Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has successfully placed four graduates of its Commercial Airline Pilot Training (CAPT) program as flight officers at Focus Air, a worldwide cargo carrier. The graduates will begin March 1 with Focus Air.

Under a New-Hire Bridge Program agreement with the carrier, the four CAPT graduates will be employed in Focus Air's flight operations center as flight followers for six months and six more months in other capacities to acquaint them with the international cargo business. They will then train to become Boeing 747 flight engineers for 12 months, followed by training to become B-747 first officers.

Focus Air hired Eric Christiansen, Michael Mangan, Nicholas McLean, and Elizabeth Kailing Powell shortly after they graduated from CAPT, a full-immersion program that trains individuals with no flight experience to the highest standards of the commercial airline industry.

"The CAPT program trains pilots that can command today's as well as tomorrow's modern aircraft with mature, sound judgment," said Gary Morrison, CAPT's program manager. "These men and women have proven that the heart, mind, and right attitude, coupled with superior training, is the correct combination. Their hiring as flight-deck officers by Focus Air continues to add merit to the concept."

Eric Christiansen graduated from Albion High School in Albion, Mich. He came to CAPT immediately after graduating from Kenyon College with a bachelor degree in physics.

Michael Mangan graduated from Fairfield College Preparatory School in Fairfield, Conn. He was recruited as a member of the men's rowing team at Northeastern University, where he graduated in 2002 with a bachelor degree in political science.

Nicholas McLean graduated from Cle Elum-Roslyn High School in Cle Elum, Wash. In 2003, he received a bachelor degree in aviation management from Central Washington University.

Elisabeth Kailing Powell graduated from McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, Ga. In 1994, she received a degree in business management from the University of Tennessee. She worked as a pension plan consultant before enrolling in the CAPT program.

CAPT employs the latest technologies to deliver airline-specific training. These include flight video cameras, self-reflecting journaling, line operations safety audits, and a comprehensive academic curriculum built on crew concepts and crew resource management.

FMI: www.captprogram.org