What Is ATP-CTP?

ATP-CTP in plain English

ATP-CTP stands for the Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program. It's a course mandated by the FAA that every pilot must complete before they're allowed to take the ATP written exam — the knowledge test required on the way to earning an Airline Transport Pilot certificate, the credential needed to serve as captain for a U.S. scheduled airline.

Think of it as the bridge between whatever flying background a pilot already has — regional airline time, corporate jets, military flying, or a foreign license — and the multi-crew, transport-category environment that airline captains operate in every day. It standardizes a baseline of academic knowledge and simulator experience across every ATP candidate, regardless of where they trained before.

Who has to take it

The requirement applies broadly: any pilot pursuing an FAA ATP certificate must complete ATP-CTP first, with no exceptions based on prior flight time or experience type. This includes pilots converting a foreign license — such as a DGCA or EASA license — who are working toward an FAA ATP as part of that transition.

It's worth noting that ATP-CTP is distinct from a type rating. Completing ATP-CTP doesn't qualify a pilot on a specific aircraft; it's a separate prerequisite tied to the ATP certificate itself, which a pilot may pursue alongside or before a type rating on an aircraft like the A320 or B737.

What the course actually covers

ATP-CTP runs 6-8 days and totals 42 hours of instruction, split into 32 hours of academic ground training and 10 hours in a full-flight simulator or approved flight training device. The ground portion covers subjects that matter specifically at the transport-category, high-altitude level — things like aerodynamics at the edges of the flight envelope, adverse weather operations, engine and system failures, and the automation and crew-resource-management skills used in multi-pilot cockpits.

The simulator portion puts that academic material into practice, giving pilots hands-on exposure to multi-crew jet operations in scenarios designed to mirror the kind of decision-making airline captains and first officers face day to day.

• 6-8 days, 42 total hours
• 32 hours of academic ground training
• 10 hours in a full-flight simulator or approved training device

Where it sits in the path to an ATP certificate

ATP-CTP comes first in the sequence. Completing it earns a graduation certificate, which is required before a pilot can register for the ATP written exam. Passing that exam then leads into the remaining ATP requirements: meeting the required flight experience and passing the ATP practical test, or checkride.

Because the course and the written exam are meant to be completed close together, pilots generally shouldn't complete ATP-CTP far in advance of an active plan to sit the written exam — eligibility windows and scheduling considerations make it more efficient to move through both steps in sequence.

Getting started with ATP-CTP

For pilots ready to move toward an ATP certificate, the practical next step is scheduling ATP-CTP with a training provider that runs the course on the timeline and simulator platform that fits their needs, then following it promptly with the ATP written exam. If you have questions about how ATP-CTP fits with your specific background — including a license conversion or an upcoming type rating — an advisor can walk through the sequence with you.