Unsure which route to take

[Pilottobe1 (Chris)]

Hello, I’m Chris.
I am new to this site but I have liked all the information I have gained this far! I wanted to get some questions out there for myself. But first, a little about me… I am a 24yr old graduate from University of North Texas. While there I earned my marketing and finance degrees in undergrad, and MBA in business administration as well. Currently I am starting out with 0 flight time/ experience.

Here is where I need advice - I am unsure what path/school is best for me. I have heard of ATP and Thrust flight school which are both located nearby me (I reside in Plano). I have also looked into the Air Force reserve, but have done little research into each one. I was hoping to get educated in the pros/cons and differences of each of the three routes I am entertaining. I do have some debt from student living loans, and vehicle debt as well.

[Tory]

Chris,

As you stated, you’ve done little research. You need to start there. There’s a lot of valuable information about all of the options that you’re considering on this forum and online. Part of figuring out which is right for you is by making the comparisons yourself.

Short answer, there’s ATP, ATP copycats, small mom and pop schools, aviation colleges, and military.

Frankly military shouldn’t even be on that list unless your number one reason is to serve. So, now it’s just a matter of how quickly you want to finish your training, how much you want to pay, how you plan to build your flight time, and then comparing each school against the other.

What’s their fleet like? Safety record? Cost? Extra costs? Unexpected costs? Success rate? What’s their maintenance setup like? Ratings offered?

Once you’ve done some more research on the routes you’re most interested in, if you’re still struggling we’re here to help. We touch on these topics in our FAQ section.

If you truly have zero experience, you need to get in an airplane and fly. You can schedule an intro flight at a school of your choosing. You can schedule however many you think you need to make a decision. This is a good way to compare schools and a good way for you to get hands on experience which will help you determine if this is even worth pursuing.

Tory

[Adam]

Chris,

I suggest you visit our FAQ as there’s a ton of great info there. Honestly never heard of Thrust and the AF is great if you want to serve your country. If however it’s simply to become a pilot anyone who’s served will tell you that’s a mistake and there are definitely more efficient routes.

ATP has been training pilots for over 30yrs abs has literally placed thousands with the airlines. Their reputation is amongst the highest in the industry and that’s why, long before there was any pilot shortage, ATP grads were getting preferential hiring.

I encourage you to read some threads on this forum and ask some more direct questions should they arise.

Adam

[Chris]

Chris,

Welcome to the forums and thanks for joining the discussion.

A couple of things here. To clear the air to begin with, all of the mentors on this website went to ATP, did well in their program, have successful careers at the airlines, and have given of our time to come back and help those coming up behind us. Now of course we are going to be pro ATP in our answers, because it worked for us and we believe in the program. Now that does not mean that we are salesman. If you hang around this website long enough, you will see that we tell it like it is and genuinely try to help the prospective student out as much and possible, regardless of where they end up attending flight school.

Now, let’s talk about the Air Force Reserve. If you want to serve your country, the Reserve, National Guard, or regular active duty are great, honorable things to do. You need to go into it with the mindset that you want to serve the country, live the military lifestyle, and if you get to fly, that is a bonus. If you go into any branch of the military solely because you want free flight training, you could very well end up being rather miserable in your career and likely not accomplish the objectives that you want to.

I am not terribly familiar with Thrust, they might offer a fine program, but what I can tell you is that I have never met a single airline pilot that went to Thrust.

ATP has been around for decades and has produces more professional and airline pilots that any other flight school. They have several nationally recognized Flight instructors that work for them https://atpflightschool.com/news/2019-10-17-atp-instructors-recognized-by-aopa.html and a robust Alumni Association www.atpalumni.org

I would encourage you to print out this list of questions when talking to Thrust, ATP, or any other flight school: Questions For Any Prospective Flight School take notes and use it to compare each school.

Please spend some time digging around this website, to include the FAQ section and ATP’s website as there are some great resources there about the process of becoming an airline pilot. Also, feel free to ask us any questions that you can think of, we are always here to help.

Chris