Please don't destroy me, as I haven't even begun my flight training yet, planning to attend a flights school. If I get through it all, I should end up with a commercial rating and multiengine certs. My ultimate goal is fly for an airline, but I was wondering if there are any flying positions that would do with the above credentials. I probably won't have enough money/hours to get an ATP cert right out of school, so there will be a period when I need a job of some sort where I can build hours.
I probably sound like an idiot to those of you who have already worked so hard to get where you are, but your knowledge would be most appreciated.
Tinstaafl
14th Jul 2004, 04:36
No one gets an ATP straight from flight school. They ALL leave with Commercials. They *may* have done the ATP theory but that's just one part of finally getting the ATP. The next step is to meet the minimum flight time requirements for the ATP.
Some schools offer some form of work program such as including a flight instructor rating + subsequent work teaching the next batch of students coming through the ranks. These sorts of programs are often marketed as a 'zero to ATP' program however the point is that the guys are flying using the privileges of their newly gained CPL (& instructor certificate). You can do something similar without necessarily paying for the whole thing by getting a CPL + instrument &/or instructor and then finding work in the great wide world of aviation.
Note that a CPL enables you to work as a pilot. The main limitation is that you can't be pilot in command of a/c that require more than a single pilot. Co-pilot, yes, but not the boss. All the single pilot jobs are just as accessible though.