What is the current state of the industry?
Although September 11th had an immediate impact on pilot hiring,
the industry has rebounded and offers a positive forecast for
all types of pilots in the short and long terms complimented
with the forthcoming retirement of Vietnam-era pilots. Click
here for an article about the current pilot shortage.
What are the employment options as a
professional pilot?
There are numerous options for professional pilots including,
but not limited to: the regional airlines (regional jets and
turbo-props), major airlines (large commercial aircraft), corporate
flight departments (Lear Jet, King Air, etc.), air ambulance
operations, crop dusting, scenic flying, etc.
What is the salary potential for pilots?
The salary potential varies between sectors of the industry.
Initial- first time hires should expect to earn $25,000 a year
with relatively large increases coming very quickly. A professional
pilot who has been actively employed for 5 or more years has
the potential to earn between $50,000 and $100,000 a year. Pilots
who have been in the industry for more than 10 years can see
annual salaries in the $100's.
What is the process to become employable
as a professional pilot?
Employers hire pilots based on the ratings they have received
and the amount of experience they have acquired. The experience
level is based normally on the number of flight hours logged.
With langaAir, you will acquire the ratings in phase 1 of our
career development process and acquire the flight hours through
our paid internship in phase 2.
How does the Guaranteed paid CFI internship
work?
We offer a commitment for commitment. For pilots who start from
scratch or take a majority of their training with us (from the
instrument rating on) and complete our career pilot course,
we offer a guaranteed position upon graduation. Since we cannot
offer this guarantee to everyone, we reserve that obligation
for individuals who commit to the entire professional course
from at least the instrument rating on. Any others who have
went though some part of our program may be eligible for employment
as an instructor, however they will only be considered after
the guaranteed hiring pool is considered.
How long will the training take?
Because of our structure and "work-at-your-own-pace"
curriculum, the timetable to complete the professional courses
will be in direct relationship to your desire and work ethic.
If you are motivated, you can accomplish the entire course in
9 months or less. We have had individuals complete it in a little
over 5 months and have placed pilots with the airlines in less
than 14 months after their first flight.
How long might I expect to be a CFI before
I have the amount of flight hours needed to become employable?
The amount of flight experience that employers will consider
varies depending on the sector of the industry and the specific
employers in each. Currently, the industry is experiencing a
shortage of pilots so the required flight time by most regional
airlines and corporations for first time hires has dramatically
been reduced. It is conceivable to be eligible for hire with
500 hrs of total time and less than 6 months of instructing.
However, considering that the more flight time you have in total
and multi-engine hrs will dramatically benefit you in getting
through the initial training with the airlines, you may opt
to continue instructing for a longer period of time.
What is the success rate for students
getting a job upon completion of your program?
To date, our students who have completed our two phase career
development program have been 100% successful in landing a professional
flying job. We do have students quit on occasion, but to those
who were committed and worked the process, they have all found
success and are now living their dream.
Do you have any formal agreements with
any airlines?
Yes. We have an agreement with GoJet
Airlines where they will consider our graduates first with
priority over all other applicants. GoJet is a new airline operating
brand new CRJ700's. Our graduates who are currently working
for GoJet are delighted with the company.
Also, we have some good relationships and
proven track records with many employers including Chautauqua
, Skywest, JetCorp, Skyway, etc.
Do I need a degree?
It depends on which sector you intend to work. A lot of employers
do not have a formal policy on college, but it is still something
they can use to weed out potential candidates. To be competitive
for a Regional Airline position, you likely will want at minimum
an Associates Degree.
What are langaAir's options for a degree?
We have an affiliation with a local college where our students
receive college credit for all of their flight ratings at no
additional charge and immediately upon completion of each rating.
We feel that this may be the best, most cost effective pilot
degree program available anywhere.
Do you have on-staff examiners?
No. We intentionally do not because we never want the perception
to be that someone passed an exam based on internal influencing
factors. Our students all stand on their own so they can be
confident that their abilities are where they need to be.
How does the financing program work?
LangaAir is affiliated with Sallie Mae Financial and some other
student education firms. You can finance as much (or as little)
of the training costs, and you can include living and housing
expenses. The programs will defer the payments until after you
have finished training so that you can allow your new career
to pay back the educational loan that got you there. Over 80%
of our students utilize one of our finance programs.
Does your cost estimate include housing
expenses?
No, we have found that there is a big variance between students
wants and needs. Most career students budget between $5,000
to $9,000 for living expenses and since the loan programs do
not have a penalty for early payments, if a student recognizes
that he/she does not need the full amount, they can pay back
any unused amounts at their discretion.
What are the housing options?
We have a representative on staff who will take as much time
as required with you to find the appropriate housing in the
immediate area - most of which are less than 5 to 10 minutes
from our facility. Our area has a relatively low cost of living
index. You can budget $300 to $500 a month for very comfortable
arrangements. If you would like to save even more, we can and
do assist in arranging roommates as requested.
Why is there such a diverse difference
in pricing between the different training organizations?
The bottom line is that you will need to get your basic ratings
no matter where you train. Some programs do not provide, what
we consider, a realistic price estimate. They leave out a lot
of the incidental and secondary costs that will be money out
of your pocket. Secondly, some programs have big names and they
tout a "guaranteed" interview - considering that it
is not a guaranteed job, just an interview, might be of concern
to you. The prices associated with these programs may run as
high as 40% to 100% more than langaAir's.
Is the cost estimate I receive realistic,
or should I expect to pay more?
We understand that the FAA minimums are just that; minimums,
and that most people need some additional training to enhance
their skill and knowledge in order to pass the final stages
of training. We think it is a disservice not to consider this,
so we examined our past students and established a realistic,
attainable, all-inclusive price. It is conceivable and likely
that you will complete your training in less than what we estimate
- it happens all the time.
How does the free airfare deal to visit
your school work?
If you get approved for financing for the career training program
(from at minimum the IFR course on), we will pick up your airfare
and put you in a hotel overnight so that you can see our facility
first hand and make an educated decision. There is no cost or
obligation to you. We invest a significant amount of money in
this program for two reasons; firstly, we know this is a big
investment on your part and we want to eliminate any uncertainty
at no cost to you before you commit, and secondly, we feel confident
enough in our program to put it up against any other program
in the country.
How long has langaAir been in business?
We have been in business for 17 years. We have always offered
flight training but in 1999, we took a very close look at the
industry and our specific operation and determined that a lot
of schools (ours included) had some fundamental flaws. We addressed
many of these issues and laid out a very structured, comprehensive,
standardized approach to training; one with a goal in mind to
give the students what they want, a career as a pilot.
How big is langaAir?
By some standards, we are quite a bit smaller than some of the
"bigger name" flight schools. However, we are very,
very involved in our day-to-day operations and do our utmost
to make our school the best in the country. We are not looking
to be the biggest; just the best.
How Do I Get Started? Click
Here.
