Tourexpi
United, the only major U.S. airline to own a flight school, is
celebrating the graduation of United Aviate Academy's inaugural
class of pilots, an important step towards training the next generation of
talented, qualified, and motivated aviators. The inaugural graduating class
includes 51 students – with nearly 80% being women or people of color – marking
the next step towards the airline's goal to train about 5,000 new pilots at the
school by 2030, with the added goal of at least half women or people of color.
The recruitment and hiring of pilots is a priority at United and the
academy is an example of the long-term investments in infrastructure, training,
and aircraft the airline has made in the past few years. Just last month, United purchased more widebodies than
any U.S. airline in history and announced it's now the largest carrier across
both the Pacific and Atlantic. To support that growth, United hired about 2,400
pilots in 2022 and plans to hire another 2,500 this year. United intends to add
at least 10,000 pilots by the end of this decade.
United CEO Scott Kirby and United COO Toby Enqvist will
honor the first class of graduates at a ceremony later this morning at the
Phoenix Goodyear Airport.
"United is leading the industry in the training, recruitment and
hiring of the next generation of talented commercial pilots and the progress
we've made at United Aviate Academy after just one year is another example of
an airline where good leads the way," said Kirby. "I'm so proud of
this first class of graduates – they've taken an important first step in their
career and they reflect our commitment to hiring people who exceed the highest
professional and safety standards. I look forward to eventually welcoming them
to our United team and I can't wait to see them flying our new United Next planes
in the years to come."
United Aviate Academy graduates can continue to build flight time and
leadership experience while continuing within the United Aviate pilot
career development program's ecosystem. Some graduates will work as Certified
Flight Instructors at the academy to continue accruing the 1,500 required
flying hours – a common industry practice for aspiring pilots – while others
will build experience at participating flight schools or universities,
including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Purdue University and Hampton
University. The United Aviate program then encourages graduates to eventually
fly for a United Express carrier, take on leadership roles at an Aviate
participating Part 135 operator, or become a Fleet Technical Instructor at
United to complete their training. Aviate participants can expect to become a
United pilot within about six years of graduating from United Aviate Academy.
Captaining Your Career at United
United currently has more than 14,000 pilots, and Captains of United's
Boeing 787s and 777s can earn more than $350,000 per year plus a rich
package of benefits. In addition, United pilots receive one of the highest
401(k) matches in the nation – 16% of base pay.
While the airline continues to see strong interest in pilot roles from
military and civilian backgrounds as well as from other carriers, for many
people becoming a pilot seems not only out of reach financially, but completely
unimaginable.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 5.6% of pilots
are women and 6% are people of color. And training to achieve a commercial
pilot's license in the U.S. can cost at least $100,000, with supplementary
costs adding to the financial burden.
To help address financial barriers to entry, United and JPMorgan Chase
& Co. established a scholarship fund in 2020 and are working with leading
industry partners to award more than $5 million in scholarships for
prospective academy students. In addition, Boeing has committed funding to
expand the program this year. United also directly works with the following
organizations to educate prospects about the benefits of becoming a pilot and
to find candidates for scholarship opportunities:
·
Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals
·
Sisters of the Skies
·
Women in Aviation International
·
National Gay Pilots Association
·
The Latino Pilots Association
·
The Professional Asian Pilots Association
·
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
As a result of these efforts, United Aviate Academy has received more
than 22,000 applications, with nearly 70% of applicants being women or people
of color.
United Aviate Academy
United Aviate Academy currently has more than 240 students, with nearly
75% women or people of color. In the flight school's first year of operations,
collectively, the students have flown more than 2 million miles, achieved more
than 250 aviation certificates, and completed more than 68,000 takeoffs and
landings. The aspiring pilots also organized 174 "Pool Dunks" in the
campus swimming pool, a new tradition that commemorates each time a student
completes a solo flight for the first time.
The 340,000 square-foot facility at Phoenix Goodyear Airport includes
world-class features such as:
·
Forty late-model Cirrus SR-20 series single-engine
aircraft, which feature advanced safety characteristics
·
Seven FRASCA flight simulators
·
Nearly 50,000 square feet of office space
·
Multiple aircraft hangars
·
Dormitory rooms for student housing with ample room
for expansion
·
Proximity to many auxiliary airfields in the Phoenix area
·
Favorable weather for year-round flight training
For more information on United Aviate Academy, please visit unitedaviate.com/academy or
@unitedaviateacademy on Instagram.
Image Credit: ©
United Airlines
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