ATP Alumni Case Study
Kalie Buhn: From Zero to CFII
Why Kalie Chose ATP: Dedicated teams that support training, maintenance, flight checks, and student success.
A New Direction
The Problem
Discovering a new career with zero flight experience.
Growing up, Kalie traveled across the country showing horses and always believed that becoming a veterinarian was her lifelong goal. The life she imagined changed one day as she drove past the airport where she would eventually train.
After seeing a small airplane flying overhead, she became fascinated by aviation and pondered upon the idea of becoming a pilot. That experience inspired her to take a discovery flight, and she instantly fell in love with flying.
Although Kalie had no flight experience, she knew she had discovered a new passion worth pursuing. Starting from zero meant finding a training program with the support, resources, and community that could help her turn that passion into a professional aviation career.
Choosing ATP
The Solution
Finding support and community at ATP.
After extensive research, Kalie chose ATP Flight School, a decision she now describes as “one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
Throughout the program, she felt motivated by the support ATP provided through its dedicated training, maintenance, flight check, admissions, and student success teams.
What stood out most was that “the experience never felt like school or work, it felt like pursuing a passion every single day.” As she progressed in her training, Kalie built lifelong friendships, connected with incredible mentors, and became part of what she describes as an “amazing aviation community.”
A Career Takes Flight
The Outcome
From zero flight experience to CFII.
Although Kalie had no flight experience prior to beginning, she succeeded with ATP, completing the program with a 100% pass rate on all of her checkrides and progressing from zero flight experience to becoming a CFII and graduating from the Airline Career Pilot Program.
Looking back on her journey, Kalie encourages others to pursue aviation if it is something they are passionate about. As she continues into the next chapter of her aviation career, Kalie believes that “the sky truly is just the beginning.”
ATP Alumni
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