Hi, I am starting the Airline Pilot Career Program in a month and will probably have my PAR, IRA, FII, and CAX done. I am planning to be as proactive and on top of it as possible during the program and I was curious how it works if I wanted to take maybe 4 days off to go on vacation with my family? I’ve been trying to find answers but it doesn’t seem super clear. Or would I be able to leave on a Thursday-Sunday? Just looking for a little more clarity when it comes to taking a few days off. Thanks.
Luke,
While it may be possible, planning it could be a problem and will very much depend on you and your progress. If you were to say plan 4 days and have a checkride coming up and perhaps aren’t ready that will be on you. The ride won’t be rescheduled.
You need to understand for the program to work you must be committed to it. That’s how you’re able to finish training in such a short timeframe.
If it’s something you can do last minute when you see you’re ahead of things again that could be possible but I wouldn’t make any plans for the future.
Adam
Luke,
Welcome back, that starting month is approaching fast! You MUST have the PAR completed at least 28 days to start date, so with that said, I hope you have it completed by now. And while the other stuff is not required, it is definitely a relief completing it ahead of the game.
Any vacation requests must be made through your training support specialist, and it may not be granted. Taking breaks through training could cause delays, proficiency gaps, and timeline gaps. The ACPP is built around training on a consistent schedule which has numerous benefits to you and your success. While it may seem worth whiling to go on a vacation mid-training, I would use caution because there are always variables in your training that may arise. You are about to invest nearly (if not more) than 6-figures into a training program that is designed around an airline-oriented training. I’m with Adam here, focus on the flight training, and maybe see if your family would be interested in moving the vacation to another time potentially while you wait for a job opening or apply outside of ATP.
Brady
Thank you for responding so fast. Good to know how the system works as far as requesting the time off. Also, I have passed the PAR already and will be taking the FII and IRA soon. I will plan on not going on vacation unless I am somehow ahead in the program and it makes sense. Thanks for your help!
Luke
Thank you for such a quick response! I will plan on not going on any vacations unless I am somehow ahead in the program or if it makes sense when the time comes. Looking forward to going all in on the program. Thanks for your advice!
Luke
Luke,
I would not take any time off for vacation. The programs is short enough, it is not designed to accommodate vacations, etc. You need to be spending every minute focused on flying. Being “ahead in the program” is only temporary until the next storm system settles in for a few days and nobody can fly. Focus on the training, there will be time for vacations later.
Chris