(UPDATED 4:50 p.m. ET)
Atlas Air, the world’s largest operator of Boeing 747 aircraft, is partnering with an aviation education group to provide a hiring pathway for aspiring pilots who want to work for the large cargo airline. The program is designed to attract young people whom the company can prepare according to its requirements as it continues to grow internationally.
Many passenger airlines have established pathways with flight schools to facilitate the recruitment of new pilots, but New York-based Atlas Air is one of the only known cargo airlines to work directly with a flight school on a dedicated pilot training academy.
Spartan Education Group, which provides government-approved training programs and career pathways for pilots and aviation technicians at a handful of U.S. campuses, announced Monday that it has opened the Atlas Cadet Academy at its West Chicago, Illinois, flight school. The initiative offers participants a defined avenue to potential first officer positions with Atlas Air, which also operates Boeing 767 and 777 widebody aircraft.
In addition to the normal curriculum covering essential aeronautical knowledge and preparation for Federal Aviation Administration certification and rating exams, the academy will provide customized instruction and firsthand exposure to the airline’s culture. The idea is to facilitate integration of new employees and give Atlas Air better control of the labor pipeline.
Unlike a typical flight school where graduates can eventually be recruited by any airline, the academy clears a lane for students to work at Atlas Air.
“We work very closely with Atlas to design a program that creates the skills and competencies that they’re looking for. If I’m a university or flight school and I’ve got 20 airlines all recruiting, it’s really tough for me to tailor my program for any one of those airlines,” said Dan Bregman, Spartan Education Group’s vice president of strategy and development, in a phone interview. “We are recruiting students from day one who are interested in flying for Atlas, which is different from a lot of other partnerships. We don’t want another airline poaching you. We want to keep you focused on this path that you’ve chosen.”
Enhanced training might include flying a 250-mile route with three stops to replicate what a short-haul cargo pilot might experience.
The Atlas Cadet Academy initiated its first class in June with 13 new students and one certificated flight instructor. It will continue to grow each month as more people meet the entry requirements, including an FAA-approved medical exam, and complete the Academy orientation, said Bregman.
Cadets can earn their FAA certifications and ratings (instrument, multiengine, etc.) as quickly as 13 months flying small, single-turboprop planes and then build toward the 1,500 hours necessary to earn an unrestricted Airline Transport Pilot certification by working as a certified flight instructor. (Those who obtain a business degree in aviation only require 1,200 hours of flying time.) After that, each flight instructor will continue training with a minimum of 250 hours in more advanced aircraft – Cessna Caravan, Beechcraft 1900, Saab 340B and Aerostar turboprop aircraft – flying for unscheduled charter operators Castle Aviation and Planemasters, Bregman explained. Planemasters is co-located with Spartan’s College of Aeronautics and Technology at DuPage Airport.
It may take four to five years for a high school graduate to achieve an unrestricted commercial pilot’s license because certification has a minimum age of 23. Spartan’s relationships with Castle Aviation and Planemasters allow fledgling pilots to earn money and build necessary hours until they’re eligible to join Atlas Air.
The airline employs more than 2,900 pilots. It traditionally has picked up pilots out of the military, from smaller regional airlines and passenger airlines that have furloughs or go out of business. And because the job of extended overseas flying away from home is tough, Atlas has an added challenge of retaining pilots, according to aviation experts. International Aviation Professionals Local 2750, the Teamsters union that represents Atlas Air pilots, says 532 pilots resigned last year and 269 have left the company this year.
Tailored approach
Bregman said Spartan plans to unveil a proprietary app in late September that will contain features such as supplementary Atlas Air training materials, interview tips and the ability to do virtual fireside chats with Atlas crew members and managers.
Atlas Air doesn’t cover students’ costs or pay Spartan for each graduate but has made an undisclosed investment in the program and provides resources, according to Bregman. Potential program benefits include visits from Atlas Air pilots to discuss professional development and company safety practices, touring Atlas’ flight operations center to see how an airline operates behind the scenes, experiencing a flight simulator, having lunch with executives, and attending training for flight attendants (Atlas operates some 747 passenger aircraft under charter contracts) to gain the cabin crew perspective.
Familiarizing students with the company early on demystifies the hiring process and makes the transition to a first officer much easier, he said.
Cadets can finance their training through a private loan program or get an associate flight degree from the College of DuPage, which provides access to federal financial aid and has a relationship with Spartan.
Spartan a couple years ago changed its strategy to one that treats airlines, rather than the student, as the customer and the student as the product, said Bregman. The approach resembles the way community colleges work with a manufacturer or other company to develop students with specific skills that make them more attractive hires than someone with generic industry skills. The Atlas academy is similar to a recent program Spartan started with Allegiant Airlines.
“It allows us to incorporate into the FAA-mandated training other kinds of experiences that we think make you a more competent pilot and enhance your skill set. We don’t want our students to be the deer in the headlights. We want them to walk into ground school at Atlas feeling full of confidence that they can do this,” Bregman told FreightWaves.
He made clear that Spartan doesn’t guarantee employment.
Difficult hiring environment
Airlines are increasingly setting up pilot academies because of the growing challenge finding qualified aviators. Reasons for the shrinking talent pool include fewer pilots coming out of a downsized military, more missions being flown by drones, the expense of earning a pilot’s license and a lifestyle that doesn’t appeal to many young people, said Kit Darby, an aviation consultant who specializes in pilot development.
It can cost up to $150,000 for a commercial pilot’s license and international cargo pilots can be away from home for a week or two.
“Anytime you’re working with young people it is a really tough sell. They don’t know what they want to do, even though these jobs are excellent, almost like no other these days,” Darby told FreightWaves.
United Airlines in February 2022 opened a pilot academy at Phoenix Goodyear Airport with the goal of training 5,000 pilots by 2030, including more minority candidates. It is the only flight academy operated by a major U.S. airline. Most airline academies are affiliated with independent flight schools. Spartan College also provides an academy program for American Airlines that is structured differently than the ones for Allegiant and Atlas Air.
“A lot of guys have stars in their eyes over the 747, they’re all excited about flying these big airplanes. But after a while it becomes a job. So it’s a tough sell. I’m not sure that an Academy will solve all of that. a lot of guys have stars in their eyes over the 747, you know, triple seven, they’re all excited about flying these big airplanes. And it is exciting for a while, but after a while it becomes a job. I’m not sure that an academy will solve all of that.
“I understand why they’re (Atlas) doing it, but it’s got probably not going to work as well as it might at a legacy major airline,” Darby said.
Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.
(Correction: An earlier version of the story used incorrect terminology for a certificated flight instructor.)
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