Heavy Freight Type Rating

If you want to get certified to fly an Atlas, this is the course. The Atlas Heavy Freighter is the backbone of inner-system commerce: 612 metres long, crewed by seven, flown by a flight deck of three pilots, and able to carry 52,000 tonnes of bulk cargo up to 85 AU on helium-3 fusion pellets. Handling that much mass is nothing like flying a shuttle, and the Heavy Freight Type Rating exists to bridge the gap.

Trainees are grouped into crews of three from the first morning and stay together for the full 16 weeks, rotating through the captain, first officer and systems officer roles. Ground school covers mass-and-balance calculations for mixed cargoes, slow-response drive handling at a top speed of 240 km/s, long-burn fuel planning at around 6.8 tonnes per 100 AU, and docking procedures for freight terminals at Shackleton Base and the Olympus Ring.

Simulator work is extensive: 160 hours, including our dedicated Atlas full-flight simulator at the Shackleton Base training wing, where you will practise cargo shifts, drive-segment failures and the dreaded loss of attitude control with a fully laden hold. Flight training totals 110 hours aboard a real Atlas operated by one of our hiring partners, including a live cargo run from Luna to Mars orbit under instructor supervision.

Each cohort of nine students (three complete crews) is supported by three instructors, mirroring the ship's own three-pilot deck. Tuition is 168,000 credits, and many students are on sponsored seats funded by freight operators. You will need a Commercial Pilot Licence (Orbital) and 600 hours of multi-crew experience to apply. The next intake begins on 1 December 2187.

The first-time pass rate for the Atlas Heavy Freighter Type Rating check ride has averaged 86 per cent since the course opened in 2181. Graduates typically join a freight line as first officer and upgrade to captain within four years.