The Young Pilot’s Fastest Route to the Airline Industry

By Maria Morrison

Heading into my senior year of high school, I am constantly asked what my plans are for college and beyond. My response normally includes a collage of some kind, but recently another option has been included: skipping college altogether and getting an ATP certification with 1500 hours. For a young, high-time pilot such as myself, this seems like a reasonable option. However, this answer varies greatly depending on the person, factoring in flight time, financial status, and future plans.

According to CFR 14 61.160, a restricted ATP certificate can be presented to a pilot with 1000 hours and a four-year degree, 1250 hours and a two-year degree, or 1,500 hours and no college required.

For someone with less than 300 hours, the best option would then be to enroll at an aviation college where they could accumulate flight time as well as obtain a Bachelor’s degree. In order to qualify for the 1000 hour restricted ATP, the person must get their instrument and commercial with an accredited university that the FAA recognizes. Some colleges offer benefits to students that come to the school already holding a private pilot certificate, such as Liberty University, who offers ten free credit hours out of the 60 required. A four-year degree can cost anywhere from nothing to multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars, and flight training only adds to that cost. However, for someone with little to no flight hours, this stands as a great option to build time while getting a degree, and allows for the ATP to be obtained sooner.

For someone who already has a Private and Instrument rating, this is not an option. If the person only obtains a Commercial at the flight school, they qualify for the semi-restricted ATP, meaning they have to get 1250 hours, but only need an Associate's degree.

The traditional option is to receive an ATP certification after logging 1500 hours of flight time. While this certification has no restrictions, it could leave the pilot without a degree. This will not be an issue for the first few years of a commercial life, as most regional airlines do not require a degree. Another option for a young, high-time pilot would be to then attend an aeronautical university and be hired as a CFI to build hours. This could involve a full ride scholarship, as well as getting credits for instruction. Embry Riddle offers six credits per semester spent instructing. Since a pilot must be 21 before flying for the airlines anyway, this would be a good option to build time in the air while killing time between the ages of 18 and 21.

Both PSA, the feeder for American Airlines, and Endeavor, who flows into Delta, do not require any sort of college degree to become a pilot. However, by the time the pilot do not require any sort of college degree to be hired. However, by the time the pilot applies to the "majors”, they will be required to have a four-year degree by an approved university before their application is even looked at. For those who got the traditional ATP without any schooling, this presents a problem.

An online four-year degree can be conducted through most universities, and will be taken with just as much weight as one obtained in person, as long as it is from one of the approved schools. The FAA does not recognize all colleges, but information in regards to what schools they do approve is easily found online. However, as a representative of Purdue university stated, "it's hard to get coursework done on top of the full-time job.” Getting a four year degree while taking only two or three courses a semester may take six to eight years. This becomes an issue given that seniority in the airlines is very important. The flow time from endeavor to Delta is four years, and from PSA to American is six. If the online degree cannot be obtained in that time, a pilot could be quickly dropping behind their peers.

While the aviation schools said differently, representatives of the airlines said that an application is not made better by having a degree from a flight school over any other college. Its equal between the two schools of thought, with some interviewers looking for diversity of majors, while others may be searching for someone who has shown dedication to aviation.

The ATP certification can be acquired a variety of ways, and college may or may not be a part of that. For low-time aspiring pilots, an aeronautical university may be the quickest and most cost-effective route to an airline job. For those who already have ratings and hours, it might be cheaper to get more flight time and forego the university, with the knowledge that positions with the big airlines will require schooling on the side.

FMI: erau.edu, www.liberty.edu/academics/aeronautics, www.endeavorair.com, www.psaairlines.com