I won’t be starting at ATP for a couple of years, but I’m sort of planning ahead and just had a general question. I live in Indiana, and I’d like to stay close to home at the Indianapolis or Anderson location. I’ll be starting with my private license, but it’ll probably be at the start of the school year, training through winter. And for those who aren’t familiar, Indiana winters are not the worst, but they can be pretty icy and there may be snow on the ground for weeks at a time. Do y’all think this would be an obstacle to me finishing on time, or is it just a matter of salting the runways and getting on with your day? Should I shoot for a more southern location to make sure I finish on time?
The location you choose is all personal preference. If you always wanted to live in Florida and wanted to take in the whole experience of living in shared housing and flying near the coast then sure, go to one of those locations.
However, we typically recommend you go with the most convenient location. Living at home will save you a lot of money over the course of the program and potentially as you’re working as a CFI. Also, having the support of your family nearby will be a great benefit when times get tough.
ATP has the same curriculum, same program timeline and same expectations of their students no matter what location. The Indy locations wouldn’t be open if their students consistently weren’t completing the program on time and on budget.
Welcome to the forum! For ATP enrollment you must have a minimum of 78 hours and 8 hours of PIC XC, just going off of you already having a private pilot license. You didn’t give much background on when or how many hours you have, but below is a screenshot from ATP’s website which breaks down the prerequisites for Credit Private enrollment:
Regardless to which location you go to, ATP is standardized across the nation. Whether you train in Boston or San Diego, ATP has strategically operated locations specific for successful training. Now when it comes to pop-up storms or hurricanes, there is nothing that we can do against those, it’s nature…and as you can expect everywhere at some point gets affected by the weather systems. As Hannah said, you should look at the most convenient location for you. If you’re open for opportunity and feel like traveling to a location that suits your interest, then give it a go - this is your time to explore and perform well, so you want to find the location that is comfortable for you.
