ATP Flight School Doubles Capacity at Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To meet the needs of an industry primed for exponential growth, ATP Flight School has increased airline pilot training operations in Jacksonville, FL, with a newly opened 3,000 sq. ft. expansion at Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport (JAXEX).
Headquartered in Jacksonville Beach, ATP is the nation's largest flight school, specializing in accelerated airline-oriented pilot training. The Jacksonville Executive training center is one of the busiest in ATP's nationwide network of 50-plus locations, with students at Jacksonville flying over 10,000 hours in 2020. The expansion doubles ATP's operational footprint at the airport and comes ahead of unprecedented demand for airline pilots. Mandatory airline pilot retirements combined with COVID-related early retirements are expected to outpace the current capabilities of the training industry. ATP is rapidly increasing capacity in Jacksonville to accommodate this growth.
ATP's training center expansion not only puts Jacksonville at the center of addressing the looming pilot shortage but makes Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport the premier destination for aspiring airline pilots.
"ATP has taken a forward-thinking approach to address the looming pilot shortage in the aviation industry," Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) CEO Mark VanLoh said. "Their growth will help train the next generation of airline pilots and make JAXEX an essential destination for their education."
Students at the new facility will utilize over 5,400 sq. ft. of classrooms, study areas, briefing rooms, and simulator space in ATP's accelerated Airline Career Pilot Program. Fast track students can go from zero experience to commercial pilot in just nine months. College students can train on a flexible 18-month timeline while attending anyone of Jacksonville's colleges.
As students become airline pilots, they first gain experience as certificated flight instructors (CFI). The Jacksonville location is home to ATP's exclusive CFI Academy and Flight Instructor Indoctrination programs focused on this pilot development. The addition of physical training space at Jacksonville Executive increases the capacity and throughput for the rest of the nationwide network.
The delivery of 25 factory-new Piper Archers will complement the training center expansion and build ATP's training capabilities throughout 2021. An 18,350 sq. ft. onsite maintenance center cares for the fleet and serves as a hub for ATP's 14 other maintenance bases across the country, ensuring unsurpassed aircraft availability to keep students training on-time.
"For over 30 years, Jacksonville's talented community has been instrumental in the growth of ATP and developing the nation's airline pilots," said Michael Arnold, director of marketing, ATP Flight School. "We're proud to continue investing in Jacksonville, working together to expand access to this rewarding career and help airlines meet their future demand for quality pilots."
