ATP Flight School
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Type | Private |
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Industry | Flight Training |
Founded | 1984Atlanta, Georgia, United States | in
Headquarters | Jacksonville, FL , United States |
Number of locations | 62 training centers |
Website | https://atpflightschool.com |
ATP Flight School, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, is the largest flight training company in the United States. The privately held company was founded in 1984 in Atlanta, GA by its current management, a small group of airline pilots. ATP’s initial focus was providing flight training to U.S. military pilots who were seeking their Airline Transport Pilot Certificates to transition over to commercial air carrier operations. Maintaining a focus on professional flight training, ATP later expanded its course offerings to include ab-initio training programs for domestic students seeking a career in commercial aviation. Today, ATP is the leading supplier of professionally trained pilots to the nation's regional airlines.
Schools[]
ATP Flight School has 62 (as of May, 2021) locations throughout the United States, opening several in the last year.[1][2]
Training[]
ATP Flight School solely focuses on airline-oriented flight training, operating their programs with a fixed-cost, fixed timeframe training model. ATP's primary product offering is an ab-initio airline pilot training program, which provides pilot certification from zero experience through commercial multi-engine pilot, with certificated flight instructor certificates. Most graduates of this program may then become flight instructors with the school to gain experience and build flight time to meet airline hiring minimums.
Other programs offered by ATP include type ratings, aircraft dispatcher certification, and the Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program (ATP CTP). These programs are only offered at one of the school's locations in Dallas, TX, with all others being dedicated to flight operations. Over 1% of all general aviation flight operations in the United States is conducted by ATP, who flies over 24,500 hours per month resulting in students' earning 8,634 certificates annually (as of May, 2021).[3]
ATP is partnered with Arizona State University, and is the flight provider for its Professional Flight bachelor's degree program, based out of the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport facility. Aircraft used for the contract are painted in a special livery featuring the ASU logo and pitchfork.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Arizona_State_University_and_ATP_Piper_Seminole.jpeg/220px-Arizona_State_University_and_ATP_Piper_Seminole.jpeg)
Fleet[]
ATP Flight School has the largest multi-engine training fleet in the world,[4] consisting exclusively of Piper Seminoles, with the exception of one Cessna CE-525 CitationJet. A mix of Piper Archers and Cessna CE-172 Skyhawks make up their single-engine fleet, the majority going to the latter.
Piper Aircraft Inc. and ATP jointly made an announcement at the 2011 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Annual Meeting and Convention for the sale of 30 new Piper Seminoles – a total retail value of $18 million.[5] All of the new airplanes under the agreement are to be equipped with Garmin’s G500 glass cockpit avionics suite (bringing the total number of aircraft with the Garmin glass flight decks to 270).
In April, 2013, ATP and Piper Aircraft reached an agreement for the purchase of up to 100 Piper Archers.[6] Initial deliveries began in late 2013, and under the agreement, all aircraft are standardized with the Garmin G500 avionics suite. A second order for an additional 100 Piper Archers was announced at the 2018 Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In and Expo and on September 19, 2018, ATP accepted delivery of its 100th Archer under the first order.[7][8]
ATP Flight School boasts 120 Flight Training Devices (FTDs).[9] These include the Frasca Piper Seminole Truflite FTDs with GNS 430, AATD, Redbird, CRJ-200, and Full Flight Simulators that are full motion, Level D simulators.
As of May 2021, ATP Flight School maintained a fleet of 431 aircraft distributed among 62 locations, consisting of the following:
- 180 Cessna CE-172 Skyhawks
- 161 Piper Archer TXs
- 90 Piper PA-44 Seminoles
Airline Relationships[]
ATP Flight School has hiring relationships with 31 U.S. based regional airlines, major airlines, and corporate operators, including SkyWest Airlines, Endeavor Air, Mesa Airlines, and PSA Airlines.[10][11] These relationships and alliances are based on letters of understanding, or letters of agreement. While these letters vary between air carriers, in general they bestow either reduced hiring minimums for graduates of ATP or airline tuition reimbursement.[12][13] ATP has partnerships with United Airlines, participating in the United Aviate program, as well as Delta Air Lines through the Delta Propel program.[14][15]
In 2018, ATP and Envoy Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group, established a partnership through the Envoy Cadet Program. Under the program, flight instructors at the school are provided a path to a pilot career with American Airlines, as well as financial assistance and health benefits.[16]
In partnership with Frontier Airlines, ATP launched the Frontier Direct Program in January, 2021. Under the agreement, ATP graduates and flight instructors can progress straight from ATP to a first officer position with Frontier after attending an enhanced ATP CTP, which includes additional Airbus A320 full-motion flight simulator time.
As of May, 2021, the flight school reported having 479 airline placements in the past 18 months, which is the highest ratio of airline placements to students of any flight school, aviation college, or flight academy.[17]
Accidents and Incidents[]
On December 6, 2008, a twin-engine Piper PA-44 owned by ATP Flight School experienced a mid-air collision in the Everglades. The plane was flown by an ATP instructor and student pilot. The other plane involved was a Cessna 172R owned by , also with two passengers, an instructor and student. There were no survivors.[18][19]
On March 24, 2014, the flight school lost another Piper PA-44, this one in Brunswick, Georgia and also with two fatalities. The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation reported that the wreckage was consistent with an in-flight breakup of the airframe.[20]
On June 9, 2018, a twin-engine Piper PA-44 was on an approach to landing when it experienced a microburst and hit the tops of two homes then crashed into a retention pond in Daytona Beach, Florida. The plane was flown by an ATP instructor and student pilot, both pilots experienced minor injuries.[21]
On May 29, 2021, a Cessna 172 on an introductory flight crashed near Powder Mountain Ski Resort in Ogden, Utah. The student perished and the instructor died shortly after at a nearby hospital.[22]
References[]
- ^ "Directory of Flight Training Center Locations". ATP Flight School. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ "Directory of Flight Training Center Locations". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
- ^ "Flight Training Statistics". atpflightschool.com. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
- ^ "Piper Aircraft, Inc. - Piper, ATP Reach Deal At NBAA For 30 Airplanes, Worth $18 Million Retail". Piper.com. 2011-10-11. Archived from the original on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ "Piper Aircraft, Inc. - Piper, ATP Reach Deal At NBAA For 30 Airplanes, Worth $18 Million Retail". Piper.com. 2011-10-11. Archived from the original on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ Cox, Bill (September 12, 2015). "ATP: All In With Archer". Plane & Pilot. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
- ^ "Piper inks 100-aircraft deal with ATP". www.aopa.org. 2018-11-04. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
- ^ "ATP Takes Delivery of 100th Piper Archer / ATP Flight School". atpflightschool.com. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
- ^ "Flight Training Aircraft & Simulators / ATP Flight School". atpflightschool.com. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
- ^ Wallace, Lane (2009-06-03). "Airline Transport Professionals". Flying. Flyingmag.com. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ "Airline Pilot Hiring Partnerships". ATP Flight School. 2010-09-16. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ "ATP Signs Two New Pilot Hiring Agreements | Aero-News Network". Aero-news.net. 2006-12-27. Retrieved 2012-02-02.
- ^ "New Tuition Reimbursement Programs Assist Professional Pilots". Flying. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
- ^ "Delta Air Lines Propel – Pilot Career Path Program / ATP Flight School". atpflightschool.com. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
- ^ "ATP Flight School Partners With United Airlines to Offer United Aviate - the Most Direct Route to Becoming a United Airlines Pilot". www.newswire.com. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
- ^ "ATP joins Envoy Cadet Program". Envoy Air. 2018-07-02. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
- ^ "Airline Hiring & Placements / ATP Flight School". secure.atpflightschool.com. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
- ^ Barbara Hijek. "2 planes crash in 'Glades". Retrieved 2018-04-18.
- ^ District Court Of Appeal Of The State Of Florida Fourth District. "ATP FLIGHT SCHOOL, LLC, and AIRLINE TRANSPORT PROFESSIONAL CORP. OF USA, INC., Appellants, v. CHRISTINA SAX, Personal Representative of the Estate of BRYAN SAX, deceased, Appellee" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-04-18.
- ^ "NTSB Aviation Accident Final Report". Retrieved 2018-04-18.
- ^ Chip Skambis. "Small plane hits roof before crashing into Daytona Beach retention pond, officials say". Retrieved 2018-07-18.
- ^ https://www.standard.net/police-fire/report-says-light-plane-was-flying-low-through-canyon-when-fatal-crash-occurred-near-powder/article_df687e4c-f13d-5e37-a740-e28781b570c4.html[dead link]
External links[]
- Organizations based in Jacksonville, Florida
- Privately held companies based in Florida
- Educational institutions established in 1984
- Aviation schools in the United States
- Aviation schools in Florida
- 1984 establishments in Florida