ATP Flight School Shortens Pilot Program Following Checkride Delay Reduction

USA – flight training group ATP Flight School has reduced the published timeline for its Airline Career Pilot Program by 25% after shortening delays between training completion and FAA practical tests.

• Students entering with no previous flight experience can now complete the program in nine months, while those who have completed their first solo flights can finish in seven months and Private Pilot Certificate holders can complete it in six months.
• ATP said its average wait between completing a training stage and taking the associated FAA practical test had decreased from as much as two weeks to near-immediate availability. This allowed the school to remove additional scheduling time introduced into the program in 2023.
• The shorter published timelines do not involve reductions to the curriculum or included flight time. ATP noted that weather, winter operating conditions, external resources and individual student performance can still extend completion times, which are not guaranteed.
• ATP attributed the reduction in non-training delays to increased aircraft availability, expansion of its training-centre and maintenance network, and scheduling technology including CheckrideCalendar.com.
• The school has also introduced a four-week Career Track Discovery Program that includes 23 logged flight hours toward a Private Pilot Certificate. Participants are not required to continue into the full Airline Career Pilot Program.
• ATP reports that its 658-aircraft fleet flies more than 600,000 hours annually and supports the award of over 13,700 FAA pilot certificates and ratings each year.
• AFM previously reported that ATP placed a firm order, this month, with Piper Aircraft for three Archer TX and three Seminole aircraft, with options for a further 25 aircraft. The school said its three-to-one student-to-aircraft ratio and increased fleet availability had contributed to the revised program timeline. 

Statements

• “We have been on a mission to eliminate friction at every step of becoming an airline pilot,” said Michael Arnold, Vice President of Marketing at ATP Flight School. 

About ATP Flight School
ATP Flight School operates 658 training aircraft, comprising 326 Cessna 172 Skyhawks, 230 Piper Archer TX aircraft and 102 Piper Seminoles. The organisation operates more than 85 US training centres and 177 simulation devices, including 107 Precision Flight Controls advanced aviation training devices and 11 CRJ-200 flight training devices.

Source: ATP Flight School