So you want to be an airline pilot?
(Pictured: Florida Tech flight students using the A320 FTD at AeroStar in Orlando.)
As the only university to offer aircraft type rating courses to undergraduate flight students for academic credit, Florida Tech can help you reach the major airlines faster. Here’s everything you need to know…
Becoming an Airline Pilot
It takes a lot to become an airline pilot. In addition to the private and commercial pilot certificates and the instrument and multiengine ratings you will earn as part of your Florida Tech degree, an airline will require you to undergo additional training toward, and ultimately earn, a type rating for the type of aircraft in its fleet.
What is a Type Rating?
A type rating means you are qualified to fly a specific type of jet aircraft. The two most popular types of commercial jets in use today are the Airbus 320 and Boeing 737. Southwest, for example, only interviews pilots possessing a B737 type rating. You want a career as an airline pilot? An A320 or B737 type rating proves you can fly the big jets.
A Degree and Type Rating in Four Years
To address the impending worldwide pilot shortage and better position our pilots in aviation meteorology, aviation management and aeronautical science for immediate success following graduation, Florida Tech’s College of Aeronautics provides undergraduate flight students the opportunity to complete a three-course, six-credit sequence leading to an A320 or B737 turbine jet type rating as part of their degree program. This allows students to graduate with high-altitude, high-speed experience.
The type rating courses are also available to Florida Tech graduate students, flight instructors, employees and alumni, as well as students from other colleges and universities who wish to earn transferrable course credits.
The Program
Courses are facilitated in partnership with AeroStar Training Services of Orlando, Fla., an FAA Certified Part 142 Training Center, which offers schedule flexibility, access to the most advanced training simulators in the industry and instruction of the highest quality. At AeroStar, Florida Tech flight students train on the same Level D full-motion simulators used by major airlines and undergo the same rigorous evaluation.
Minimal Additional Cost.
The anticipated additional cost for ambitious flight students interested in becoming airline pilots is minimal, an estimated $300-$1300 more than training that leads to flight instructor certification. The value of a type rating, however, cannot be overstated. A type rating serves as proof to an airline recruiter that a pilot possesses the aptitude and skills required to pass a rigorous corporate training program and succeed as an airline pilot.
Maximum Return on Investment.
With a type rating to your credit, you will be well positioned to compete in the aviation job market and one step closer to landing a career as an airline pilot. You will join a large cadre of Florida Tech graduates currently flying for all the major airlines, which include AirTran Airways, American Airlines, Delta Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
