DENTON— Keeping one of the nation’s largest flight schools up and
running requires a steady focus on recruiting CFIs and students. At any
given time there are about 75 CFIs working with 230 - 250 students in
the two training facilities owned by US Flight Academy, a branch of the
US Aviation. Training operations are conducted at the home field in
Denton Texas as well as at Grayson County Airport in Sherman, Texas.
The average tenure for a CFI at US Flight Academy varies according to
the hiring activity in the airlines. "In most cases, a CFI will instruct
for six to nine months before moving on to the airlines, cargo lines or
to a job in corporate flying,” said David Adams, Director of Logistics
and Assistant Chief Instructor at the Academy. "We’ve had a few who have
been here for a couple years, because they like it and are in no rush
to sign up with a regional airline.” Over 90 percent of the students the
CFIs work with are training for careers as professional pilots,
primarily in the airlines.
Once the federal requirement for airline employment increases this
summer to 1500 hours, the tenure of CFIs at US Flight Academy will also
change. A CFI at US Flight Academy can log between 800 and 1000 hours a
year, so their stay at the Academy will begin to average 18 months
before they move on. Given the looming airline pilot shortage and the
average pilot age, 51 years, there is little doubt that CFIs from US
Flight Academy will have no problems getting employment once they hit
the 1500 hour mark.
The trips to job fairs will continue. Adams is in constant
communication with schools like Embry Riddle, Spartan, Southeast
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and Utah Valley University for
candidates. He also receives resumes from all over the United States.
Once every three weeks he starts an indoctrination class for new CFIs,
covering a 250-page training manual and a flight test. "It’s a lot like
the airlines in that everything a CFI does with one of our students is
articulated in the manual,” said Adams. "Once they learn the discipline
of training, they find it easy to adapt to airline procedures.” Airline
recruiters have already begun showing up at US Flight Academy to sign
new pilots from the CFI ranks.
For more information on CFI opportunities
visit www.USFlightAcademy.com.
Story and photo: http://focusdailynews.com
US Flight Academy: http://www.usflightacademy.com
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