Usa
 

I have had a look around but cant seem to find anything,

I am interested in obtaining my Ab Initio ATPL in the US and I was just wondering where are the best schools?

Is there intergrated courses like those from CTC and Oxford?

Who has the best links with airlines?

Is there more chance of a good job in the US?

The training system for potential airline pilots in the USA is somewhat different from that in UK and Europe. Most airline wannabes in the States are required to obtain a four-year degree, usually in an aviation-related topic. A number of establishments exist to satisfy this demand, but the existence of something like 10,000 furloughed experienced pilots in the US has seriously depressed the pilot recruiting market. And that at a time when entry-level salaries are pathetic at best.

However, before any of the above becomes relevant you would need the right to live and work in the USA. That is very difficult to get if you do not have US nationality.

Scroggs

My father is american so I think i could obtain nationality if i need to,

The only school i have been told about is the flight safety academy it doesnt mention the need for a degree.

But overall would you suggest if I was to complete training in the US get a conversion and look for a job in the UK/Euro?

If nationality is not a problem, then I think you should do more research before you make any decisions. This is a UK-based, and UK-focussed forum. There isn't the depth of knowledge here that you need to get satisfactory answers to your questions. I don't have links to any similar bulletin boards in the US, though I've no doubt they exist.

It might be an idea, as a start, to contact our moderator 'Keygrip' (see the top of the forum contents page), as he's based in the US and may well have some useful contacts for you. The only school I can think of that is heavily involved in training specifically for the US airline market is Embury-Riddle University - you could take a look on their site to see an example of what you might need to do.

If you were to intend to train in the US and return to work in the EU, this is a well-trodden path. A read through just the last few days' topics will reveal many that relate to this route.

Scroggs

There are now several flight schools in the U.S. that do ab-initio style training. Among them are Embry-Riddle, FlightSafety, Delta Connection Academy, Panam Academy, Mesa Pilot Development, the list goes on and on. Most of them also have agreements with entry-level airlines to offer interviews after the successful completion of their ab-initio course.

Beware though, the "traditional" route to becoming an airline pilot in the U.S. has been to acquire your license and ratings to include becoming a flight instructor, and then build hours by instructing, flying parachute jumpers, banner-towing. You work your way up the ladder to getting a job with a regional airline and then finally get hired by a major airline. The "shortcut" ab-initio direct to the right seat of a regional airline has attracted a lot of skepticism from the old-school airline community.

On average, unless you are part of the ab-initio program, you will need around 1000 hrs total time and 100 hours of multi-engine time to meet the hiring minimums at most regional airlines. A caveat with the ab-initio programs is that if you complete the program successfully, you get ONE shot at an interview with a regional airline. If you fail, then you will not be able to re-apply there or anywhere else until you have met the standard hiring minimums.

Ab-initio training does not have anywhere near the universality of recognition in the US as it does in Europe. In the U.S. you can go from Private to ATP without touching an "approved school". The commonly held view is that you end up with the same piece of paper at the end of the day, so how you get there is not important. Everyone has to meet the same standard in the end.

There are several message boards that cater to the U.S. pilot market. www.jetcareers.com and www.flightinfo.com would be the two the I would start with.

Ray

Thanks for the info everyone really helped, i still am unsure which way im going to go but this has really helped, Cheers!

Scroggs, I will do as you say. Does Alan Carter still work for Virgin on the B747-400 fleet, and is Alan Rattigan is a Captain yet? :D

Listen, I didn't write that bit below my name! And this isn't the right forum for your questions!