Schooling Question

Hello my name is Marcus Potts and I’m from NC, and was thinking about attending ATP Flight School at Daytona Beach in January. I am currently 18 years old. Flying is want I want for a career. My dad starting working with Piedmont then went to UsAir, and then to UsAirways, and is now with American altogether over 30 years with the airline. Over the year of traveling with my dad and always loved being on the plane I decided this is want I for a living. I will be taking out a student loan to pay for flight school. With that being said I was thinking about doing online classes to get a degree after I starting working with ATP as a flight instructor. How does this plan sound?

Hello Marcus,

It sounds good except to begin training with ATP you need either your Private Pilot’s license, a degree or equivalent work experience which at 18 I’m not sure you have? If you don’t want to go to college first, you may need to get your PPL on your own first? Other than that your plan is a good one.

Adam

Marcus,

Greetings and welcome! My father just retired from US Airways last November, Phil Carey on the 757. Anyways, your plan sounds good except for one snag, ATP requires its applicants to have either two years of college, two years of work experience, or a Private Pilot license, so right now you are not eligible to enroll in the program.

That aside, I would recommend that you attend college first, then do your flight training. The majors all require or highly prefer college degrees and you will not want to limit yourself to the regionals. At your age it would be so easy to stay in the school mindset and just go straight into college. I would really recommend that course of action to you.

Let us know what other questions you have.

Chris

I called them and I talk to an admissions person. I volunteered with a NASCAR racing team (Richard Childress Racing/RCR) at the start of 2016. Five days a week with weekend travel to race tracks to help on the pit crew of different teams. They asked me to sign a HS transcript and they said they would see what they could do for me.

Is the minimum age 21 for like Enovy, Piedmont, or PSA?

If they let me in with what I have my plan was to do ATP and stay 100% focused on that and then get my CFI’s and start instructing. With the money I earn from instructing I plan to start paying off the loan and help pay for online classes to get my degree.

Marcus,

Not sure what the min age “for like Enovy” is? But the minimum age for all airlines in the US is 21 since that’s the min age for an R-ATP which is required.

Again I like the plan provided you can get in.

Adam

Ok thank you sir.