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School of Aeronautics signs agreement with American Eagle

Liberty University School of Aeronautics Dean David Young (left) and professor Walter Reichard stand in front of a Cessna Citation Excel located in Liberty University’s Freedom Aviation hangar. They recently signed an agreement with American Eagle Airlines, Inc., to start a Pilot Pipeline Program for graduates.

A recent agreement with American Eagle Airlines, Inc. will give graduates of Liberty University’s School of Aeronautics more opportunities to launch their careers in the commercial airline industry.

Under the new agreement, the company will hire Liberty’s qualified graduates — those who meet requirements ranging from grade-point average in aviation courses to accumulated flight time — for its Pilot Pipeline Program.

“The program helps ensure we have the airline-qualified pilots we need for the future and eases the transition from school to the airline for program participants,” said Nicholas Alford, AEA’s manager of pilot recruitment. “The participation of schools such as Liberty in our program is a win-win for both us and graduates looking for careers as commercial pilots.”

Graduates must accumulate 1,500 hours of flight time and meet other requirements established by the Federal Aviation Administration before being hired as pilots. AEA will pay graduates to serve as certified flight instructors for the School of Aeronautics while accruing their flight time. Participants will also receive boarding pass privileges and health benefits from AEA, as well as a $10,000 scholarship upon completion of the program.

“They could put it toward their tuition for their flight training costs, so it’s a great opportunity for our students,” said School of Aeronautics aviation professor Walter Reichard.

Experience on the school’s CRJ 200 simulator, an advanced-jet training program, is also a requirement. The simulator will be used to screen the best candidates.

Reichard estimated that about two thirds of the school’s prospective pilots will fly for commercial airlines. Currently, there are about a dozen Liberty graduates flying for either ExpressJet Airlines or American Eagle.

Liberty signed a similar agreement with ExpressJet last year and is working on comparable opportunities with other airlines.

The American Eagle Airlines CRJ-700 Bombardier is the type of aircraft Liberty graduates would fly upon becoming AEA pilots. Photo courtesy of American Eagle.

American Eagle and ExpressJet are the two largest regional airline systems in the world, with nearly 4,000 daily flights to more than 200 airports throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

“The more airlines that we can develop that relationship with and sign an agreement with, the better,” said Reichard, who retired after 15 years with ExpressJet.

These agreements will be even more important as the demand rises for airline pilots, he added.

“There’s a pilot shortage that is just beginning, and it’s going to continue to get larger and larger in the next 10 years,” he said. “The numbers are absolutely amazing. We’re talking 50 to 60,000 pilots they’re going to need.”

The School of Aeronautics, in turn, anticipates a continued trend of climbing enrollment and an expansion of its Freedom Aviation flight operations center at Lynchburg Regional Airport. It is also exploring expansion opportunities at other airports in Virginia.

“We haven’t put a cap as far as the number of students and our program is continuing to grow,” Reichard said. “It’s tripled in size in the seven years that I’ve been here, so it’s amazing the growth that has taken place. Now at some point, we’re going to reach a limit where this airport can only hold so much traffic. But we haven’t maxed out the airfield capability yet.”

  • The Liberty University School of Aeronautics has grown from four students to more than 700 in the last 10 years and is currently the largest faith-based university aviation program in the country. The school offers a variety of online and residential programs, including a bachelor’s degree with concentrations in military aviation, missionary aviation, commercial/corporate aviation, and unmanned aerial systems (UAS), as well as flight attendant training.
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