ATP Flight School

ATP Flight School is the largest flight training company in the United States. The curriculum focuses on airline-oriented pilot programs at locations across the country. ATP is the leading supplier of professionally trained pilots to the nation's regional airlines.

History
ATP Flight School was started by a group of airline pilots in 1984 and is headquartered outside of Jacksonville, Florida. ATP stands for Airline Transport Professionals. The pilots established the school to provide training to U.S. military pilots who were transitioning to commercial air carrier operations. The school's curriculum later expanded to include ab-initio (from the beginning) training, as well as other courses for private, multiengine, instrument, commercial, and CFI ratings.

By June 2009, the company had 25 locations. Over the next eight years, ATP expanded to 38 locations around the U.S. In 2014, the school purchased a majority share of Higher Power Aviation (HPA), a flight simulator training center based in Dallas and rebranded it as ATP JETS. HPA offered initial type rating and recurrent training to airline, corporate, military, government, and individual aircrew for all models of the Boeing B-727, B-737, B-757, B-767, C-9, MD-80, and Airbus A320. Together, ATP and HPA developed the Airline Transport Pilot Certificate Training Program (ATP CTP).

In May 2021, ATP reported that, every month, its then-61 locations provided more than 24,500 hours of flight training, and graduated over 117 commercial multi-engine pilots with CFIs. The company also issued more than 8,600 FAA certificates annually. In the preceding 18 months, 438 ATP graduates were hired by airlines.

In 2022, ATP was the largest civilian aviation training facility in the U.S.. At the time, it had trained 20,000 pilots.

Schools
ATP Flight School has 81 (as of April 6, 2023) locations throughout the United States Facilities can be found in Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, San Diego, Las Vegas, and other cities.

In Dallas, TX, ATP operates a part 142 airline training center called ATP JETS, that provides Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program (ATP CTP) training for ten airlines. It offers full-motion Airbus and Boeing simulators. In November, 2021 ATP JETS graduated its 10,000th ATP CTP student and in November 2023 the 20,000th student graduated the program.

In 2019, the company opened a training center at the Tucson International Airport. It marks ATP's third location in Arizona, with the other two centers located in Mesa and Scottsdale. ATP's Arizona instructors were recognized as the best in the region by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).

In October 2021, ATP Flight School opened a new training center at Arlington Municipal Airport (KGKY), just outside of Dallas, Texas. It is the largest training facility in Texas and helps support the demand for pilots from Dallas-based airlines like Southwest and American Airlines. The facility includes classroom and briefing spaces; an advanced simulator bay with multiple flight training devices (FTDs); an FAA-certified Level 6 Cessna 172 FTD; and a new maintenance facility.

Other ATP schools in the Dallas area can be found at McKinney National Airport (KTKI) and Addison Airport (KADS).

In February 2022, ATP opened its 70th flight training center at Allegheny County Airport (AGC) in Pennsylvania. A few months later, in April, a training center was opened at Page Field (FMY) in Fort Myers, Florida. The location offers a simulator bay with Frasca TruFlite simulators with immersive 220-degree wrap-around visuals, as well as a dedicated maintenance hangar for the location's multi-engine Piper Seminoles and all-glass cockpit Piper Archers.

In July 2023, ATP Flight School added a new airline pilot training center at Brackett Field (KPOC) in La Verne, California. This was ATP's third training center in the Los Angeles area. Long Beach and Riverside locations were previously established.

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. Graduates of this program may then be hired by the school as primary CFIs, instrument CFIIs, and multi-engine CFIIM instructors to gain experience and build flight time to meet airline hiring minimums.

Over 1% of all general aviation flight operations in the United States is conducted by ATP, which flies over 38,700 hours per month, resulting in students' earning 8,344 certificates annually (as of March, 2022).

ATP also offers a "Pilot Career Coach" program that links students with alumni mentors.

Airline Career Pilot Program
The Airline Career Pilot Program is a fixed-cost airline pilot training program, where students start with zero experience and graduate in seven months after earning Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructors certificates. Students train full-time using flight and simulator lessons, ground school and independent study.  During the program, students receive support and mentorship from local training support specialists who manage their training progress. After completing the program, and if hired back on by the company, graduates fly as ATP flight instructors for around 18 months to gain experience and meet airline hiring requirements. During this time, they are eligible to participate in airline-sponsored tuition reimbursement and airline direct programs. In 2022, ATP stated that it intends to graduate 20,000 airline pilots by 2030.

Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program
In August 2015, the FAA approved the company's airline transport pilot certification training program (ATP CTP), offered at ATP's ATP JETS training center in Dallas. In December 2021, the company had graduated more than 10,300 students from the program.

Indiana Wesleyan University partnership
In December 2022, Indiana Wesleyan University-National & Global partnered with ATP to create degree pathways for pilots who complete their FAA certificates through ATP. ATP alumni who enroll at the university can count their flight training experience as degree credit and receive a tuition discount on certain programs.

Fleet
ATP Flight School has the largest multi-engine training fleet in the world, 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.

Fleet Growth
ATP initially used Cessna Skyhawks as their primary training planes. Later, they added Piper Archers.

In 2009, the company had 142 aircraft: 86 Piper Seminoles, 50 Cessna 172s, five Diamond Stars, and one CitationJet. Two years later, 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. All of the new airplanes under the agreement were 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. Initial deliveries began in late 2013, and under the agreement, all aircraft are standardized with the Garmin G500 avionics suite.

In September 2017, there were around 100 Cessna Skyhawks and 55 Piper Archers owned by the company.

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. ATP renewed their 2018 order of an additional 100 planes in 2020.

In 2019, ATP ordered 100 Cessnas to be added to their fleet through 2023.

In October 2022, ATP announced an agreement to purchase 55 Cessna Skyhawks from Textron Aviation. The began at the end of 2023 and continued through 2024. In January of 2024, ATP ordered an additional 40 Skyhawks, with deliveries to begin in 2026. This agreement marked the fourth fleet purchase by ATP in just over a year, totaling 135 Skyhawks.

As of November 2022, ATP Flight School maintained a fleet of 550 aircraft distributed among more than 75 locations, consisting of the following:

Training devices and simulators
ATP Flight School boasts 134 Flight Training Devices (FTDs). 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.

In March 2022, ATP purchased 20 advanced aviation training devices (AATDs) from Frasca International. The devices are equipped with Garmin G1000 avionics, and feature “220-degree wrap-around visuals and active control loading paired with modeled flight data to replicate the aerodynamics and control feedback of the actual aircraft.” They were configured to represent the flight decks of either Piper Archers or Cessna Skyhawks.

Maintenance Centers
As of 2024, ATP had 26 dedicated maintenance centers to maintain the reliability of its fleet. The largest maintenance base is located at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport.

Airline hiring relationships
ATP Flight School has hiring relationships with 37 U.S. based regional airlines, major airlines, and corporate operators, including Envoy, Frontier, Avelo, Spirit, Wheels Up, Sun Country, Republic Airways, Jet Linx, Ameriflight, SkyWest Airlines, Endeavor Air, Mesa Airlines, and PSA Airlines. Under these alliances, a limited number of top graduates from ATP's professional pilot program can be interviewed for entry-level positions. Airlines might also provide tuition reimbursement. ATP was the first flight school to initiate airline-paid tuition reimbursement.

ATP also has hiring partnerships with United Airlines, participating in the United Aviate program, as well as Delta Air Lines through the Delta Propel program.

As of March, 2022, the flight school reported having 1,210 airline placements in the past 12 months, which is the highest ratio of airline placements to students of any flight school, aviation college, or flight academy.

Avelo Direct Program
Students in this program complete ATP's Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program (ATP CTP), work with ATP as instructors to accumulate the 1,500 hours of flight time needed for the airline transport pilot rating, and then can advance to first-officer positions with Avelo.

Prior to advancing to Avelo, pilots complete the ATP CTP, which includes 10 hours of training in a Boeing 737 level 4/5/6 Flight Training Devices (FTDs) and a level D Full Flight Simulator. Next, students log eight hours in Boeing 737 Level $5/6$ FTDs and four more hours in a Level D Full Flight Simulator. Finally, students log four hours of training in ATP's fundamentals of operating Flight Management Systems (FMSs).

Breeze Embark Program
This is ATP's program with Breeze Airways. Eligible ATP instructors can interview with Breeze once they have 500 hours of total time. If successful, a conditional job offer and mentoring from Breeze crew members is offered. Instructors can accept the offer after logging 1,500 hours of flight time and completing the Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program (ATP CTP) with ATP. They join Breeze as first officers of Embraer E190 jets.

Endeavor Air
The Student to Endeavor Pilot Program (STEP) allows ATP students and instructors to become Delta pilots after gaining experience with Endeavor Air.

Envoy Cadet Program
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.

Frontier Pilot Cadet Program
In partnership with Frontier Airlines, ATP launched the Frontier Direct Program in January, 2021. This program includes training at an ATP campus, a stipend, and a guaranteed position as a Frontier Airlines first officer after meeting all requirements. Training includes private pilot, instrument, commercial single engine, commercial multi-engine, certified flight instructor, certified flight instructor instrument, multi-engine flight instructor, and flight instructing or flying for a 135 operation (logging 1,500 qualifying flight hours).

GoJet Airlines
There is a tuition reimbursement program offered by GoJet for ATP students. Under the program, accepted students receive financial assistance in exchange for a commitment to fly with the airline after acquiring the requisite 1,500 flight hours.

Jet Linx
In April 2022, Jet Linx, a private aviation company, partnered with ATP to provide a “direct pathway” for ATP students to receive first officer job offers.

Republic Airways
Under the company's agreement with Republic Airways, students can interview for a job during the instrument phase of training and receive conditional offers of employment. Students must log 1,500 hours and pass the FAA's Airline Transport Pilot checkride before any offer can be accepted.

Spirit Direct Program
In February 2022, Spirit Airlines and ATP announced a new partnership. Students accepted to the program complete a two-year advanced training curriculum and are hired to pilot one of Spirit's Airbus A320s.

Sun Country Direct Program
This program was announced in July 2021 as a “direct pathway” for ATP graduates to join Sun Country Airlines as Boeing 737 first officers.

United Aviate Program
ATP Flight School is one of United Airlines’ partners in the Aviate Program. Students accepted to the program first complete certain training and requirements with ATP, then must spend a minimum of 24 months and 2,000 cockpit hours flying for a United Express regional partner airline before being eligible to transfer to United Airlines.

Wheels Up
Wheels Up, an on-demand charter aviation company, announced a hiring partnership with ATP in August 2022. ATP flight instructors are eligible to interview with Wheels Up once they have 1,000 hours of total flight time. They can receive a conditional job offer to fly as first officers on Beechcraft King Air 350, Cessna Citation CJ3, or Beechjet 400 aircraft.

Accidents and incidents
On December 6, 2008, a Cessna 172 operated by ATP Flight School was involved in a midair collision with another training aircraft, a twin-engine Piper PA-44. The collision occurred 18 miles west of the Ft. Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The two pilots of the ATP aircraft suffered fatal injuries, as did the two pilots of the Piper Seminole.

On March 24, 2014, a twin-engine Piper PA-44 owned by ATP Flight School crashed near Brunswick Georgia after a suspected break-up of the airframe in IFR conditions. Both pilots suffered fatal injuries in the accident. A lawsuit was filed on behalf of the deceased pilots' families.

On June 9, 2018, a plane flown by an ATP instructor and student pilot was on an approach to landing when it experienced bad weather and crashed into a retention pond in Daytona Beach, Florida. Both pilots experienced minor injuries.

On May 29, 2021, a Cessna 172 on an introductory flight crashed near Powder Mountain Ski Resort in Ogden, Utah. The flight student and instructor both died.

On April 10, 2023, an ATP aircraft ran off the runway and went down a hillside at Allegheny County Airport. The pilot sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital.

On January 7, 2024, an ATP aircraft, a Piper PA-44-180 Seminole, sustained substantial damage at Perot Field Forth Worth Alliance Airport in Texas. A private pilot student and flight instructor failed to extend the landing gear, resulting in a gear up landing according to the NTSB.

On January 24, 2024, an ATP student, private pilot Logan Timothy James, allegedly stole a Cessna 172 from ATP Flight School at Addison Airport (ADS), located north of Dallas, TX. James departed from the airport towards the east, then flew north past Sulphur Springs and Paris. After more than 1 hour of flying the pilot entered a steep descent before fatally crashing in a field nine miles northeast of Telephone, TX. The accident, an apparent suicide, is currently under investigation.