Flight Training

Most owners of experimental aircraft no longer need special authorization to get training or checkouts thanks to a notification of policy published by the FAA on Feb. 8. The relief from the requirement for a letter of deviation authority (LODA) for paid training in an experimental airplane was in the James M. Inhofe National Defense […]

United Airlines has graduated its first class of new pilots from its Aviate Academy in Arizona. The first class of 51 new pilots, 80 percent of them women or people of color, got their wings earlier this week. United wants to crank out 5,000 new pilots from the school over the next seven years and […]

A sharp decline in new pilot graduations combined with increased demand from a flurry of new airline startups is creating an incipient pilot shortage that appears to be creating concern in Canada. Since 2019, the number of new commercial pilot licenses issued has dropped from a relatively consistent 1,100 a year to less than 300 […]

Nevada-based aircraft sales company AEROCOR has completed its 150th training event for pilots of Eclipse 500 very light jets. The organization received FAA approval for its Eclipse 500/550 initial and recurrent training programs in 2019. AEROCOR noted that the training numbers for its Eclipse programs have exceeded the company’s performance predictions for the last two […]

The Regional Airline Association is accusing the Air Line Pilots Association of “gatekeeping” to limit the supply of pilots and ensure the continuation of fat contracts for its members. “It is long past time for industry and policymakers to call this harmful tactic exactly what it is: gatekeeping, which stands as an affront to all who […]

The Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) says the training pipeline is producing more than enough pilots to meet current and future needs and airlines are falsely blaming a pilot and instructor shortage for their operations problems. It’s not the first time ALPA has made the claim, and this time it used FAA stats that show that […]

American Airlines has partnered with Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology to expand its Cadet Academy. Via the partnership, academy cadets will have the option to earn an Associate of Applied Science in Aviation Flight degree from Spartan College while simultaneously working on their FAA certificates and ratings. The agreement is the first […]

Spirit Airlines and flight training company CAE are launching a program designed to “expand the carrier’s pipeline of highly skilled, professional pilots.” The Spirit Wings Pilot Pathway program is open to graduates of CAE’s Airline Pilot Pathway program who have reached 500 hours total flight time. According to Spirit, individuals selected for the Spirit Wings […]

Air France has relaunched its cadet pilot program and it’s a pretty straightforward deal for those who make the cut and the subsequent cuts. After what the airline calls a “rigorous selection process,” prospective candidates are offered an intense two-year training program that will end with them in the right seat of an Air France […]

Redbird Flight Simulations came to AirVenture 2022 with a flight simulator concept that combines virtual reality technology with the company’s TD desktop sim. In this video, Josh Harnagel, Redbird vice president for marketing, discusses the ideas behind the design and the current state of development.