Don't Stop Planning for the Future
Wow, those where the days, no grey hair, flight suit was a 38 regular and fit loosely, and all I had to do was go fly airplanes on Uncle Sam's dime.
Then the unthinkable happened; I was headed on a new career path due to the needs of the Air Force. Well, the airline industry in the very early 80s was on its collective butts and was in the process of reemerging from a fuel and labor crisis. I was not prepared certification wise and did not have an interview skill set at all!
Oddly enough, the airlines did not want to entertain my petition on why I was the best pilot that they had ever had the pleasure of interviewing. The short story is I was able to stay in the service and continue in aviation. That was my first lesson learned; be prepared for anything and that my military ride is not going to last forever.
As I approached the apex of my military flying career, I figured 24 months is just about right to start preparing for my new life in the airline business.
Good plan, with a failure in execution. Overcome by last-minute deployments, and the "you are the only one available" syndrome, and that we need this special project done .... well, you all know the rest of the drill. Before I knew it, I had four months left with no real complete airline résumé to stand out from my competition.
I have been in the civilian flight training business for a while now, and have realized that I was not a unique unicorn of the late 90s. It is actually a typical tale that gets told very often when we are trying to get our clients' last-minute classes scheduled before their time-in-service runs out, and terminal leave begins.
Now is the best time to start knocking out the requirements for your Airline Transport Pilot Airman's certificate. In the short term, the principal passenger air carriers will be furloughing pilots. However, there will be a point in time not so long from now where there will be a recall of furloughed pilots and new pilot hiring begins again. However, it will be a more competitive hiring environment than pre-pandemic recruitment was.
It would be best if you were prepared and, at a minimum, have your Airline Trasport Pilot airman's certificate in hand with no restrictions or limitations on that certificate, if at all possible. After you meet the requirements of 14CFR§61.159 or §61.160 there are three necessary steps required to get your ATP Certificate:
- Attend and receive an ATP CTP Course Graduation Certificate.
- Study and pass the ATM Knowledge exam.
- Train and pass an ATP flight test in a multiengine land airplane*
*Must be a non-centerline thrust aircraft.
With the pandemic numbers not getting any better and a comprehensive industry reduction of force looming, ATP CTP courses are readily available. Prices have been reduced at some Training Centers; however, in most cases, the larger centers do not have scheduling flexibility or capability to do just a small class and meet their threshold of class profitability. We at Gulf Coast Aeronautical have and will continue to do a single client to support their airline career needs. However, when you bring others, it can reduce the total price point to the group.
One of the intangibles that you will get from the ATP CTP course is exposure to the air carrier environment and its safety culture. Depending on your current weapon system, you will become familiar with flight automation systems, airline standard operating procedures, and automation dependency pitfalls. All of which are great tools to have in your tool bag for an interview.
Start your career path with our ATP CTP course, and we will also supply the Sheppard Air ATM Knowledge exam prep software for the next requirement to achieve the ATP airman's certificate.
Give us a call or email us we'd love to hear from you and set up a class for you when you are ready.
+1.800.588.9325
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