’s something for me or not. Hope it really turns towards me loving it and able to do it. I will keep you guys updated and let you both know how it goes.
Thank you again,
Luis
Luis,
One thing I cannot stress enough is for you not to stress over your intro flight. It already sounds like you’re looking at this as the single determining factor in whether or not you’ll have a pilot career. By doing that you’re putting a whole lot of stress on yourself which isn’t good. Further if you do a little reading on the subject and that start to assume or believe you know anything, when you find out you don’t you’ll be even more disappointed.
This is simply an intro flight and the purpose of it is simply that. To introduce you to the cockpit and the sensations that go along with it. It doesn’t have to be love at first flight. It might take 2, it might take 12, it might not happen. Go into this with an open mind, listen to the instructor and don’t forget to have fun. Do that and you will greatly increase your odds of success. Go in white knuckled thinking this is IT and I promise you it will not go well.
Adam
Luis,
I am with the others here. Schedule an intro flight and see how you do. Some people react well and love it, others do not. I suspect you will quickly get over these feelings.
Chris
Hello all,
Update!
So I finally got myself to schedule a flight and went through with it. I loved it! During the takeoff, I was nervous and had a bit of anxiety because I didn’t know what to expect. Takeoff was a bit rough and in my head I kept telling myself I wanted off this aircraft because we had started to get a little bumpy and felt like we were going to stall and hit the ground. But once we got to cruise altitude of 3k feet I was fine. I had sweaty palms and was a bit shaky but not too bad. I mentioned to the CFI that I had spent a lot of time on the Flight Sim and he said it showed. He felt comfortable enough to have me do most of the stuff. You all were correct of the fear of heights, it didn’t not bother me once while we were up there. More so of an engine failure and hitting the ground went through my head. But I’m sure with background knowledge of how everything works I’ll be fine. But overall… amazing experience! I will continue on in achieving my goals and dreams with some hard work!
Luis,
Glad it went well. As you gain knowledge and understanding your anxiety should decrease.
Btw, is that a Trauma-Hawk you were flying? 
Adam
I agree…I’m sure that is all that I probably need is the knowledge behind these machines.
Yes sir, indeed it is 
fun little plane.
Luis,
They are neat and I have many hours in one, but, that was AFTER training. Not trying to be that guy but your concerns about “stalling” weren’t exactly unfounded. There’s a reason for the nickname “trauma-hawk”.
Adam
Ahh makes sense…The CFI did mentioned that at low altitudes of 1500 feet and lower in the event of a spin or stall it’s hard to recover but doable which is where they get their bad rep from.
Okayyyyyy…
Adam
Luis,
I am glad the flight went well and that you enjoyed it. Not to pile on here, but I would find another type of airplane to do my training in. There are reasons that Cessna and Piper have long been the industry standards for training aircraft.
What is the next step for you in your training journey?
Chris
Chris,
I agree… All though it was a fun plane to fly in. I was informed that it wasn’t the best to train in for a beginner. I will look into a school with a variety of aircrafts to get comfortable in.
Next step, is to get right in and start training. One thing that is in the back of my head is if I should get my PPL elsewhere then transition into ATP with it in hand already. 92k from zero to ATP and 72k with PPL credit is a big difference. That 20k gap is a big difference. I don’t know if getting my PPL elsewhere would be 20k
Luis,
That is an idea that comes up often and for good reason, $20k does seem to be a big difference in price. Remember thought that most flight schools will quote a price based off of the FAA minimums to obtain a license, very few pilots do so at such low hours. Even if you were to get the license at a low flight time, you will still need 78 hours of flight time, with 8 being cross country, to enter the program at ATP with credit for private, thirty sis to meet FAA requirements later in the program. So make sure to run your numbers off of 78 hours and not whatever low number the flight school quotes you. I will be you will find that the cost savings will not be that significant, plus it will take you way longer than just doing all of your training with ATP.
Chris
Chris,
I did not know that. Really useful information and I thank you! You just narrowed it down for me. Makes perfect sense. Plus it’ll be better to get it all done at one place. I’ll get with an instructor with ATP and see when I could get started.
Luis,
It would be best to call the admissions department at 904-595-7950 as they handle all admissions, start dates, etc for all locations.
Chris
Thank you Chris!