In Europe we have the Airline Pilot Standard Multi Crew Cooperation (APS MCC) course and in the US, the same thing (roughly) is known as the Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program (ATP CTP).
Both courses sit at the end of ‘normal’ training when you have your Commercial Pilot’s Licence with Instrument Rating (CPL/IR) and prepare you for flying a jet airliner in a multi-pilot cockpit.
With the US seeing airlines starting to recruit again after the shocks of the pandemic, flight schools are ramping up for the expected (and real) demand with several announcing expansion plans.
One of the biggest is ATP Flight School which is opening a new ATP JETS airline training centre in Irving, Texas to scale capacity and deliver the aforementioned Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program (ATP CTP).
Students take part in four days of virtual instructor-led ground school, then attend the state-of-art ATP JETS facility for three days of simulator training.
Adjoining class and briefing rooms complement a simulator bay housing up to nine flight training devices – and there’s room for future expansion too.
ATP has more than 30 hiring partnerships with airlines including Delta Air Lines through Delta Propel and United Airlines through United Aviate.
Most recently, ATP JETS’ advanced training capabilities in Dallas have allowed ATP to partner with Frontier Airlines. The Frontier Direct Program offers an enhanced ATP CTP and enables ATP graduates to progress straight to the flight deck.
The new ATP JETS facility follows the opening of a newly constructed flight training center at the Arlington, Texas airport where students train to become airline pilots in ATP’s Airline Career Pilot Program.
“Dallas is not only a hub for aviation but ATP, with more graduates having gone on to fly for American Airlines than any other major,” said Michael Arnold, director of marketing for ATP.
“As we continue to scale capacity to meet airline hiring demand, Dallas will play an important role in delivering efficient, industry-leading airline pilot training.”
