The Pilot Training Partnership Program Wants To Help Students Get To Airlines Quicker

Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Aviation and Aerospace Science Department and McAir Aviation have revealed their latest partnership. 

McAir Aviation, based in Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, and MSU will offer The Pilot Training Partnership program with the aim to train students in about half the time, to be able to launch their career with an airline sooner.

"Pilots will be able to go through Metropolitan State University, do their flight training here at McAir, and they'll be able to get to the airlines, not having 1,500 of experience [but] just 1,000 hours of experience," McAir Aviation Chief Pilot Levi Brown said Tuesday.

The intent of the program is not only to help the students with their quest but to help get pilots to the airlines sooner given the shortage of pilots. "We're feeling that pilot shortage again because people weren't flight training as much [during the pandemic]. They had a lot of early retirements. And now we have the squeeze again for the airlines really needing pilots," Brown said.

Luke Kuberski, an MSU Denver spring 2021 graduate and McAir Aviation certified flight instructor, admits the program would've helped him get done faster. 

Kuberski graduated from MSU in the spring of 2021 and is a McAir Aviation certified flight instructor. He now works as a cadet with SkyWest and has about 500 hrs in for his ATP, short about 1,000 hours.

"I wish I was a student [at MSU] at the time because it really does help out," he said. "A thousand [hours] versus 1,500, usually, so it's 500 less hours that you have to fly, which is super nice."

Currently 40 students have signed up for the program. "We're training pilots as quickly as we can. Great partnerships like this really ... help those students get to the airlines quicker,” Brown concludes.

FMI: www.msudenver.edu/aviation-aerospace/