ATP-The Ultimate IPC

A good friend of mine is a physician and a pilot. (No, there isnt a Bonanza in his hangar; he happily flies a Mooney Ovation.) Ive always found him to be a very safety-conscious pilot. He gets an IPC every six months and does other periodic training. When he wanted to do something different, I suggested he get an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. (ATP-SEL) Why? was his first reaction. I dont need it for the kind of flying I do.

lbencini-tibo

Sunday, February 04, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Single pilot jets

Key Takeaways:

The Airline Transport Pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating (ATP-SEL) significantly enhances a pilot's aeronautical knowledge, proficiency, and confidence, even if its direct operational applications for single-engine aircraft are limited.
Earning an ATP-SEL requires extensive flight experience, including 1500 total hours and 500 cross-country hours, plus a comprehensive knowledge test covering instrument flying, Cessna Caravan operations, and Part 135 regulations.
The ATP-SEL practical test is challenging, demanding advanced airmanship maneuvers (such as stalls, steep turns, and power failures) performed under simulated instrument conditions with stricter performance tolerances than an instrument rating.

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Agood friend of mine is a physician and a pilot. (No, there isn’t a Bonanza in his hangar; he happily flies a Mooney Ovation.) I’ve always found him to be a very safety-conscious pilot. He gets an IPC every six months and does other periodic training. When he wanted to do something different, I suggested he get an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. (ATP-SEL) “Why?” was his first reaction. “I don’t need it for the kind of flying I do.”

An ATP is required for Part 121 (scheduled and non-scheduled airline) and most Part 135 (commuter and on-demand) operations. However, 14 CFR 121.159 explicitly forbids the use of single-engine aircraft in Part 121, so an ATP-SEL has admittedly limited incremental uses.