Are you a commercially licensed pilot with more than 1,500 hours of total flight experience? Do you have your heart set on a career flying for the airlines or commanding corporate aircraft? If so, you are a candidate for the “PhD” of aviation: the Airline Transport Pilot certificate. In order to act as Captain or First Officer on aircraft operated under CFR Part 121 (airlines), you must have the ATP certificate. While not required by law, most corporate flight departments expect that their captains have an ATP.

While the ATP is offered in most classes of aircraft, it is customary to get your ATP in multi-engine aircraft because that is what most airlines and corporate flight departments operate.

Our most experienced instructors will work with you to ensure that your aeronautical knowledge and flight skills meet ATP standards. Crew resource management (CRM) is so critical to safe aircraft operation that Windy City Flyers incorporates it into our basic procedures and emphasizes it especially in our ATP training.

FAA Requirements

Minimum of 23 years of age

Hold a Commercial Certificate with an Instrument Rating

Pass the ATP FAA written test

Receive and log the required Aernonautical knowledge areas

1,500 hours of total time

500 hours of cross country

100 hour night flight time

75 hours of instrument time (25 of the 75 hours of instrument time can be accomplished in either of our simulators)

Please remember that these are the FAA minimums and that everyone learns at a different pace.  However, you will find that WCF has a progress chart and a very comprehensive syllabus that details out every lesson so that both the Instructor and Student are maximizing each lesson.