Why did ATP establish a flight training program with Gulfstream?

ATP always supports your best interests towards achieving your career goals. We have a 25-year track record and reputation to back up this position. During the present economic challenges, ATP is developing new and innovative ways to continue hiring CFIs from our training programs. Here are a few examples of how we are keeping our instructors flying in these difficult times:

• We launched the VA-approved version of the Airline Career Pilot Program.
• We lowered our prices on our multi-engine rating and ATP certificate courses.
• We introduced our "Optional Certification Track," which allows students to get Airline Career Pilot Program training in smaller increments to fit the realities of time and budget constraints.
• We opened new flight school locations so we can bring low-cost multi-engine training to more places, and hire more CFIs from our Airline Career Pilot Program.

One more way that we can provide an excellent value to our students while supporting our CFIs with more flying is by introducing the Airline Career Pilot Program in combination with the Gulfstream First Officer Program.

ATP Adapts to the Industry

The airline pilot management of ATP keeps a finger on the pulse of the airline and aviation industry. With the benefit of experience and having once been in your shoes, ATP’s management designs training programs that evolve with the industry. One recent example of our commitment to adapt while keeping our students’, graduates’, and instructors’ best interests at heart is what we did with the Regional Jet Standards Certification Program.

When American Eagle and other airlines hired graduates right out of the Airline Career Pilot Program, ATP advocated that American Eagle provide tuition reimbursements to graduates who completed the Regional Jet Program. ATP graduates with advanced jet training were in such high demand that we built it into the Airline Career Pilot Program and then had American Eagle reimburse our graduates’ tuition. ATP kept graduates’ best interests at heart.

As the industry changed and hiring slowed, it was not as valuable for our students to take the Regional Jet Program as part of their Airline Career Pilot Program since they would need to spend some months instructing or continuing to build experience before going to the airlines. We removed the advanced jet training from the Airline Career Pilot Program and gave rebates to every student who had it built into their Airline Career Pilot Program cost. Not only could no other flight school have the financial strength to issue that amount of rebates, it again shows how ATP kept graduates’ best interests at heart.

Finally, as fuel prices fell precipitously, ATP lowered prices and provided cash fuel rebates to our students enrolled at higher prices. ATP again kept our graduates’ best interests at heart.

Achieving Your Career Objectives

We all know flying is a passion and it will provide a most rewarding career. A career is what it’s all about, and while your career will be affected by industry cycles, your career will extend well beyond any one hiring cycle. The short term pause in hiring will soon be offset by retirements at the majors and the inevitable growth in air travel worldwide.

Today’s Challenges

Today’s aspiring career pilots face the very difficult challenge of financing their training to pursue their career objectives. All types of education financing have become more difficult to obtain in the current credit markets and this is preventing many people from pursuing their passion for a professional pilot career. This program provides access to financing without a co-borrower and with less stringent credit requirements.

Airline and corporate pilot employment will require much more experience of new-hires than it did just a short time ago. ATP anticipated this due to the cyclical nature of the airline business, and we ordered 20 D-JETS to provide our students with actual jet time and type ratings. ATP became the factory-authorized training provider so that our graduates will have one more opportunity for employment, training and flying with the owners of hundreds of D-JETs already on order. While the D-JET deliveries are coming in the future, the need for more experience and more qualifications is now.

So why has ATP established a flight training program with Gulfstream?

This program addresses students’ current needs:

1. More access to financing.
   • Student loans available exclusively thru this combined program feature accommodating credit requirements, helpful payment deferral, affordable interest rates, and the ability to include some additional coverage of living expenses.
2. Another way to build experience.
   • While flight instructing remains the traditional way to build experience, this program provides another option while flight instructor positions are currently harder to locate.
3. More time to attain employment in your new career.
   • With a loan deferral period of up to 18 months after starting training, you can devote your energy towards building qualifications and preparing for your pilot job.

For many students, this program will provide one more option to start making progress towards achieving their career goals instead of sitting on the sidelines. As we all know, those who train during the down times end up on the front of a hiring wave and enjoy the most success in this industry.

ATP is adapting to the realities of the current market creating innovative programs that provide the most qualifications for the money to serve our customers’, students’, graduates’, and instructors’ best interests.

Read more about the Airline Career Pilot Program & Gulfstream FO Program »