Although aviation is popular, people rarely talk about the various paths a person can take to achieve the goals of becoming a certificated pilot.
There is the Ab Initio academy-style approach, which allows a student with no prior experience in aviation to join a program with a group of other students. Together, they walk through the process of obtaining the necessary licenses in a condensed amount of time. Ty Hammond is an example of someone who took this approach with his training. Ty started in a Global Airline Academy in August of last year with 15 other classmates. While working through his Private, Instrument, Commercial and Multi, he studied alongside students from all around the world. Despite their different backgrounds, each student had the same goal: to one day become an airline pilot.
Ty’s goal at the onset of the academy was to earn a spot as a Flight Instructor so that he could build the necessary hours required for a job as an airline pilot. As he worked through the academy, Ty was quickly identified as someone who would be a great CFI and a valuable asset to our students. After much hard work, he completed both his CFI-A and CFI-I, and is now instructing at the very academy that he once attended!
But, what if training full-time in an academy setting just isn’t an option for you? Maybe you feel you learn better in a 1-on1 setting, or would like to continue working while you train, or, better yet, what if you are looking for someone else to finance your training? That’s the position Za’keya Dorsey found herself in as she began her quest into her career as an aviation professional.
In 2017, after completing her Private, Za’keya searched for alternatives to complete the rest of her training. That’s when she discovered that American Flyers had a program that fulfilled all her needs called the Administrative Co-op Program at American Flyers.
This intense 12-month program allowed Za’keya to work in a customer service position at American Flyers while earning a salary, as well as monthly training scholarships that went toward obtaining her Instrument and Commercial license. At the completion of the program, she decided to get her flight instructor ratings as well, and is now working as a flight instructor at American Flyers in Pompano Beach, Florida.