Pilot pathways for career aviators

In July 2018 the airliner manufacturer’s 20-year Pilot and Technician Outlook called for 635,000 commercial pilots, 96,000 business pilots, and 59,000 helicopter pilots for an estimated 790,000 total pilot positions.

“In the U.S. alone, there are over 80,000 pilots who will retire within the next 20 years," explained William Ampofo, vice president of business and general aviation for Boeing Global Services. He anticipated a doubling of both the commercial aircraft fleet and the current workforce, which the jet manufacturer called “the most significant demand in the outlook's nine-year history.”

A recent Money magazine article highlighted the average U.S. airline pilot pay of $113,709 posted on job and recruiting site Glassdoor. The magazine reported that senior United Airlines captains could earn as much as $178,100, followed by American Airlines pilots at $141,200, and Delta captains at $137,500, depending on seniority, aircraft size, and marketplace. Glassdoor estimated NetJets corporate pilots earned an average of $111,800, and regional air carrier pilots could expect “around 50,000 annually.”

Thousands of pilots and mechanics are expected to retire in the coming years, and the aviation industry has taken note. Many air carriers are offering aviation students career pathway programs and other incentives to fill the expected vacancies. Here’s a look at several of the pathway programs that AOPA has highlighted within the last 12 months.

United Airlines, Metropolitan State University of Denver

United Airlines developed a partnership with Metropolitan State University of Denver for undergraduate students to interview with the airline before joining one of United’s regional partner airlines. If they meet flight time requirements within five to seven years of graduation, potential career pilots can move on to the major air carrier without another interview, explained Capt. Michael McCasky, managing director of United’s Flight Training Center in Denver. “When you do your interview with us when you are a junior in college, you have done your last United interview.”

Delta, Auburn University

Delta Air Lines selected Auburn University as one of the initial eight universities to take part in the company’s Propel Pilot Career Path Program that helps to “identify, select and develop the next generation of pilots.” University president Steven Leath said the career pathway program “places Auburn’s exceptional students in the aviation industry pipeline, helping to ensure the skies are safe and reliable.” The university recently unveiled and dedicated the college’s new $6.2 million aviation education building to students, faculty, and the public.

SkyWest Airlines, California Aeronautical University

Ventura, California-based California Aeronautical University has built relationships with eight regional airlines including SkyWest Airlines, Piedmont Airlines, ExpressJet, Air Wisconsin, Compass, Trans States, Mesa, and GoJet. School president Matthew Johnston said many students were “already in a pipeline or a cadet program with an airline” and the affiliations would allow students to find their dream job and “have a lot of fun” in the process.

JetBlue, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

JetBlue was one of the early adopters with its Gateway programs, defined pathways that put pilots in the seat of a Cape Air or JetSuiteX aircraft to gain time and experience. After completing a four-year program, pilots can move into an Airbus A320 and bypass time building in a regional air carrier. JetBlue has additional Gateway programs for pilots and instructors with some experience under their belts. The air carrier has also partnered with the University of North Dakota, Jacksonville University, Auburn University, Bridgewater State University, and the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico.

ExpressJet, Pan Am Academy

Pan Am International Flight Academy in Miami partnered with ExpressJet Airlines to encourage flight instructors to seek employment with the air carrier to gain valuable experience and help replenish the professional pilot population. The agreement calls for a pilot pay package of more than $50,000 in first-year compensation, which “makes this an ideal opportunity for Pan Am CFIs,” said Darrin Greubel, ExpressJet’s director of flight operations.

UPS Airlines, Ameriflight

Texas-based Part 135 cargo operator Ameriflight initiated an intern program with package giant UPS where participants can gain Part 135 flying experience at Ameriflight and accumulate the flight time required to proceed to UPS Airlines.

FedEx, Delta State University

FedEx’s “Purple Runway” program supports students building time through feeder carriers including FedEx Express, Mountain Air Cargo, and Empire Airlines and is on track to supply the overnight package carrier with a virtual pipeline of full-time pilots and technicians. The firm backed up its pathway by pledging $500,000 to Delta State University to help offset education costs for students “training to become the next generation of aviation professionals,” an October news release noted. FedEx promised financial support to five other colleges including the University of Memphis (near the package hauler’s hub), the University of North Dakota, Indiana State University, Arkansas State University Mid-South, and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology.

U.S. Customs and Border protection, University of North Dakota

University of North Dakota sophomores and juniors will be placed in a pathway program with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations (AMO) division to recruit pilots for the agency’s fleet of 200 aircraft. As long as they keep their grades up, complete the training regimen, and accrue 1,000 flight hours, AMO Pathways Program students will be virtually assured of full-time employment as pilots when they graduate. “Everybody is looking for pilots and they are too,” said UND Aerospace Assistant Dean Ken Polovitz. AMO Deputy Director Christopher Wiyda said the partnership program was “an unprecedented opportunity” for agents to earn more than $100,000 annually after two years of full-time service.

American Airlines Cadet Academy

American Airlines has partnered with American Flyers, CAE, and CTI Professional Flight Training for an “integrated flight training program” that could propel a potential career pilot into the cockpit of an American Airlines jet. Although participating in the cadet academy doesn’t promise a job, the airline says it offers the resources “to be a successful candidate for an interview at Piedmont, PSA, or Envoy,” its three wholly owned subsidiaries. Since American Airlines has contractual flow-through agreements with each of the regional carriers, potential pilots may “transfer directly" to American Airlines after their seniority accrues. Classes begin each month and the program and costs between $73,000 and $87,000 depending on the flight school, with options for financing and delayed repayment terms. Room and board are extra.

Louis Smith, a retired airline captain and the founder of Future & Active Pilot Advisors (FAPA)—a recruitment and career advisory service for professional pilots—suggested that high school and college counselors could be proactive in alleviating the pilot shortfall by steering more students toward aviation careers. Out of 300 counselors who attended a 2018 American School of Counselors Association annual convention “only two" indicated that they were talking to students regarding aviation careers, noted Smith. He said corporate flight departments were already feeling the pinch and the airlines were not far behind.

Smith said the airlines “are going to retire 29,000 pilots in the next seven or eight years and others will have to take their place." He added that regional air carrier recruiters attend FAPA’s monthly pilot job fairs and forums and he’s seen them “hire pilots on the spot."