One of the biggest aviation universities in the country, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, has teamed up with a major regional airline, American Eagle Airlines, on a program that provides a pathway for students to transition from the school into first officer positions at the airline.
The American Eagle Airlines Pilot Pipeline Program will offer select Embry-Riddle students at the sophomore level or higher training, employment and a $10,000 scholarship in exchange for a two-year commitment to the program, the university announced.
"We have a long history of hiring top-quality pilots from Embry-Riddle," said Nicholas Alford, American Eagle's director of pilot recruitment, "and we look forward to using this program to provide even more opportunities at American Eagle for Embry-Riddle graduates to start building their careers in commercial aviation."
Once the selected students have completed their flight ratings and a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Science at Embry-Riddle, they will become employees with American Eagle while working as instructors at the university to build up the time now required by the FAA for entry level commercial airline pilots. While the program doesn't automatically transition the students into first officer jobs, students are guaranteed an interview for an FO position. The American Eagle Airlines Pilot Pipeline Program has similar agreements with other flight-training providers.
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