Two Qualify Under FAA Regs That Went Into Effect August 1

Ethan Connor and Chien-Hsuan Hung at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Daytona Beach, FL campus are the first students in the United States to complete the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certification Training Program under the new FAA regulations that took effect Aug. 1, 2014.

Embry-Riddle is the first training provider in the country to receive approval from the FAA for its ATP Certification Training Program.

"There have been numerous changes to the requirements to obtain an Airline Transport Pilot's Certificate over the past few years," said Ken Byrnes, Chair of the Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach Flight Department. "The completion of our first ATP-CTP class is the culmination of all of these changes. We are pleased to provide all of the prerequisites for the ATP certificate as part of our normal Aeronautical Science degree requirements."

With the completion of an FAA-approved aviation degree program from Embry-Riddle, graduates are also eligible to receive the newly created Restricted ATP certification after 1,000 or 1,250 flight training hours, making them eligible for hiring by a scheduled passenger airline (Part 121 carrier), between 250 and 500 flight training hours sooner compared to students completing a non-qualified program.

Embry-Riddle's ATP Certification Training Program is available only to full-time students.

"We have been providing right seat ready airline pilots for ninety years and we will continue to do so," said Dr. Tim Brady, Dean of the College of Aviation in Daytona Beach. "For this reason we became the only university in the nation to acquire a level D full-flight air carrier simulator. Embry-Riddle unquestionably views the ability to graduate the best trained pilots in the world as a never-ending commitment."

(Pictured: Ethan Connor (left) and Chien-Hsuan Hung in the Level-D CRJ-200 full-motion simulator at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. ERAU Photo)

FMI: www.erau.edu