Hello Community!
I’ve been in the aviation community for over 8 years now (5 Marine Corps, 3 at Gulfstream) all as a maintenance technician. Becoming a pilot has always been a passion of mine that I’ve wanted to pursue and all of my research points me to ATP. Out of curiosity, has anyone gone through the program at the Hartford, CT location? My wife and I live within 30 minutes of there. Also, has anyone ever gone through the program while married, and how was that like on the marriage? My biggest concern is having to permanently relocate for something (we’re pretty close to a few major airports in Western, MA).
Man, since you’re a Marine, you’re no stranger to moving around. Early years in aviation aren’t much different. My good friend and fellow CFI is a retired Marine Corps aviation maintenance officer. We had that discussion about having to pick up and move for several months at a time for a career change. He said he looks at it as just another tour. Perhaps that perspective would work for you as well.
Another thing… You’re still a couple of years out from that goal, but you may want to check out the amount of flights to major hubs such as NY/Newark, Chicago, Atlanta, or even Dallas from your nearest airport, and their frequency. If you plan on commuting in the future, it will be a major consideration.
I can’t chime in on Hartford unfortunately. As far as marriage, it would take a very supportive spouse to help you succeed in the program. For one, this is a “full-life” program, and takes a lot more out of you than just daily flying and studying. Moreover, if your spouse is not fully on board, it will definitely add to the stress in an already stressful environment. So, her support and understanding that she will carry the weight of the majority of family responsibilities for the next 2 years (including CFI time) is paramount.
Nicholas,
Hopefully someone who’s trained or is in training in Hartford will chime in but you should know ATP strives to make sure all their locations offer the same level of service.
Many of ATPs students are married and many are not. I actually think if you have the support of your spouse (particularly if they’re helping financially) it’s better.
Finally while I don’t know of any Major airports in Western MA, there are plenty of flights that will take you to one. While you probably won’t have to relocate I do see commuting in your future.
Adam
Gents,
Thanks for the replies, any information you guys provide is awesome and I thank you for that. Luckily my wife is pretty supportive and financially makes good money so that helps. I guess what I was getting at with major airports is LGA, BOS and EWR are all about 2 hours away driving wise for me. BDL is 20 minutes away. How does commuting work if your home base is somewhere you have to fly to?
Nicholas,
It’s often said that the best and worst part of this job is that you can literally live anywhere. I’ve known/know pilots who commute from Europe, Asia, S America, Australia and everywhere across the country. The good news is as pilots we can pretty much jumpseat or pass ride on virtually any airline for free (or really cheap internationally). The bad news is while the airlines don’t care where you live, they also don’t care how far or how difficult your commute is. It’s your responsibility to get to work on time and well rested. If that means getting in the day or night before (or even 2) that’s on you. Where it’s really a problem is when you’re new and on Reserve. If you get “short call” (and you will) you’re required to be within 2-3hrs of the airport. That means you’ll have to fly in and possibly sit around for days. Most pilots in this situation will find a “crash pad” which is usually a shared apt or hotel room to save on the cost.
I’d say half the pilots I know commute but none of them like or recommend it. That 2hr drive is probably your best bet.
Adam
Nicholas,
With so many major airports near by, you should not have any problem at all getting based near you. I think you walk find that by living within two hours, you will probably drive to work the vast majority of the time. It simply will not be worth your time to try and commute via airplane.
Chris
That would work out quite well for me to be able to get based out of one of those airports. Driving isn’t a problem for me at all. I do appreciate all the information. I’ll be reaching out to the Hartford ATP location within the first of the year to hopefully begin the admissions process. Thank you guys again, happy flying!
Anytime.
Admissions is handled through the main Admissions Department at 800-255-2877.
Nicholas,
The only insight I have is I did my intro flight there (drove down from Boston.)
I considered going there, but settled on a more warm and sunny location, and settled on KPIE 
That being said, although Hartford was a very small location, the facilities were very nice (it’s on the second floor above the FBO.) The staff could not have been more accommodating or friendly, and I would consider checking it out. If you haven’t already taken an intro flight, why not do it there and check it out?
Hi Nicholas,
Sorry I am a little late to this discussion, haven’t been on here in a few days. I am currently attending the ACPP in the Hartford location. I started on September 9th from zero, so it has been about a month now. While it is true that it is one of the smaller ATP locations, that is not really a bad thing. Everyone I’ve met is really nice and supportive, plane availability has not been an issue at all, and they have been very flexible with my schedule so far. (You do have to have pretty open availability but in return they try to accommodate any appointments or other commitments you might have when they come up). The instructors are all very knowledgeable, especially the head instructor who unfortunately (fortunately for him) just got an offer from a regional and will be leaving soon. The schedule for the whole program is laid out very clearly so you know what is coming up, when, and what you need to study well ahead of time. I feel like I am rambling a little so let me know if you have any specific questions.
Also, I am married with two kids. I live in southeastern Massachusetts but did end up getting a room near the school. My wife is very supportive but I have to admit it gets difficult for her at times, so I try to go home as often as I can. You are 30 min away so that will not be an issue for you and you will be home every night.
Unless you are trying to run away from winter and colder weather, I don’t see a reason to pick up and move anywhere in order to attend ATP. I really have no complaints about the Hartford location so far. We shall see with winter approaching, but like others have said, weather delays can happen anywhere.
Sam
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I am also at the Hartford location, and I am loving it so far. Let me know if you have any more questions…fortunately I live close (about 30 minutes) but I’d be happy to help!