So, you’re thinking about getting a commercial pilot’s license. Fantastic! Flying is incredibly freeing and it’s easy to love going to work every day when you get to travel. Commercial pilots’ licenses are the base requirement for almost all piloting jobs, including airline pilots, cargo pilots, traffic reporting, agricultural pilots, and more. Once you’ve decided to get your commercial pilot’s license, you have another choice: accelerated training or traditional training.

Timeline

Accelerated commercial pilot training is, as the name suggests, much faster than traditional programs. Accelerated programs are, on average, between 30 and 60 days. Because of this set up, they are much more intense than a traditional program, often requiring students to be in classes from 8:00 or 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, five to seven days a week. This schedule ensures that students finish the program in the allotted time, but the pace can be stressful or overwhelming. However, the lack of days-long breaks between classes may help students better remember the materials. Ultimately, it is important to know your own ability to study and react well to pressure.

Traditional commercial pilot training programs, on the other hand, generally take between six months to a year to complete, although this varies from program to program. Part time pilot training will obviously take longer. Some schools don’t include flight hours in the completion time, so they seem to take less time. The lessons and training in a traditional program are more spread out, typically meeting a few times a week. This can help students by alleviating some of the stress of a faster paced program, or it can be easier for students to forget the materials.

In terms of timeline benefits, it comes down to the individual student. If you can handle, or even thrive, in a fast paced, intense learning environment, then accelerated programs are worth the look. But if that would stress you out or the idea of having more time is appealing, a traditional program may be the best fit. But timeline isn’t the only consideration.

Cost

Both accelerated and traditional commercial pilot training is expensive. Though it varies from program to program, most run upwards of $40,000. This covers your in-class and ground instruction and sometimes tests and flying hours. The biggest difference in cost between these program options is the payment timeline. Because accelerated programs are faster, the payments are closer together, if not all upfront. Payments in traditional programs cover more time, and you may pay separately for your flight hours.

Flexibility

Because of their pacing, accelerated pilot training programs have a much more rigid schedule than traditional options. In order to meet all the requirements in such a short time, there is little to no flexibility when it comes to class times and flight hours. However, you will be done with this option faster than you would be with a traditional program, so it’s less overall time of inflexibility.

Traditional programs are often more flexible options because they take up less time each day. They are also more flexible when it comes to flight hours—you’re generally able to get your training hours in the cockpit done whenever you and the instructors are available. This is helpful if you are getting your pilot’s license while working or attending school but can be frustrating as you’ll need to coordinate your schedule with the flying instructor’s instead of being assigned the hours as part of your program.

Requirements

Ultimately, the requirements for both entering and graduating from accelerated commercial pilot training are the same as traditional commercial pilot training. No matter how long it takes you, piloting is a job where knowledge and attention to safety are important.

Prior to starting either training program, you will be required to pass a medical exam and receive a certificate ensuring you are physically able to fly. You’ll also need to be at least eighteen years old, and—if you’re in the U. S.—fluent in English.

Once you’re in the course, you’ll need to attend classes and score well on the tests. You’ll need to pass the Federal Aviation Administration’s written exam before you can fly. It’s a good idea to do this early so you can start your practice hours as soon as possible.

In order to get your commercial pilot’s license, you’ll need 250 flight hours. This is required regardless of your training program. If you’re looking to become an airline pilot, you need 1,500 hours before being certified by the FAA.

Important Things to Note

Before deciding on your pilot training program, there are a few things you should make sure to know about your program and yourself. First, is the program reputable? This is important for students going through accelerated and traditional programs alike. If a program seems too good to be true—especially in terms of time commitment—be careful. It’s a good idea to research the company, especially testimonials from former students. Another good sign is their hiring rate in your field of choice. Do their students get jobs in your target field? If not, you may want to look somewhere else.

Another factor to consider is you. Can you handle the timeline? Would an accelerated program be too fast for you, or a traditional program too long? Knowing your learning style is important. You’re dedicating a lot of your time and money to this, and you should succeed. Will you be able to keep up with the amount of class time per week in an accelerated program? Will having classes more often be helpful for learning the content or would having classes more spaced out give you time to fully absorb your new knowledge?

No matter which path you take, getting a pilot’s license is a rewarding experience. Whether you decide to enter an accelerated commercial pilot training program or a traditional one, your end goal is the same: to fly. Regardless of your choice, J. A. Air Center is here to help. Feel free to contact us for more information about our pilot training programs.

Flying is a fast and reliable way to travel. But, being stuck in business class again can get tiring after a while. Fortunately, you have a great alternative: private plane charters. Private planes are not just for the rich, famous, or television characters anymore. You can book one for your next trip and enjoy the luxury—and extra leg room.

Know Your Options

When you are looking into private plane charters, the first step is to understand your options. Once you know where you are flying, you can use online booking systems to see what flights are departing and returning at the times you want. But on top of just comparing prices—which you would do when using a standard airline anyway—you have a few other outside the box options.

Shared Ride Flights

Many private charter companies offer shared ride flights, which tend to be cheaper than a standard private plane charter. They do require you to share a private plane with strangers, but it can make the ride more affordable, and you would ride with strangers on a commercial jet anyway.

Empty Leg Flights

Another option in the plane charter world is empty leg flights. Empty legs are flights where the plane has been chartered to either pick up or drop off another passenger, and the company doesn’t want to waste the flight going the other direction. Since the plane is already going on the trip, these flights can be cheaper than a standard plane charter. However, empty leg flights are less flexible because the plane already has a set destination or departure.

Ask Questions

Before you decide on your private plane charter, make sure you ask the charter company a few basic questions. If the company is reputable, they will be able to answer these questions if the information isn’t available on their website already.

Pricing

While the basic price should be easily found online, talk to the company about the actual cost. Ask what the minimum charter time is—you might only be flying for an hour but end up paying for an hour and a half or two. Another potential added cost is taxi time—the time the plane spends moving on the runway before and after flying.

Safety

This is a huge factor in deciding on your private plane experience. You should ask what the required flying hours for pilots are. The national requirement for licenses is 150, but many companies have higher standards. You may also want to ask if the plane model has had issues with accidents in the past.

Weight Limits

Weight limits are a key logistical issue, because they affect how much luggage you can bring with you and may affect how many passengers you can bring. The company will need to seat passengers and store luggage in the most balanced way possible, so be aware of their expectations when packing.

Pets and Kids

Some privately chartered planes will allow pets, but you should ask first. Traditional pets will vary from airline to airline and even from plane to plane, depending on the model and the staff. Exotic pets are less likely to be allowed. You should also ask about children, as the plane may need to be childproofed before flying a party including children.

Photos

If you can’t find them on the company’s website, you may be able to ask for photos of the plane. While this isn’t necessary, it can be helpful for you to get a feel for the age and general upkeep of the plane—though you can just ask about those as well. Photos of the plane’s interior may help you decide if your choice is purely the cosmetic difference between two equally good options.

Budgeting

If you’re interested in using a private plane charter, but you aren’t sure how you can afford it, don’t worry. There are ways to experience the luxury of a private plane without paying an arm and a leg for it.

Shop Around

You can ask a few different companies for quotes and then use the companies’ prices to get a lower quote from their competitors. This is a common tactic when buying a car, and the reverse—where you find out how much someone will pay for something in order to make the most profit—is common in selling houses, business stocks, and more. While this isn’t a foolproof plan, it won’t hurt.

As mentioned above, using alternative options for private planes can save you some money. Booking an empty leg or a shared ride flight are both great options to cut down on some of the costs involved in charting a private plane. It’s not the same exact experience, but for the price difference, it’s worth it.

Charter Memberships

Some plane chartering companies offer memberships with deals. You pay an enrollment fee upfront, plus a flat monthly membership fee, and then you get discounted—or sometimes free—private plane tickets. The exact cost and benefits vary from company to company, this is a good option if you fly regularly and are tired of having no leg room. Be sure to research the company first, as some may offer flights as shuttle-like services, only to and from specific locations. Still, this is an attractive option for a frequent flier or a flier who regularly goes to the same places.

Group Pricing

A final budget friendlier option is group pricing. If you and several friends or colleagues are all going on the same trip, splitting the cost of a private plane can seem appealing. Be careful, though. While splitting the bill certainly helps, the cost is still relatively high. You should make sure to compare your pricing and experience options before deciding to share a plane. But with the right company, this can be both cost-effective and fun.

If you are interested in booking a private plane charter for your next trip, please don’t hesitate to check out our charter services or contact us. We’d love to help you experience flying at the next level.

In 2019, Boeing forecasted that 212,000 pilots will be needed in America alone in the next twenty years. They included pilots flying commercial and business aircraft, as well as civil helicopters. The looming pilot shortage is a huge problem facing the airline industry. As air travel maintains its place as a favored form of travel—both international and domestic—keeping enough pilots in the workforce is important not just to airlines but to passengers as well. Understanding the causes and effects of the pilot shortage is helpful to equip aviation schools for the incoming classes.

What is Causing the Pilot Shortage?

Retirement

The main contributor to the pilot shortage is retirement. Pilots have a federally mandated retirement age of 65, and not enough new pilots are credentialed to take the place of the retiring pilots. Airlines are losing more pilots each year than they are hiring—not even enough to maintain the current number of pilots on staff at an average airline, let alone go over it. This is an especially concerning issue for regional airlines, which already have to compete with their global counterparts. Because they are smaller, budgeting is a bigger issue and their salaries may not be as competitive as global airlines can offer, making it even harder to replace their retiring pilots or the pilots who leave for better jobs at bigger airlines.

Expanding Fleets

Another contributing factor is expanding fleets. As air travel continues to be the fastest form of travel available, airplane tickets are in high demand. In order to expand profits, many commercial airlines are looking to expand the size of their fleet to offer more flights for customers. As airlines work to bring in new planes to meet the higher demand for air travel, they also need to bring in new pilots.

Disinterest in STEM

A third problem helping create the pilot shortage is lack of interest in STEM for school-aged children and teenagers. Piloting is a STEM-heavy field—you need a working knowledge of various equations, engineering, weather, basic physics, and the technology used in the cockpit. One potential solution to this aspect of the problem is more positive STEM based experiences for kids, such as summer camps or AOPA’s STEM flight curriculum for high schools.

Instructor Shortage

Another issue creating the pilot shortage is lack of instructors. Because the cost of becoming a commercial pilot is high—due largely to the required 1,500 hours of flight time which the potential pilot has to pay for—many pilots choose to become a flight instructor first. This is great, but these instructors don’t stick around very long. By being a flight instructor, pilots are able to get their required hours in faster while being paid to do it. They generally leave as soon as they have enough hours to apply for commercial pilots’ jobs, leaving schools understaffed and scrambling to maintain enough instructors.

Current Tuition Rates

A final contributor to the pilot shortage is the cost of becoming a pilot. Tuition to aviation programs runs upwards of $40,000. But this isn’t the only cost. Some programs have required books or classroom materials—we’ll budget around $6,000 for these. On top of this, the cost of getting in-air flying experience varies from location to location but will never be lower than $100, and the FAA requires 1,500 for commercial pilots’ licenses. So, potential pilots are looking at spending at least $190,000 for a commercial pilot’s license. This may not seem too bad, given the rising hiring rates for pilots, but most commercial pilots get a starting salary of only $20,000 per year—although this may go up as the demand for pilots is so high. This leaves the potential pilots without a lot of savings or family help essentially locked out of the program.

How Does It Affect Aviation Schools?

Post-Graduation Job Security

In response to the pilot shortage, aviation schools can expect more applicants each year. The growing need for pilots makes it a more stable job field, which is attractive to young people looking to enter the workforce. However, because of the prohibitive costs, aviation schools need to find a way to work with prospective students to make it financially feasible.

Flexible Tuition

In order to capitalize on the pilot shortage, aviation schools need to make sure that their prices stay competitive. Prospective incoming students are likely also looking at more traditional four-year degrees, and finances are a huge deciding factor. If aviation schools are able to find a balance between lowering costs or offering more scholarships and still making a profit, they will be able to seize this opportunity for growth.

Increase Acceptance Rate

Because of the increased need for pilots and following interested in aviation school, schools will be able to be more select about the students admitted. Increased applications will allow aviation schools to choose the best and brightest candidates, which will boost schools’ grade and test statistics. Higher statistics, in turn, impress potential students and airlines alike, creating a circular system which benefits aviation schools.

Airline Partnerships

Another good move for aviation schools is partnering with airlines. While this is not always possible, especially for newer or smaller schools, it gives students better connections and sometimes guaranteed hires after completion of the program. This will also draw new students to your school, as higher job placement rates are always attractive to prospective students.

J. A. Air Center   

The pilot shortage is becoming a bigger and bigger issue as time goes on. While the causes are varied, the result is not: piloting is a field in desperate need of new experts. If you are interested in becoming a pilot, we have two fantastic options. You can get a bachelor’s degree in aviation from Liberty University through our airport in the Chicagoland area—this program runs year round and a full time student can complete it in as little as 2.5 years. Our other program is a Career Pilot Program, which offers students guaranteed internships and interviews upon graduation with Southwest Airlines. If you have any questions about our piloting programs, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to working with you.

Just like with a car, you don’t want just anyone performing maintenance and repairs on your aircraft. However, unlike the car repair industry, it can be a lot tougher to find reliable, quality aircraft maintenance companies. That doesn’t make it less important to you or your vehicle. Before you decide where to take your aircraft for inspections and maintenance, try these tips to make the search for quality easier.

Location

When you are looking for an aircraft maintenance company, make sure you check the location. The last thing you want is to find a good match for your aircraft’s needs, only for it to be several states over, or even in another country. If you are using a database, which can be easily found online and are great resources for getting a lot of results quickly, make sure to use a location keyword. This way, you can quickly and easily see what options are nearby, and work from there.

Keep your Aircraft in Mind

However, location isn’t the only important factor. It’s also important that the maintenance company you decide to go to has familiarity with your model of plane. If you find the best-rated, most experienced company near you but they only service commercial jets, you probably need to find a better fit. Before you schedule an appointment to get your aircraft fixed or tuned-up, call ahead or research the company’s website to ensure they will be able to take care of your specific plane.

Professional Certification

Your airplane is an expensive and personally important investment. You want to make sure that whoever works on it is qualified to repair it safely and effectively. There are a few professional certifications you should look out for. The first is authorization from the Federal Aviation Association (FAA). This is the bare minimum for licensure and required for anyone working on aircraft maintenance. If someone has Inspection Authorization (IA) from the FAA, they can perform and sign off on your required yearly inspections and on any major repairs.

The FAA provides certifications for both airframe and powerplant mechanics, although most technicians are certified in both. A & P technicians inspect aircraft and diagnose, perform, and oversee basic and preventative maintenance. They also keep records of aircraft details—like total time in flight and time since the last inspection—for all aircraft they inspect and for all repairs they perform.

Additionally, you can look for affiliation with the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA), which focuses on recognizing aircraft maintenance technicians and promoting ethical repair practices. PAMA provides additional courses that support the required certification from the FAA, which can give certification as an aircraft maintenance engineer.

Check Out Your Options

Before deciding where to take your aircraft, go to the company in person to see it. Take a look around and talk with the owner and anyone else who would be doing maintenance on your plane. This is a good way to decide if the place is right for you. You should keep an eye out for the general organizational level and cleanliness of the space and see what other kinds of aircraft they work on regularly. Additionally, maintenance hangars should be on the larger side. Unless you’re working with a newer and smaller company, they should have space for at least two or three airplanes to be worked on at once. While smaller companies often offer a more personal experience—technically due to a smaller staff, but often also because of company values—a larger company will have more resources at its disposal. Taking a walk through the company lets you see if they have experience regularly servicing aircrafts similar to yours, if the people who work there will take good care of your aircraft, and if you want to work with this size of the company.

Ask for Recommendations

Chances are, your fellow pilots know and frequent good repair places in the area. Talk to someone else who stores their plane near yours or ask someone involved in a local flying group. If they don’t know a good company close to you, they probably know someone who does and will happily pass on the information. If you don’t have connections to the local pilot community, reach out to clubs or groups nearby to see if they are able to share recommendations with you.

Talk to the Employees

If possible, chat with the maintenance technicians when you visit or drop your aircraft off. This helps both of you put a face to the name on the other end of this service. With aircraft repair, as with most other service industry jobs, the workers are more likely to remember you—or at the very least appreciate you—and go out of their way to help you if you are friendly and kind to them.

Take a Trial Run

Before you take your aircraft in for more serious maintenance, repairs, or an inspection, try taking it to this company for a routine oil change. This will give you a good feel for the relationship between you and the maintenance technician or company owner. If you get along well and work well together, this is a good shop for you. However, you might have personality clashes or disagreement on timelines. While they are the professionals in this situation and you should go with their judgment on repairs in general, it’s helpful to have a feel for the working relationship you would have. If there are serious personality clashes or communication issues—which does happen, not everyone can get along with everyone else—you are probably better off looking for a different shop.

Quality aircraft maintenance and repair is important—to you and to us. If you are looking for a maintenance company in your area, please contact us. We would love to help you find the right fit for you. Or, if you’re in our area, schedule an appointment to see how we can help you.