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Key Program Features
The advantages are many. The benefits are immense. The pricing is surprising.
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Full, unrestricted ATP license
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Over 1500 hours total time
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Possibility of turbine internship
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Employment assistance
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Flight instructor license
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Paid pilot internship
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1.5 year fast-track to a full ATPL
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Unmatched cost-efficiency
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Program Structure and Time-line
The absolutely fastest way to get from a basic CPL experience level to the full ATPL and a modern airline cockpit!
This program is structured in such a way that every segment leads our students to the ultimate goal: employment in the airlines. The program is divided into the following stages:
| # | Phase | Duration | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Enrollment | 1 month | World-wide |
| 2 | FAA Commercial Pilot License | 1 month | USA |
| 3 | Certified Flight Instructor License and Ratings | 5 months | USA |
| 4 | CPT Internship (Flight Instructor) | 6 months | USA |
| 5 | OPT Internship (Instructor or Commercial Pilot) | 12 months | USA |
| 6 | Airline Transport Pilot License | 2 weeks | USA |
| 7A | Airline Pilot Placement Assistance | 6 months | World-wide |
| 7B | International Internship (Ferry Pilot) | 18 months | World-wide |
The total duration of the program is approximately two years, including flight instructor internships in the United States, which take about 18 months. This does not include the Structured Internship International as a ferry pilot, which is limited to 18 months (Option 7B). All stages of license conversion, flight training, and internships are provided in the United States to a very high standard by accredited flight academies such as “Pelican Flight Training” and “PanAm” in Florida. Flight instructor internship options are available through Pelican Flight Training, Global Air Holdings, and other affiliates.
After completing the flight training phases, students will be offered an internship as a flight instructor, providing them with crucial career development flight time. Once a pilot achieves 1500 hours of flight time, they will be eligible to obtain their full, unrestricted FAA/ICAO Airline Transport Pilot License and can choose between Option 1 (7A) – working as a first officer at target airlines, or Option 2 (7B) – continuing to build flight hours as an international ferry pilot in Hong Kong. These internships enable students to continue gaining valuable experience as professional pilots and accumulate more complex turbine and cross-country flight time.
The main objective of the program is to provide our graduates with permanent airline employment placements with world-class industry leaders such as Fly Dubai, Emirates, Qatar, Cathay Pacific, Air Asia, Lion Air, Singapore Airlines, Air China, Chinese Airlines, Air Hong Kong, Malaysian Airlines, Jet Star, Tiger Air, and many more.
- Phase 1 - Enrollment
At this phase student will be required to complete enrollment application form (here >>>) and provide documents for initial consideration by our company. After application details and document screening, student will be contacted for the initial interview to check his/her knowledge of English. Our requirements are simple: ICAO CPL with valid medical, ICAO-4 English certificate, high school diploma (or higher), IELTS Academic 6.0 or higher, international passport and good health with no disqualifying conditions (see full list of enrollment requirements here >>>) Once all requirements are satisfied, student will be furnished with the flight training agreement, visa support paperwork, preliminary aviation training study materials and TSA security clearance.
- Phase 2 - FAA CPL
After arrival in the United States at our flight training center, called “Pelican Flight Academy” a student will undergo a short FAA Class I pilot medical. After this, student will start his/her theoretical and practical standardization training. Our goal is to ensure that, no matter what country issued your CPL and to what standards you were trained with your previous flight academy, we will ensure to bring your flying skills and theoretical knowledge to the required and demanding FAA commercial pilot licensing standards. This training phase takes 3-5 weeks, depending on the amount of work each pilots requires for the FAA standardization.
- Phase 3 - FAA CFI
Students will then proceed to obtaining their Certified Flight Instructor license with multi-engine and single-engine ratings. This is necessary to facilitate the internship phase of our program which will allow low-hour pilots to work as commercial pilot flight instructors and start building valuable flight time towards their ATPL license, as well as get paid for their work. Providing that the candidate holds both single- and multi-engine ratings on his ICAO CPL license, this phase should take 4-6 months. Those candidates who do not hold either of these ratings, the training duration may take longer. Please review the Tuition Cost section of this program (scroll down) to find out how much the rating add-ons cost.
- Phase 4 - CPT Internship
Student, and at this point – a fully-qualified FAA commercial pilot and a flight instructor with single- multi- and instrument ratings on his CFI license, will be offered a guaranteed opportunity to work as a flight instructor in our academy under the CPT (Curricular Practical Training) program using the unique F-1 visa employment permit benefits. During this period, student may obtain up to 500 hours of additional flight time. Approximately 25% of this flight time will be conducted on multi-engine aircraft. All of the flight time will be logged as PIC (Pilot-In-Command) and in a multi-crew environment. Expected instructor flight time is 70-80 hours per month (with 80 hours being the legal limit under the F-1 visa program), with the expected earnings of $800 – $1200 USD per month.
- Phase 5 - OPT Internship
Student’s F-1 visa also offers a unique opportunity to work on the OPT (Optional Practical Training) program for an additional 12-24 months. Such program allows pilots to build extensive piston or even turbine time in either flight school or a passenger/cargo charter environment. This option is available for students who completed their initial CPT, logged over 600 hours of flight time (200 during their initial CPL training, 25 during the conversion/cfi training phase, and 400 during the CPT internship phase) and have completed CPT with no incidents, no accidents, and demonstrated a high degree of instructor professionalism.
- Phase 6 - FAA ATP
Once the Student has completed internships as flight instructor and/or commercial pilot, he/she can submit application for the FAA/ICAO Airline Transport Pilot License. The FAA allows pilots who have logged over 1500 total time, of which 500 hours cross-country, 100 hours night, 75 hours instrument, 250 hours PIC and 50 hours of multi-engine time (see full list of aeronautical experience requirements) to take the FAA ATP theoretical exam and check-ride. This phase is done with our Miami partner PanAm Flight Academy and takes only 1 week, and consists of the mandatory The Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program (ATP-CTP) course. As of August 2018 completion of the ATP-CTP course is a new training requirement for pilots wishing to qualify for the FAA Airline Transport Pilot Exam. (Pilots will need to study for at least 2-3 weeks at their own pace in order to take a single FAA ATPL part 121 theoretical exam. There is no requirement for any specific classroom time for this exam. Exam can be taken at PanAm sim center in Miami at any time after completion of of FAA )
- Phase 7A - Airline Placement Assist
At this point, Aerocadet company will continue fostering your pilot career by offering a comprehensive airline employment support with the leading airlines in Asian and Middle East. This service is offered to the full program graduates. There is no limit to the assistance program: we will continue our support until the graduates get permanent airline employment. Of course, it is conditional on the graduate’s passing the airline employment interview. Normally, placement programs take 3-6 months. Permanent employment in the United States may be achieved by qualified candidates through EB-1 visa application.
- Phase 7B - Ferry Pilot Internship
This optional internship course is offered to our graduates who have completed the CPT and OPT program as flight instructors and/or commercial pilots with good evaluations, showed fair professionalism and acceptable academic achievement, but who were unable to meet the Airline Pilot Internship standards at the time of graduation and need to continue building valuable flight time and grow their aviation experience by working as international aircraft delivery pilots for our international partner, Global Air Holding Ltd located in Caribbean, BVI. This company is specializing in aircraft sales and delivery from the United States to Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia for their international clients. Expected pilot salary is $2000 – $2500 per aircraft transfer.
- Programs Terms & Conditions
The International ferry pilot internship is limited to 18 months. There is no obligation or training bonds. Pilots are free to leave internship at any time without penalties. Conditions of internship include the following requirements: no accidents, accidents or FAA violations; English level ICAO-5 or higher. Completion of ” USA internship” and at least 1500 hours of flight time. This Internship if offered ONLY to graduates of Aerocadet’s Pathway to ATP program, Full Professional Airline Pilot flight training program or Aerocadet’s Degree Program.
This OPT internship is limited to 12 months. Pilots are free to leave internship at any time without penalties. Conditions of internship include: completion of the CPT internship, good overall conduct, absence of accidents, incidents, DUIs and FAA violations. The internship acceptance and employment permission under the F-1 visa program is subject to approval by the AFSP and USCIS. FTP has final discretion on whether to offer or deny employment to the candidate. The internship is conditionally guaranteed – meaning that the candidate must meet all the requirements set forth in the training and internship agreement in order to qualify for the employment offer. If the candidate does not meet the requirements, the internship will not be offered.
This Airline First Officer placement assistance service is not limited. Target for placement is normally 3-6 months. Conditions for placement include: completion of the CPT and OPT internships (OPT must be conducted as certified flight instructor on the academy’s premises), over 1500 hours total flight time, excellent employment conduct as flight instructor and/or commercial pilot during CPT and OPT phases, absence of accidents, incidents, DUIs and airspace violations, English on ICAO 6 level.
The International ferry pilot internship is limited to 18 months. There is no obligation or training bonds. Pilots are free to leave internship at any time without penalties. Conditions of internship include the following requirements: no accidents, accidents or FAA violations; English level ICAO-5 or higher. Completion of ” USA internship” and at least 1500 hours of flight time. This Internship if offered ONLY to graduates of Aerocadet’s Pathway to ATP program, Full Professional Airline Pilot flight training program or Aerocadet’s Degree Program.
Due to high demand and limited training facilities this program has a limited availability of annual training slots. Company has a right to refuse enrollment to students on selective basis. The basis taken into account are: pilot aptitude testing scores, academic transcript scores, English test scores and student’s character, motivation discovery conducted during the enrollment interview and financial standing. If Student is awarded this training program, this means that his/her training slot has been allocated, booked and guaranteed. This also means that some other student was displaced from the training slot in favor of this award. Students are asked to take into account this consideration and treat their training slot award as a valuable commodity.
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Flight & Ground School Training
Summary of the estimated flight training hours
Phase 2 – CPL Conversion
Students who hold an ICAO CPL with single- and multi-engine ratings will receive the following amount of flight training hours during the licensing phases of the program:
| Hours | Type of Training |
|---|---|
| 2 | Classroom hours |
| 1 | Pre- and post-flight briefings |
| 2 | Dual instruction in a Cessna 172 |
| 2 | Dual instruction in a Piper Arrow (complex SEL) |
| Hours | Type of Training |
|---|---|
| 8 | Classroom hours |
| 5 | Pre- and post-flight briefings |
| 2 | Dual instruction in a Cessna 172 |
| 2 | Dual instruction in a Piper Arrow (complex SEL) |
| 5 | Dual AATD ALX Simulator |
| 6 | Dual instruction in a Piper Seminole (complex AMEL) |
| 1 | FAA Check-ride |
| Hours | Type of Training |
|---|---|
| 8 | Classroom hours |
| 5 | Pre- and post-flight briefings |
| 2 | Dual instruction in a Cessna 172 |
| 9 | Dual instruction in a Piper Arrow (complex SEL) |
| 2 | Dual AATD ALX Simulator |
| 1 | FAA Check-ride |
Phase 3 – CFI Training
Once all students have standardized and converted their ICAO CPL licenses to the FAA format, they can begin the CFI license course (Phase 3). The course will consist of the following curriculum:
| Hours | Type of Training |
|---|---|
| 65 | Classroom / Ground School |
| 25 | Pre- and post-flight briefings |
| 5 | Dual instruction in a Cessna 172 |
| 10 | Dual instruction in a Piper Arrow (complex SEL) |
| 13.5 | Dual instruction in a Piper Seminole (complex MEL) |
| 9 | Dual AATD ALX simulator |
| 3 | FAA check-rides: 1 on CE-172 (SEL), 1 on Complex SEL, 1 on Complex MEL |
Phase 6 – ATP License
Once all students have achieved the required flight experience of over 1500 total time, of which 500 hours cross-country, 100 hours night, 75 hours instrument, 250 hours PIC and 50 hours of multi-engine time (Phase 4-5) they can apply for the full, unrestricted FAA ATPL. This course will consist of the following curriculum:
| Hours | Type of Training |
|---|---|
| 30 | Instructor-Led Virtual Ground School |
| 4 | Fixed-Base Training Device |
| 6 | Full-Motion Simulator |
| 2 | ATM Knowledge Prep & Test |
| 2.5 | Dual instruction in a Piper Seminole FAA ATP check-ride prep. |
| 1 | FAA ATP theoretical exam |
| 2.5 | FAA ATP practical exam (1 check-ride, 2.5 hours) |
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Flight Crew Licensing
Summary of the flight training licenses that the students will get
Students will receive the following flight crew licenses during this program:
| FAA Licenses & Ratings | Minimum hour requirements |
|---|---|
| CPL with AMEL, ASEL, IR | 220 total time |
| CFI with AMEL, ASEL, IR | N/A |
| ATPL | 1500 total time |
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Accommodation
We are proud to provide the most comfortable environment for learning!
This is an instuctor employment program. To facilitate a healthy relationship between the students and the instructors, pilots (prospective flight instructors) who are enrolled into our Pathway Program are not alllowed to live in the same campus as ab-initio students. Pathway pilots are required to rent their own accommodation and commute to training/work at the academy using own transport, like all the other employees. Therefore, living expenses, including accommodation, are not included in the program cost estimate.
