All In the Family

Delta Air Lines announced that it will imminently launch a pilot academy dedicated to training the air-carrier’s next generation of aviators. The Delta Propel Flight Academy, operated through the airline’s Propel Pilot Career Path Program and in partnership with training provider Skyborne Airline Academy, will open its doors to the first class of students in June 2023 and is now accepting applications from interested candidates.

Delta’s vice-president flight operations and system chief pilot Patrick Burns stated: “The Propel Flight Academy is the latest chapter in our longstanding commitment to invest in and create new, equitable pathways for qualified talent to enter the pilot profession. We look forward to watching a new generation of pilots begin their journey at the Propel Flight Academy and eventually join us on the flight deck to help show Delta customers why no one better connects the world.”

The academy is the fourth pathway created for aspiring pilots by Delta’s Propel Pilot Career Path Program since the latter’s 2018 inception. To date, nearly one-hundred participants have completed Propel’s existing Company, College, and Community pathway programs and are now flying for Delta. Another seven-hundred pilots are currently enrolled in the program and working towards the selfsame goal.

Academy student pilots will be eligible to receive up to $20,000 in financial support from Delta Air Lines, which will also cover the cost of interest on student loans from select lenders.

Skyborne Airline Academy CEO Lee Woodward remarked: “At Skyborne, every aspect of our training is designed to prepare students for airline operations in terms of core knowledge and decision making, flight deck procedures and professionalism. Our team is looking forward to taking Delta Propel Flight Academy students through their pilot training journey and into their chosen career with a global airline leader who shares the same values as us in training and customer experience.”

Academy Student pilots will complete their private, instrument, commercial, and certified flight instructor training. Upon completion of their first certificate or rating at the Propel Flight Academy, students will be eligible to apply to the Propel Pilot Career Path Program. Those selected for such will be required to meet certain performance milestones throughout training. Upon successful completion of their Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) training, students will be offered CFI positions with Skyborne. In the subject role, students will receive full sponsorship from Skyborne for the attainment of their Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII) and Multi-Engine Instructor (MEI) ratings—as well as a generous salary and private health benefits—until they reach 1,500 hours. Upon accumulating 1,500 hours (and presumably attaining their Airline Transport Pilot certificates) students will take positions as first officers at one of Delta Connection’s contract carriers.

The Propel Pilot Academy will be based in a newly refurbished 12,000-square-foot facility situated within Skyborne’s Vero Beach, Florida, campus.

FMI: www.skyborne.com