Airline Transport Pilot Applicant Information

Overview

The ATP checkride is the highest level of a pilot certificate that can be obtained. As such, the requirements to hold an ATP are demanding. The FAA has recently revamped the requirements to allow for credit in advanced education toward the requirements to a Restricted ATP certificate.

Standard ATP Certificate

The Standard ATP Certificate does not require college education, nor does it allow for less than 1500 hours to obtain it. A Standard ATP Certificate is required in order to act as PIC of a Part 121, select Part 135 and Part 91K operations.

Restricted ATP

Restricted ATP Certificates issued under 14 CFR 61.160 are intended for First Officers who do not meet the 1500 hour rule to act as SIC under 14 CFR Part 121 until they meet the 1500 hour requirement .

There are several different ways to do this.

Current or former U.S. military pilots with an airplane category multiengine class rating with a minimum of 750 hours of total time
Holders of a Bachelor’s degree with an aviation major from an institution of higher education or anyone who completes 60 semester credit hours of aviation and aviation-related coursework that has been recognized by the Administrator may apply with a minimum of 1,000 hours of total time provided they hold a commercial pilot certificate with an instrument rating and completed the required ground and flight training as part of an approved part 141 curriculum at the institution of higher education or completed the flight training at a part 141 pilot school that has a training agreement under §141.26 with the institute of higher education.
Holders of an Associate’s degree with an aviation major from an institution of higher education, that has been issued a letter of authorization by the Administrator under §61.169 who have completed at least 30 semester credit hours of aviation and aviation-related coursework that has been recognized by the Administrator may apply with 1,250 hours of total time provided they hold a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane category and instrument rating and the required ground training was completed as part of an approved part 141 curriculum at the institution of higher education; and the required flight training was completed as part of an approved part 141 curriculum at the institution of higher education or at a part 141 pilot school that has a written training agreement under §141.26 of this chapter with the institution of higher education.

• For applicants applying under paragraphs a-c above, cross country requirements are reduced from 500 hours to 200 hours.• A person who has 1,500 hours total time as a pilot, 200 hours of cross-country flight time, and otherwise meets the aeronautical experience requirements of §61.159 may apply for an airline transport pilot certificate under this section.

What To Expect

ATP Applicants can expect all tasks outlined in the appropriate PTS. This equates to normal and single engine precision, non-precision instrument approaches, holding, engine failures and other listed tasks.

Within the State of Hawaii, applicants on the Island of Oahu tend to do their checkride over at LNY or LIH airports where traffic is less restrictive and allow for a more efficient practical test scenario.

Common Pitfalls

The ATP checkride is primarily an instrument checkride. As such, be familiar with the avionics to be comfortable to handle abnormal scenarios. A number of applicants are concerned with the high cost of the airplane rental, and tend to skimp on flight training prep, only to get behind the airplane and exceed a tolerance. The recommendation is spend a few more hours preparing for the exam versus having to spend extra money retraining and retesting.

Another area of common weakness is the Oral exam. Many applicants are under the assumption that they will never fly the airplane they are testing in again so they don't have to know the systems of the aircraft. As the PTS requires the applicant to meet the knowledge tasks on the airplane they are testing on, the applicant must know these systems.

Phases of the Practical Test

There a three phases to a practical test:

Qualification Phase
- This is where all of your training documents are checked (logbook or training record), Aircraft logbooks and documents, and we establish that you have met all the requirements to begin the test.
Oral Exam
- This is where we go over the items in the ACS that will be tested orally and your knowledge will be evaluated to ensure you have an adequate working knowledge to function safety as a Private Pilot. The Oral Exam must be successfully completed in order to advance to the Flight Portion.
Flight Exam
- This is where the remaining items not tested orally or test in conjunction with the oral segments are evaluated. Most well prepared applicants can complete the flight in about 1.5 hours, depending on location and traffic.

There are three possible outcomes once you being the practical test:

Temporary Airmen Certificate Issued
- You have successfully completed all required items and found qualified to act as a Private Pilot.
Notice of Disapproval
- You have failed to meet the standard on one or more tasks. At this point, you must return to your instructor and get remedial training. When your instructor finds you competent on the items that you have failed on, they will re endorse you for a retake exam. The Notice of Disapproval will also give you credit for the items that you have successfully completed, and at the examiners discretion, you will not be required to repeat the items that you have already passed. This Notice is good for 60 days. If you do not take the retest within those 60 days, you will be required to take the entire practical test over again. In order to take the retest, you will have to complete another application, and there will be a retest fee that will have to be paid to the examiner.
Letter of Discontinuance
- This letter states that you could not complete the entire exam due to circumstances beyond your control. (Illness, Weather, Mechanical). It will give you credit for the items you have completed successfully. You have 60 days from the beginning of the exam to complete all items. This is not a fail, and will not require another endorsement or application to continue the test. There is no extra fee for a discontinuance.

ATM Written Exam

The ATM Written Exam is a prerequisite for the ATP Multiengine Practical Test. In order to take the ATM, you must complete an FAA Approved ATP-CTP program, which consists of large aircraft systems and performance, as well as full flight simulator training. You must bring this graduation certificate with you to your written exam, as well as to the practical test.

The ATM written exam is different from all other exams as it is valid for 60 calendar months from date of issue.

IACRA

IACRA now accepts ATP Restricted applications.