Personally, it scares me to see these programs advertised in flight magazines.
Phrases like "Zero time to First Officer in a jet in six months" are particularly onerous.
I imagine myself sitting on a regional CRJ somewhere where potentially half the flight crew had never seen a flightdeck less than a year ago!

From the perspective of the prospective pilot, I also wonder how much the hiring airlines are aligned with the vision of these training academies. Are they really hiring those with less than a year experience?
Are they really hiring into the positions you expect?
The reality of the carriers may not meet with the expecations set by the trainers, or certainly not for everyone. You may find that you count yourself lucky if you are among the few chosen right out of flight school with little experience but lots of talent, or you may find yourself paying your dues along with the rest of the pack, waiting to get that coveted seat.

It would be interesting to see what kind of experience those of you out there actually have... and if it lived up to your expectations in the end.

--dAve

Hello Mirna

ATP has a good program with the an excellent safety record. My experience with them has been very good. But this type of program isn't for everyone. You need to have good study habits, good attitude and be fairly self motivated.

I selected the ACP 10 month program, so I can live at home and if needed have a time to study any materials I may feel uncertain about. I thought the 90 day was a little too fast for me, but if you have the right attitude and good study habits the 90 day program would be fine.

The CFI's go through a fairly rigorous standardization program, so while some of the CFI's are kind of low time by the time they get to you they are well trained and prepared for the unique challenges of an accellerated program. The program is well established and very thorough. But it is still up to you as a pilot to continue to study, learn and perfect your skills as a pilot, no mater what program you go through.

Check out the web site, if you have any specific questions I'd be happy to share my experiences so far. Would I select ATP again if I had it to do over, yes. I would recommend them but this type of program isn't for everybody.

Good luck
Ric

I have a family member who has been a pilot with American for 15+years. He says if you do not have a 4-year degree, and you do not have military experience, then a program like ATP will only give you regional airline jobs.