Mariah Bennett is an Army Blackhawk Pilot who has been training with her instructor Shawn Pratt, in Safety in Motion Flight Center’s Rotorcraft Transition Program (RTP) and using her Post 9/11 VA benefits. She has added both airplane single-engine land and instrument ratings to her commercial rotor-wing pilot certificate and is now pursuing her Multi-engine Rating.

The journey to becoming an airline pilot can be challenging. Airlines typically mandate a minimum of 1500 flight hours before considering candidates. However, to complete your commercial pilot training, you are only required to have 300 flight hours. So how do you bridge the gap?

In July, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that increased the mandatory retirement age for commercial pilots from 65 to 67.

Alaska Airlines has announced its plans to hire more than 3,500 new employees, including 550 new pilots.

As air travel demand continues to recover from 2020 the demand for pilots has outstripped the supply and will continue to worsen over the next decade. It’s estimated that global aviation will be short nearly 80,000 pilots by 2032. There’s never been a better time to learn to fly!

The Washington Post recently interviewed Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, and United Airlines CEO, Scott Kirby, about the current state and the future of the aviation industry.

Are you curious what it takes to become a pilot? If you’re serious about flying, there’s no time like the present to get started. Years of schooling followed by months of training may seem like more than you can commit to, but the good news is, there’s a faster way!

Learn more about the Horizon/Alaska Airlines Pilot Development Program. A great place to start a career as a commercial pilot. Begin your training right here at Safety in Motion Flight Center.