Textron Aviation Announces Order For 55 Cessna Skyhawks For Atp Flight School
Estimated reading time 4 minutes, 48 seconds.
Textron Aviation today announced an agreement with ATP Flight School for the purchase of 55 Cessna Skyhawk aircraft. The piston aircraft will add to ATPs existing fleet of nearly 200 Skyhawks, across 74 training centers nationwide.
The Cessna Skyhawk is designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company.
This order announcement demonstrates our continued long-term relationship we have with ATP in support of their flight training needs, said Chris Crow, vice president, Textron Aviation Piston Sales. For more than six decades, the legendary Cessna Skyhawk has been one of the worlds top training aircraft. We are thrilled to see these aircraft utilized to inspire the next generation of professional pilots.
Deliveries of the 55 aircraft will begin in late 2023 and continue throughout 2024.
Students in ATPs Airline Career Pilot Program will utilize the new Cessna Skyhawks to train as airline pilots amid unprecedented demand for the skillset. The stable flight characteristics, advanced avionics, and proven dispatch reliability of the Cessna Skyhawk make it a dependable training platform for ATP, who flies 40,000 flight hours per month.
This press release was prepared and distributed by Textron Aviation
Aaron Grissumuax Pilot Currently In Aviate
When Im not flying… I love spending time at home with family and volunteering my time by spreading the joy of aviation through various organizations.
My favorite route… I would have to say IAH – DCA two awesome cities plus, who doesnt love the visual 19 into DCA.
Whats your favorite part about flying for a UAX carrier? Customer interaction whether flying a couple vacationing in Mexico or a business passenger into New York, everyone has a unique story. Being able to connect the world through air travel is my favorite part.
Flight School Aims To Fast Track Pilots To An Airline Career
ATP Flight School has opened its newest location 10 miles from downtown Pittsburgh at the Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.
The airline industry is facing a shortage of pilots, presenting a tremendous opportunity for new pilots to establish a rewarding and lucrative career, said Michael Arnold, ATP Flight School director of marketing. Were excited to bring this opportunity to aspiring pilots in Pittsburgh and provide them with the fastest track to becoming an airline pilot.
Although the Airline Career Pilot Program is costly$87,995 for students without a private pilot certificate or $68,995 for private pilotsthe schools website states that 930 ATP graduates have been hired by various airlines in the past 12 months. Some airlines are even offering up to $17,500 in tuition reimbursement to ATP graduates.
We are thrilled to welcome ATP to Allegheny County Airport, which has a 90-year history in the aviation industry, said Traci Clark, Allegheny County Airport Authority vice president of corporate and general aviation. More pilots need to be trained to address the national pilot shortage and having another first-class option like ATP in Western Pennsylvania is key. It’s another example of the important role general aviation airports like AGC have in the community and industry.
Cayla McLeod Hunt
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Training & Innovation Above And Beyond
From industry leadership to cutting-edge technologies to next-level training we create the best pilots in the industry. Everyone at United delivers on our core4 service behaviors: Safe, Caring, Dependable and Efficient.
- Our unique pilot development program matches pilots of different experience levels, making it easy to share knowledge in a personalized way.
- Our Flight Training Center in Denver is the worlds largest and the industrys leading airline training facility.
- Over 20 other airlines and government agencies send their personnel to train at our FTC.
- Our FTC recently completed a $150 million renovation, which allows us to support more than 50,000 live training events per year.
What Do Former Students Say
A big part of reviewing a school is getting a sense of what the students who attended that school say about it once they complete the program.
We searched the web far and wide and researched feedback from past students in a variety of programs and from a variety of locations of ATP Flight School.
Here are our findings:
We read through dozens of reviews by current and former students that are posted online. We checked every source available including online forums, review sites, aviation sites, and more. We also made a point to read through the review and see what students of ATP Flight School liked and didnt like.
The consensus was that it was a positive experience that allowed students to get the training they needed in a quick and efficient manner.
Many of the students made a point to mention how much they appreciated that ATP Flight School has the resources to work through all the training and flight hours as quickly as they did. If you want to get your training and experience as quickly as possible, then this is the route for you.
Other things that students mentioned that they really liked included:
- Experienced instructors
- The option to live on campus
- Top of the line technology for educational purposes
- Assistance with job placement
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The Downside Of Atp Flight School
As mentioned above, ATP Flight School can be pricy. That price is well worth it for someone who wants to become an airline pilot as quickly and as efficiently as possible. However, in some cases students will dive into the program only to find out that being a pilot might not be for them.
In that case you can find you spent quite a bit of money to end up not even having the career you originally set out to have. Unlike a traditional college, you cant just switch to a different major at ATP Flight School. If you decide to pursue a different field of study, you will likely have to leave the school and with that lose quite a bit of money.
Schedule An Atp Admissions Flight
If you are approved for financing and qualified by an Admissions Representative, your Admissions Flight is free and sponsored by ATP.
Schedule and successfully complete an ATP Admissions Flight required for all Airline Career Pilot Program students. The Admissions Flight costs $195, which you will pay by credit card over the phone when you schedule. You can get started today by completing the Admissions Flight Online Learning Module and then give us a call at to schedule your flight at any one of our training centers.
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What Are The Designated Pilot Examiners Like
Frankly, theres not too many negative points I can think of when it came to the DPEs.
They were all very professional, and you could tell from the get-go that they were fair .
For example, my first DPE for my multi-engine checkride was a former Air Force F-4 Phantom pilot that flew combat missions over Vietnam.
To say that I was anxious about this particular checkride would be an understatement.
We started off the checkride with the oral exam, which is basically a sit-down interview if you will.
The examiner will ask you a bunch of questions related to the rating itself, and can include everything and anything.
For example, on this particular checkride, I remember the DPE asking about:
- The aircrafts performance metrics
- Critical Engine Which engine is critical and why
- Emergency procedures
He also asked me a range of other questions, ranging from weather to airfield operations, to pointing at a VFR chart and asking me about a variety of symbols.
At ATP, your DPE can vary for every checkride.
For me, it broke down like this:
- Multi-Engine rating: DPE #1
- Commercial and CFI Single Engine ratings: DPE #3
- Multi Engine Commercial and CFI ratings: DPE #4
Depending on the ATP flight school location you end up at, you could quite literally have the same DPE for every checkride you do.
Also, on one of my checkrides I literally did 2 different ratings back to back on the same day.
On that particular checkride, we started off with the single engine commercial checkride.
Will You Get Hired
Aside from a brief period in 2020 due to factors unrelated to the aviation industry, there is often a large shortage of airline pilots in the workforce. ATP Flight School works closely with major airlines to help fill jobs for pilots.
ATP Flight School has partnerships with all of these airlines because they have a long history of working with them to train and develop new pilots that are ready to fly.
Becoming a pilot requires you meet certain training requirements, and assuming you meet those training and testing requirements, you should have no problem getting hired as a pilot based on what flight school you went to.
The types of things that would hurt your chances of getting hired by an airline after graduating from ATP Flight School would be no different if you went to a different flight school.
The factors that would prevent you from getting hired can include:
- Failing exams/check rides
- DUI or other criminal charges
- Unprofessionalism while working through hiring process
For most students that are serious about becoming a pilot, these things are not an issue and should not keep you from getting hired as a pilot if you attend ATP Flight School.
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Managed Crew Procedures Flights And Line Oriented Flight Training Scenarios
During the Crew Procedures Flights and Line Oriented Flight Training Scenarios, you’ll fly managed crew-style cross-country flights in an airline-oriented environment using standardized operating procedures. LOFT Scenarios transition students from maneuver-oriented flight training to operational flying, which involves the application of skills and procedural knowledge, crew-style coordination, resource management, and all other aspects of flying the line in complex real-world operations. Multiple legs are scheduled and flown daily to replicate airline operations, and each flight is scheduled, managed, and monitored by ATP’s safety-focused Flight Operations team. This training provides a depth of experience with coast-to-coast ATC, terrain, weather, cross-country experience, and proficiency with instrument flying, including departure, en route, arrival, and approach procedures.
Learn more about required availability.
About The Cessna Skyhawk
The Cessna Skyhawk is considered the aircraft of choice for pilot training, and it is the most popular single-engine aircraft in aviation history. Since the aircraft first took flight in 1955, over 45,000 Skyhawks have been delivered to customers around the world more than any other aircraft in the industry. The single-engine four-seat, high-wing Skyhawk is renowned for offering the best combination of modern features, including the Garmin G1000 NXi avionics with wireless connectivity, a standard angle-of-attack display system, and proven dependability. The aircraft also features McCauleys aluminum fixed pitch propeller, providing greater reliability and operating time.
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Who Atp Flight School Might Not Be A Good Fit For
As mentioned above, ATP Flight School has a focus on using a structured environment to facilitate you learning at an accelerated pace. This is a program designed for people who want to live and breathe flight school until they are complete the process and graduate on to become an airline pilot.
The school is not necessarily designed for someone looking to slowly be introduced to flying at a slow pace or a very part time basis. If you want to take lessons on the weekends as a hobby or arent yet sure if being a pilot is a good career for you, you might be better off at a smaller local flight school where you can learn at your own pace.
Whats Cfi School At Atp Like
In my experience, CFI school at ATP flight school, by and large, wasnt very good quality training.
Ive heard that theyve completely overhauled it since I attended, but I cant confirm that.
As of 2020, ATP has 5 locations for their CFI academy.
They include:
- Gwinnett County Airport
Because it was closest, I was sent to the Jacksonville location to do the CFI ground school.
There were about 10 other students in the course, and we had one ground instructor .
From what I recall, the school lasted 2 weeks, and was divided up into 2 blocks. The first block, which lasted a week, involved actual ground school instruction.
The 2nd block, which also lasted a week, basically involved self-study in the classroom.
Im having a really hard time remembering everything that happened, but I do distinctly remember getting the feeling that they were trying to get students to quit training.
In fact, my roommate Luke did just that just a month prior to me attending ground school.
Come to think of it, I remember him being so fed up by the program that he ended up leaving before finishing his CFI ratings.
Lets just say, at the time the school was lacking in many aspects.
For one, there isnt a ton of actual ground school. The classroom instruction that was given was sort of lacking in any detail, and it just all around seemed unstructured.
As I mentioned earlier, it sounds like theyve cleaned up their act big time.
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But Arent 4 Year Aviation Degrees Preferred Over Accelerated Pilot Programs
Yes and no. Of course if everything was equal between two pilot applicants except one has a 4 year degree and one doesnt, the applicant with the degree would likely get the job. However, keep in mind that these two pilots didnt start training at the same time. You see one pilot likely started his training 6+ years ago while the non-degree pilot may have started his training less than 2 years ago.
Yet they are at the same spot applying for the same job.
This is important because if we change the scenario to having both pilots start training at the same time the non-degree pilot becomes much more preferred over the degree pilot.
This is because now the non-degree pilot likely would have 3-4 Thousand hours while the degree pilot would likely only have 1,000 if they qualified for restricted ATP.
Who would you rather fly with?
So a degree is not preferred over experience, but as stated earlier everything else being equal a degree would give an edge.
Earn Flight Certificates & Ratings
After obtaining your medical certificate and enrolling in flight school, all that is left now is to study, train and actually earn those FAA Ratings and Certificates! There are various FAA certificates available to students, in different categories and classes of aircraft , that will depend on a students end goal on becoming a pilot. For most students aiming for a career as a professional pilot, their journey will follow the below path, as used in the AeroGuard Pilot Pathway Program.
- Student Pilot License
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Atp Flight School And Wheels Up Announce Hiring Partnership And Accelerated Pathway For Graduates
August 09, 2022 10:00 ET | Source:ATP Flight SchoolATP Flight School
Arlington, Texas, UNITED STATES
JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla., Aug. 09, 2022 — ATP Flight School has formed a hiring partnership with Wheels Up Experience Inc. , the leading provider of on-demand private aviation in the United States, offering ATP graduates a streamlined pathway to First Officer positions and long-term careers in aviation. Amid the growing demand for commercial pilots, the partnership allows Wheels Up to recruit from ATP’s student and instructor group of 2,400 pilots while providing ATP graduates with expanded opportunities for professional development and progression.
Under the partnership, eligible ATP flight instructors can interview with Wheels Up at 1,000 hours total time. Successful applicants receive a conditional job offer while continuing to build flight experience. Upon reaching 1,200 hours of flight time, instructors transition from ATP to Wheels Up as King Air 350, Citation CJ3, or Beechjet 400 First Officers.
“With demand for professional pilots at peak levels, ATP is committed and excited to work with our airline and corporate aviation partners to develop scalable pilot hiring solutions,” said Michael Arnold, Director of Marketing, ATP Flight School. “We’re proud to partner with Wheels Up and bring this opportunity to our graduates, providing them with yet another accelerated pathway to quickly establish their career at a leading carrier.”
ATP Media Contact
My Complete Experience At Atp
Before I get into my full review of ATP flight school, I want to give you a brief on how the process goes :
As I mentioned, ATP offers a wide variety of training programs depending on where youre at in your aviation career.
Its an ala-carte menu that ranges from something as simple as a private pilots license, to the full gambit.
Since I was looking to make this a career, I decided to go with the Airline Career Pilot Program.
I already had my private pilots license, so what this would entail was basically allowing me to earn every rating I would need to become qualified to fly as a commercial pilot and flight instructor .
These ratings included :
- Multi-Engine rating
- CFI Single Engine
In order to pay the $55,000 cost, I had to secure a student loan from Wells Fargo.
At that time, rates were actually fairly reasonable, and it didnt take long to get the funding.
To get into ATP flight school, I had to go to an interview at one of their locations.
I chose the Daytona Beach location, as I was gunning to go to one of their locations in Florida.
My best friend and I flew down to Daytona Beach for a week , and my interview was conducted on a Tuesday.
I keep putting interview in quotes, because it wasnt really an interview.
Rather, it seemed as though it was basically a sales pitch of why I should attend ATP over another flight school.
Sure, they asked me some questions that were flying related.
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