Register

The R-ATP Comes with Rules

College degrees do not guarantee automatic airline transport pilot certification.

Some graduates find this out the hard way, after they've spent $100,000 on an aviation degree from a two- or four-year program. [Credit: Pixabay/Elly]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

Just as a college degree does not automatically guarantee a job, there are aviation students who are learning that a college degree does not automatically guarantee they qualify for the airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate with less than 1,500 flight hours.

The college or university curriculum has to be approved by the FAA and the school approved for the restricted ATP (R-ATP), which will lead to fewer hours needing to be acquired.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.

Ready to Sell Your Aircraft?

List your airplane on AircraftForSale.com and reach qualified buyers.

List Your Aircraft
AircraftForSale Logo | FLYING Logo
Pilot in aircraft
Sign-up for newsletters & special offers!

Get the latest stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox.

SUBSCRIBE