Hello!
My start date for ATP is in 2 weeks, and I’m concerned about the Florida hurricane season being a major burden on my training. Does anyone have experience in training around this time? It storms every single day here in Fort Myers, and I’m worried that I am making a poor choice by training on the gulf at this time.
I am considering transferring to Chicago before my date, due to the chilly weather and potentially better flying conditions. I’m also from Illinois, so I’d be closer to home as well. (Being close to home is not really a significant factor, but worth mentioning).
Any and all advice would be appreciated!
Ariele,
ATP has been training pilots for almost 40yrs. Their first school was in Florida and it hasn’t been a problem. Every area of the country has its potential weather issues and it’s impossible to predict so don’t even try. Stick to your plan and you’ll be fine.
Adam
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Ariele,
I would not worry about this one bit. Every location has its weather challenges. Florida has afternoon storms and hurricanes, Chicago has snow and high winds, Phoenix has crazy temperatures and the monsoon season, the list goes on and on. The good news is that the program is built to have flexibility for these exact reasons. Simply pick the location that is most convenient for you and do not give it any further thought,
Chris
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Thanks so much for the quick answers! I will say that it brought me a bit more peace about the entire situation. I’m gonna stay put! Wish me luck 
Ariele,
Luck is for the unskilled and untrained. Work hard and you’ll be neither and therefore will not require any luck.
I will wish you an enjoyable and successful training experience.
Adam
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No problem at all, let us know what other questions you may have.
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Fantastic perspective. Thank you!
Ariele,
I did most of my training on the west coast. I did a couple weeks of training in Florida. I too was concerned about the weather, but I had faith in the instructor’s abilities to figure out how to make it work because as Adam said ATP has been flying in Florida for over 40 years so clearly they are successful at working around the storms.
From what I experienced most of the storms are isolated. It’s completely normal for flight training to be conducted around the cells. The instructors are skilled at monitoring the weather and knowing when it’s time to conclude a lesson or land somewhere to allow enough time for the cell to pass. I truly was impressed at how proficient and safe ATP was at mitigating the potential threats.
Tory
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I’m feeling much better about sticking with Florida training. Excited about flying out to the ocean every day. I shall let the rest just be background noise and trust the system. Thanks Tory
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Arielle,
You will spend most of your time over swamps or forests, not the ocean. Most of us are not fans of flying small airplanes, without life jackets, out over the water.
Chris
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This didn’t age well 
Ariele,
No one has a crystal ball and I stand by my and all the other mentors posts. Years ago Sandy hit Jersey and no one could train for a month. Sadly these things can and do happen almost anywhere.
Hurricane Ian was devastating on many levels to many people. Frankly a disruption in your flight training is pretty low on the list.
Adam
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I completely agree with you. I don’t discredit any advice I was given! I came across it while searching for something else, and thought I’d comment. Gave me a good chuckle that I was so worried about exactly what ended up happening.
Honestly, I was able to come home to Illinois and I’m getting a bit of extra time during my instrument phase. No complaints on that front. Returning soon to help with cleanup and such.
No offense meant to anyone 