Blue Line Aviation Continues To Grow and Expand

Founded in 2012, Blue Line Aviation is an accelerated flight school that offers part 141 programs that can help students obtain a commercial pilot license in a minimum of 120 hours. With its signature Career Pilot Program, students can earn seven ratings in under six months. At Blue Line, students receive high-quality instruction and the guidance needed to pass the commercial pilot exam and launch an exciting career as a pilot.

"Blue Line Aviation offers the most efficient pathway to an extremely rewarding and highly lucrative career in aviation,” says Blue Line President Adam Walters. 

Located at KJNX (Johnston Regional Airport, NC), with a brand-new 50,000-square-foot facility, the school is a nationally recognized leader in pilot training, and the Blue Line Aviation Career Pilot Program can jump-start your commercial pilot career in less than six months.

“Blue Line literally exists because other flight schools did not do a good job when I went through my own flight training, '' says Blue Line Aviation Founder Trey Walters. “I got out and decided we would start something different and better. We focus on accelerated flight training that is done safely, that is well managed, and we work on delivering results for our students.”

Blue Line Aviation entered the flight training business in 2012 with just one airplane out of a small office at KRDU (Raleigh-Durham International Airport, North Carolina). As the company grew, it added a location at KJNX and, soon outgrew that space as well. Here, Blue Line Aviation secured its Professional Pilot Training Center. After years of continuous growth, in 2016, Blue Line proposed a state-of-the-art training facility at KJNX. 

In 2017, the company placed its first fleet order with Diamond Aircraft, with the first aircraft delivered in 2019. Also in 2019, the company broke ground on the new 50,000-square foot facility at KJNX; and in 2021, it moved its entire operation to KJNX, where it was able to house flight, operations, and admin staff all together for the first time since its creation at RDU. 

Blue Line’s JNX facility has two large hangars, numerous briefing rooms, two large classrooms, a panoramic simulator room, three floors including a rooftop barbeque restaurant, and currently hosts four companies. It is also building a dorm facility to house students across the street from the school. The company continues to grow rapidly and is looking for a second location.

Blue Line’s signature Career Pilot Program is designed to launch your aviation career in 35% less time than other flight schools. Blue Line has approximately 200 students enrolled in the program or enrolling within the next three months. 

The school has earned a reputation as being large and experienced enough to provide the necessary resources to achieve the milestones of its accelerated timelines while being small enough to be intimately involved in the progress and placement of all its students.

Students can obtain all the FAA certificates/ratings (private, instrument, commercial single engine, commercial multiengine, certified flight instructor, certified flight instructor–instrument, and multiengine instructor) required to launch a professional aviation career.

The flight training program costs $90,000, which includes online ground school prep courses, ground and flight instruction, simulator time, and flight time. The program with a private pilot credit is $80,000. Full financing is available, and financing can also be used to cover housing, testing fees, and even training supplies.  

The program prepares you to become a commercial airline pilot, flight instructor, cargo pilot, or EMS pilot by obtaining the relevant flight experience necessary to later obtain your Airline Transport Pilot Certification. 

Upon completing the requirements for the ATP certificate, you will meet the hiring minimums of most regional airline pilot jobs. "We make you hireable in the most efficient amount of time, so you can reach airline minimums sooner rather than later," Blue Line Manager of Programs Franklin Steele says. 

By getting students through school efficiently, the accelerated flight training program decreases the total cost of education and can maximize lifetime earnings potential.

Many Blue Line students find career placement with regional airlines while still participating in the Career Pilot Program. Blue Line Students gain experience in all airport and airspace classes, flying in rural and busy metro Class Bravo airspace within 30 minutes of KJNX.

The school has partnered with Purdue Global University on its Online Bachelor’s of Science in Professional Flight. As a Purdue-approved flight school, Blue Line Aviation provides pilots with the flight hours to earn the aviation licenses and ratings necessary to advance their aviation careers. 

Career Pilot admission prerequisites call for students to be 18 years old, possess a high school diploma or GED, provide two -character references, possess a good driving record, pass a criminal background check, pass a behavioral/cognitive assessment, pass a flight assessment, have no prior aviation incidents, accidents, or other FAA enforcement actions, obtain an FAA first-class medical certificate, be proficient in the English language, and meet height and weight limit requirements (students taller than 6’3’’ or weighing more than 250 lbs. may be unable to train at Blue Line due to aircraft operational constraints). 

Blue Line Aviation offers students a fleet of 31 aircraft, the most modern training fleet in the region. The company fleet comprises 26 four-seat, single-engine Diamond DA40NGs, two Diamond DA42-VI light twins, two Diamond DA-20s, and one Cessna 172.

The Blue Line Aviation fleet is equipped with the latest technology, and safety is the top priority for the company. All aircraft feature modern glass cockpits with G1000 avionics, GFC 700 autopilot, and FADEC-controlled diesel engines for a premium training and flying experience. In addition, the school has one Cessna 172 that CFI students use for spin training.

Blue Line Aviation can expedite students through its program thanks to a new 50,000-square-foot facility that opened in 2022 at KJNX. 

The state-of-the-art facility allows students to be wholly immersed in their training and education. The facility includes Blue Line Aviation, Blue Line Technical Services, an internal aircraft maintenance company, Sparkchasers Aircraft Services (Avionics Upgrades), and Low and Slow Smokehouse, a BBQ Restaurant.

“A big part of learning to fly is having the facilities to do so,” Blue Line Aviation Founder Trey Walters added.  “We have a large fleet of aircraft, a big facility, a large staff, and a new Diamond simulator to help our students get through the program efficiently. Everything we use is modern and prepares the student well for an airline career where they will be flying modern jets.”

KJNX serves the greater Raleigh metropolitan area, the capital city of North Carolina. It provides the most convenient location to access the area known as the Research Triangle, which comprises well-known technology and academic institutions around Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and Durham. The airport, owned and operated by the Johnston County Airport Authority, is approximately 28 nautical miles southeast of RDU (Raleigh-Durham International Airport), and serves corporate, military, and general aviation aircraft.

Learn more about how to start flying for a living with Blue Line Aviation.