Becoming a pilot is reserved for the diligent few who posses a strong commitment to protocol, rules and regulations. Whether you want to earn your wings for pleasure or as a professional, Long Beach City College offers one of the best training outfits in the country. The Aviation Maintenance department is regarded by the Federal government as the standard by which the industry is run. They have certified LBCC as the number one training ground for their employees. The college’s other division in the aeronautics department is the pilot training course. I completed the two year program and cannot commend them enough.
To begin with, the flight time is paid for separately from the academics, but may be supplemented with financial aid. The student should waste no time to register with a flight school as your flight instructor will keep you abreast with everything you need at the moment for a safe experience. If you choose to wait until the second semester for your flight time, be sure to take the meteorology courses first. Weather conditions are one of the most common causes for pilot error, and often times can prove deadly.
If you elect to fly out of Long Beach Airport, located walking distance from the college, you will encounter some landing difficulties on hot days. There’s a golf course on the landing path that produces convective currents in the heat. I found it challenging to control the bumps, and made a switch to nearby El Monte Airport for more stable flight conditions.
The LBCC coursework covers the Private Pilot through Commercial certificates, but you will be responsible to complete the flight time on your own. By getting an early start, you may progress to Certified Flight Instructor quickly, and the CFI will come in handy for extra money as you move forward with multi-engine upgrades and advanced certificates. The following information is made to enlargen the pilot’s training options, but to clarify the usage of ATP, this term is used as an abbreviation for Airline Transport Professionals, a training facility in Long Beach, and interchanged with the aviation certificate, Airline Transport Pilot. The clarity will be evident from contextual usage, and to those with understanding of aviation programs.
You can add a multi-engine rating at Long Beach Airport for a discount of $1995 from Airline Transport Professionals. They also have a comprehensive program for $54,995 that runs from Private to 165 hours Multi-PIC. For an ATP certificate with written test, they offer a 3-day course for $1995, one of the best deals in Southern California. For pilots on a budget, you may start the flight training for a degree at LBCC, and transfer your credits into Airline Transport Professionals for a significant savings on a complete pilot program. Though you may transfer at anytime, earning an AA with a college may be a savvy move for those who wish to pursue the major airlines, where applications are fiercly competetive and only the top percentile will qualify. But, at ATP, they will accept your scholastic credits towards completion of any of their courses, including their 250 Hours Turbine, Multi-Engine with Gulfstream as First Officer program offered for $79,995. Financing is available.
Qualified pilots may advance to an ATP rating, but must meet the following criteria set forth from the FAA: To advance with the Airline Transport Pilot certificate, you must be at least 23 years old, have at least 1500 hours of time with 500 hours of cross country, 100 hours of night flights, 75 hours of instrument flight, 250 hours as “pilot in command”, and not more than 100 hours obtained from simulator time ( see FAA Part 142).
www.lbcc.edu/
www.atpflightschool.com/index.html
www.faa.gov
