Definition
An FAA Advisory Circular that describes the standards, curriculum, and training elements required for the Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program (ATP-CTP). The ATP-CTP is a ground and flight training course that a pilot must complete before being eligible to take the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) airplane multiengine knowledge test. The course covers aerodynamics, automation, adverse weather, transport airplane performance, leadership and professional development, and includes a minimum number of hours in a flight simulation training device.
Plain English
It is the FAA document that lays out what a pilot must learn before they are allowed to sit the written test for the highest pilot license — the one airline pilots hold. The training itself is called the ATP-CTP, and this Advisory Circular tells schools how to run it.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA reference lists, instructor materials, and training provider information related to airline transport pilot certification.
Derivation
‘AC’ stands for Advisory Circular, the FAA’s standard format for guidance documents. The number 61-138 places it in the 61-series, which deals with pilot certification rules. ‘Airline Transport Pilot’ is the highest grade of pilot certificate issued by the FAA, required to act as captain of a scheduled airline flight.
Why Pilots Care
Completion of the program described in this circular is a legal prerequisite for any pilot seeking the ATP certificate required for airline first-officer positions.
Intuition Check
Do not read advisory as casual advice. An advisory circular is FAA guidance; it is not usually the rule itself, but it explains accepted ways to comply with or understand the rule.
Example Sentence 1
Before scheduling her ATP knowledge test, she enrolled in an ATP-CTP course built to the standards in AC 61-138.
Example Sentence 2
After finishing the training program required by AC 61-138, the pilot was eligible to schedule the ATP knowledge test.