A t one time, United States’ airlines could rely on a steady stream of former military pilots to fly their growing fleets. But, by the late 1980s/early 1990s, the armed services were no longer the primary source for experienced pilots and no comparable pilot pool has since emerged. That, combined with more stringent flight-time requirements and increased training costs, has resulted in a shortage of qualified pilots which has already led to cut-backs in service, especially among regional carriers. According to the University of North Dakota’s (UND) just-released U.S. Pilot Supply Forecast, between 2015 and 2025, airlines in the U.S. will have a shortfall of 14,439 pilots. Professor Kent Lovelace, UND’s Director of Aviation Industry Relations, pointed out that the study focused on students who were actively pursu- ing their certified flight instructor (CFI) ratings. “They are more likely to be building time toward the ATP (Air Transport Pilot) rating,” Lovelace explained. “In fact, we found that about 60 percent of the CFI group was working toward an airline career, with cor- porate aviation the next largest group at 17 percent.” While Lovelace chose not to speculate on what will replace the military as the major source of airline pilots going forward, colleges and universities offering avia- tion degree programs have historically been a resource for newly-minted pilots, and those in aviation industry support- ing roles. To get a general idea of how these programs are structured and promoted, the writers looked at five schools offering a four-year bachelor’s degree in the aviation field. AUBURN UNIVERSITY, ALABAMA Observing its 75th year of manned flight training, Auburn University, located in its namesake eastern Alabama city, offers two aviation Bachelor of Science degree pro- grams—Aviation Management and Professional Flight Management—through its Raymond J. Harbert College of Business. Over the past five years, those programs have graduated 25-40 annually, according to Dr. Bill Hutto, Auburn University’s Airport and Aviation Center Director. The Aviation Management program, Hutto noted, is structured for those who want an aviation career, though not necessarily in flying. “It includes some core business courses that everyone in the business school has to take, as well as special courses in aviation management,” he added. Major coursework, which commences in the stu- dent’s junior year, includes fundamental business courses in marketing, management and finance, as well as meteorology, air traffic control, safety, avia- tion law and policy, and global air transport. Aviation Business Journal | 3rd Quarter 2016 “This degree is applicable to any type of work—other than flying—in the aviation industry, such as airport management, the FAA, aviation-related trade asso- ciations, airline revenue management, crew schedul- ing, or corporate flight departments,” Hutto said. The Professional Flight Management curricu- lum includes the same business-related courses as the Aviation Management program. The major differ- ence is flight training, which is carried out in-house at Auburn University Regional Airport (AUO). The airport, situated approximately three miles from campus, is owned and operated by the university. AUO provides a cadre of full and part-time instructors—cur- rently numbering 20—geared to training future professional pilots. Students who successfully complete the program will graduate with three required advanced ratings—Instrument, Commercial and Multi-Engine. Students may also opt for Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII), and Multi-Engine Instructor (MEI) train- ing, although those ratings are not required for the degree. “We encourage students to come into the program with their private license,” said Hutto. “If they don’t, we’ll teach them at that level, though it won’t count as course credit.” Flight training is currently supported by a fleet of 18 aircraft, currently consisting of 15 Cessna 172s, one Piper Arrow and two, twin-engine Piper Seminoles. An ad- ditional Piper Seminole is slated to be added shortly. Hutto pointed out that five of the Cessna 172s are glass cockpit equipped, as is one of the Piper Seminoles. Graduates normally average between 250 and 300 hours of flight time. That gives them a good start to- ward the minimum number of hours for a Restricted- Air Transport Pilot (R-ATP) rating, now required by law for entry into the first officer’s seat. Although the minimum number of hours for the R-ATP is 1,500, the Auburn Professional Flight Management program has FAA approval for pilot qualification at 1,250 hours. By fall 2017, the university plans to restructure its program so graduates will qualify for the R-ATP at 1,000 hours. Auburn University has pipeline programs with three airlines—Express Jet, JetBlue Airways and Envoy. “Students can apply to any one during their sophomore year, and if selected, the student works with a mentor who is assigned by the carrier to the campus as a point of contact,” said Hutto. “The programs are structured differently; but generally, upon graduation and meeting the R-ATP requirements, the student is guaranteed an interview with the airline to which he or she has applied, or an affiliated carrier.” Continued on page 38 37
