Accelerated Flight Training Program

When looking for a flight school, there are many factors to consider.

One of the most important is speed of training(so long as safety is not compromised of course!).

If two students start flight school the same day, but one finishes 3 months earlier than the other, that student could have 3 months more seniority at the airlines for their entire career!

At the airlines, seniority determines quality of life, so it’s a big deal..

This is also a factor when choosing between flight school and college. While college can be valuable, it may be a better choice to go through an accelerated flight program first and then finish college after obtaining a job at the regional airlines.

And you won’t waste time at the regional airlines considering that a pilot with a degree would have to spend a few years there as well before leaving for the major airlines.

So How Fast Is “Accelerated”?

Accelerated flight programs typically last between 8-12 months, taking you from zero flight time to a full-fledged flight instructor.

If this was done through a university, it would typically take 4-6 years.

As one can expect, the accelerated programs demand regular training, 4-6 days per week is normal. Some days will be ground lessons, some will be simulator training, some flight training, and some days will be a mixture of all three!

Many students do have part time and even full time jobs throughout training, however a job that is too demanding can slow your pace of training.

Questions To Ask

Questions to ask a school that advertises an accelerated program:

1. Who performs their maintenance?

2. What is the student - instructor ratio?

3. What is the student - airplane ratio?

4. How is the schedule organized?

5. Do they have a simulator?

Any of these questions point to a potential issue that could unnecessarily delay your training.

1. In-house maintenance is generally the fastest and most organized.

2. Student - instructor ration should not be more than 6:1.

3. Student - airplane ratio is less obvious, but a good way to check is to look at their current schedule for each plane, are they full everyday with some students not flying? Or are all the students getting to fly with occasional openings in the schedule? Consider that if one plane goes down for maintenance, the students will share a reduced number of aircraft.

4. What scheduling software do they use? (We use Flight Schedule Pro) And how do they prioritize the schedule? Is it a free for all? Do the instructors fight over slots? Or is there a centralized organization? At Parrish Aviation we have an administrative director who creates our schedule. This reduces conflict and creates fairness and efficiency in prioritizing students.

5. A simulator will help you to maintain progress through the program on those inevitable bad weather days! Make sure the school has an FAA Approved AATD Simulator.

Thanks for reading! We hope this helps you in your journey to a career in aviation!

For information about our accelerated program click here!