In-House Pilot Farm Buys Another 25 Single Engines, Plans for 50 More

United Airlines has seen significant interest in their new flight school, the United Aviate Academy, with over 12,000 student applications being sent to the school in a matter of months. To meet the increase in demand, the school has announced the addition of 25 single engine aircraft to its current fleet, bringing their total to 50.

The deal includes the option to obtain another 50 of the same, should the school feel it needs them. Another recent addition saw the purchase of 7 new Frasca simulators for installation in April, including a few with 220-degree wraparound screens for additional realism in training. 

The Academy was announced in April 2021, and has scarcely completed 2 months in operation since accepting its majority female and minority class. The demographics of the school are an integral part of the airline's efforts to train at least 5,000 new pilots at the school by 2030, with at least half from minority backgrounds in the hopes that it can break up its demographically monolithic pilot base. Addressing demographics outside the usual pilot pipeline has landed the school on the map as it offers a fully paid for flight training experience. Expansion will likely continue, if comments from United execs are any indication. The greater airline has said it not only needs 5,000 pilots from the Academy, but more than double that number from the industry at large by 2030 just to meet current fleet commitments and its United Next initiative. 

The Phoenix Goodyear airport contains over 340,000 square feet of space for the school, inherited from former Lufthansa flight training operations. With multiple hangars and ramp space, dormitories, and favorable year-round training conditions, the school will likely find itself in continuous expansion should the long-rumored pilot shortage finally come into being. Similar efforts by other companies may have intended to create their own pilot farm in the same vein, but it's hard to say any others have pursued such an aggressive timetable in expanding their operations from day 1. 

"We're investing in flight education as we train the next generation of United Airlines pilots, who are the future of our airline," said Bryan Quigley, United's Senior Vice President for Flight Operations for United Airlines. "These student pilots are receiving world-class flight training at United Aviate Academy and I'm looking forward to the day when they join our current United pilots on the flight deck."

FMI: www.united.com