ZTA 1
8 to 10 months
Zero hours to airline pilot.
Question 1
What are your aviation goals?
ZTA 2
11 to 14 months
Actual median
13 months
Hard limit
12 / 18 months
Two versions of the same route.
Zero Time to Airline is a zero-to-airline-pilot program: six certificates and ratings in one continuous Part 141 course, starting with no flight experience. Both versions start at zero hours. The difference is where they stop.
Zero Time to Airline 1, 8 to 10 months
Zero Time to Airline 1 is an 8 to 10 month program covering Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, and single-engine and multi-engine Commercial Pilot certificates. Graduates can fly for hire as a Part 135 or Part 125 second-in-command or a Part 91 pilot-in-command.
Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot single-engine land, Commercial Pilot multi-engine land. You finish able to fly for compensation or hire: second-in-command for a Part 135 charter operator or a Part 125 operator, or pilot-in-command for Part 91 corporate, survey and similar work.
Zero Time to Airline 2, 11 to 14 months
Zero Time to Airline 2 is an 11 to 14 month program that adds CFI and CFI Instrument ratings to everything in ZTA 1. Most students choose ZTA 2, because instructing is how graduates get paid to build the 1,500 hours the FAA requires.
Everything in ZTA 1, plus Certificated Flight Instructor, Airplane and CFI Instrument. Most students choose this one, because the instructor ratings are how you get paid to build the 1,500 hours the FAA requires before an airline can hire you.
The catalog is explicit about the deadlines. A ZTA 1 student who has not finished within twelve months, or a ZTA 2 student within eighteen, is terminated from the program. Continuing past the published length requires approval from the chief instructor. That is unusual to publish, and it is the reason the timeline means something.
How long does it take to become an airline pilot?
Becoming an airline pilot takes about three years from the first lesson for most students. Zero Time to Airline 2 takes 11 to 14 months, followed by 18 to 24 months of paid instructing to reach the FAA minimum of 1,500 hours.
About three years from the first lesson for most students. Zero Time to Airline 2 takes 11 to 14 months and ends with your commercial pilot certificate and both instructor ratings. Then most graduates spend another 18 to 24 months as paid flight instructors, building the flight hours an airline needs before it can hire you as a first officer. The FAA sets that minimum at 1,500 hours, or fewer with a restricted ATP. More questions about the program.
Why a Part 141 school with examining authority matters
A Part 141 school with examining authority can conduct end-of-course exams in house instead of waiting for an outside Designated Pilot Examiner. Thrust holds FAA Part 141 certificate 3USS960L with examining authority on courses where it has been granted.
Thrust holds FAA Part 141 certificate 3USS960L with examining authority on courses where it has been granted. In practice that means an end-of-course exam can be conducted in house rather than waiting on an outside Designated Pilot Examiner. Checkride backlog is one of the two things that turns a fourteen-month program into a twenty-four-month one. The other is money.
What is included in the program fee
The program fee includes all flight and ground instruction, aircraft and simulator rental up to the course maximum, textbooks, a headset and first-attempt FAA knowledge and practical test fees. Placement assistance and a flight bag with training supplies are also included.
- All flight and ground instruction
- Aircraft and simulator rental to the course maximum
- Course textbooks and study guides
- Training course outlines and syllabi
- Flight bag, logbook, fuel tester, plotter, E6-B
- Aviation headset
- View limiting device
- Five student uniform shirts
- FAA knowledge test fees, first attempt
- FAA practical test fees, first attempt
- Shepherd Air study aid software
- Placement assistance
What is not
Housing, food, travel, personal living expenses, the required iPad and ForeFlight subscription, the FAA medical exam, TSA fees, non-owned aircraft insurance, remedial training, hours beyond the course maximum, and re-testing after a failure.
The ones worth asking.
How long does Zero Time to Airline take?
ZTA 1 takes 8 to 10 months from zero flight hours through the FAA Commercial Pilot certificate with single- and multi-engine land ratings and an instrument rating. ZTA 2 takes 11 to 14 months and adds Certificated Flight Instructor and CFI Instrument. A ZTA 1 student cannot extend past twelve months and a ZTA 2 student cannot extend past eighteen.
Do I need any flight experience to start?
No. The program is built for students starting at zero hours with no aviation background. If you do arrive with hours, they count. Up to 50% of a course can transfer from another Part 141 school, up to 25% from a non-141 school, and every hour applies when transferring into a Part 61 course.
Do I need a college degree?
No. You need a high school diploma or GED. The major US airlines no longer require a four-year degree, and neither does Thrust.
What are the entry requirements?
Eighteen years old before orientation (seventeen with parental consent and approval from the school president), a high school diploma or GED, a valid first- or second-class FAA medical certificate, government photo ID, TSA authorization, English proficiency, an aptitude assessment, an admissions interview, an iPad running ForeFlight, and a non-owned aircraft insurance policy with at least $50,000 of damage coverage.
What certificates do I finish with?
ZTA 1: Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot single-engine and multi-engine land. ZTA 2: all of those plus Certificated Flight Instructor, Airplane and CFI Instrument.
Can I work while I train?
Not really. ZTA is a full-time immersion program, which is what makes 11 to 14 months possible. If full time is impossible right now, take one certificate at a time under Part 61 and roll the hours in later.
Will I get a job at the end?
Thrust has direct pathways with Envoy, SkyWest, Avelo, Republic and Air Wisconsin, and graduates with instructor ratings are offered an interview to instruct at Thrust. No school can guarantee an airline job. The FAA requires 1,500 hours of total flight experience for an airline, which most graduates build by instructing after they finish.
Not sure which version fits?
An advisor will look at what you want to end up doing, what you can train around, and which start dates have room.
Talk to an advisor→Worth a look.