I chose ATR because it was one of the fastest growing aircraft businesses at the time. All regional airlines is either flying or changing to ATR aircrafts. The other reason was to choose between ATR or Boeing/Airbus? Almost all airlines (non regional) today fly Airbus or Boeing. I’m going to use Boeing as an example. In my situation if I choose Boeing I would compete against all other pilots with many more hours than me. Ex applying for a Boeing 737 job anywhere in the world. I would only have the Sim + base training hours and my competition properly a FO from Ryanair who flies 600-900 hours a year. Would have a great advantage and better chances to get the job and therefore the ATR was a better choice for me.

One of my friends from Pilot academy had just finished a rating at GAC and got a job relative fast. So GAC was recommended and again at that time GAC was one of the only ”players” on the ATR market. So it was an easy choice.

GAC is a business (of course) BUT it didn’t seemed like it was a business only to make profit.  And I liked the easy-going approach to your students and the fact that you take your time to meet before even signing up the students.

When you think about the price for a type rating and what you get for the money I think the price is fair and you get good value for money. 

If I should summarise my experience as a whole. I think the experience was very good and I learned a thing or 2 about myself as well.  GAC have nice instructors who will support and help in any way they can. They take their time to talk on a personal level as well as a professional level. And if you have any problems they try to solve it on the best way they can. And even though you have the late simulator pass there is always time for a Guinness and story about the life as pilot.

I would and already have recommended GAC to some of my fellow students on the Pilot academy. I will mainly recommend GAC to students who hasn’t been lucky enough to get a job in Ryanair or don’t want to pay 200.000 or more for a Boeing/Airbus rating with fewer chances of a job.

In the pilot world a job within 6 month is quick. I finished my rating 19 of July 2014 and had a ATR job 19/1-2015 as a result of the type Rating at GAC.

Janus Erlendsson