We’re looking to get pilots from Israel, Ireland, France and Germany,” said Dean Bradley, CEO of Quasar Aerospace Industries Inc., Atlantic Aviation’s parent company. “We’ve already signed a letter of intent to train Indian students for $66,000 apiece.”
Although the industry was concerned with the graying work force of domestic commercial pilots and extended the retirement age five years to age 65 as a result, the worries have lessened due to industry woes, said Jerry Glass, president of F&H Solutions Group, an aviation consulting agency. That demand could increase if the commercial aviation industry rebounds.
The demand, however, for foreign pilots is greater, especially in China and India, Glass said. Henderson said the commercial piloting certification foreign students earn at the school is applicable internationally.
Atlantic Aviation plans to break ground on a $2.5 million, 15,000-square-foot hangar at Herlong Airport in December. The facility, which will be finished in June, will employ about 40 people and train about 120 students per year. Students will be able to use the company’s two flight simulators, 18 multiengine light planes and 15 single-engine aircraft to receive their general aviation or commercial pilot certifications.
The commercial pilot training will be moved to Cecil Field when the planned $5 million facility is completed in 2010. The company expects to spend about $23 million on 10 jets and 15 helicopters, Bradley said. The company declined to say where the funding for expansion is coming from.
The company plans to open a new school every year for the next five years following the opening of the Cecil Field facility, Bradley said. Locations being considered include Wichita, Kan.; and San Antonio.
About $3 million would be spent on each school. Bradley said the school is also considering acquiring a large European flight school, which he declined to name.
Henderson said the school, which has been open for about a year and a half, offers training in four phases from the private pilot single-engine course, which costs about $12,000, to the flight instructor course, which costs about $63,500.
Not only does this approach allow students to take their training in phases, but it also allows them to transfer paid credit hours of flight time to more advanced stages. If they don’t choose to transfer their flight time, they won’t be charged. Plus, none of the payments will be cashed until students complete their flight hours.
“A lot of flight schools like Silver State [Helicopters] have given this industry a bad reputation,” Henderson said. “They cash students’ checks and then don’t have enough money to fund the completion of their courses.”
Many Silver State students, including many who attended the Jacksonville branch, were left in the lurch with thousands of dollars of school loans after the school filed for bankruptcy in February 2008. Critics also accused Silver State of flooding the commercial helicopter pilot market.
Atlantic Aviation also plans to offer health insurance to students, although such coverage isn’t required by law. The aim is to help put foreign families at ease when sending their children to the U.S. for training, Henderson said.
Even with the training, the career path of a commercial pilot is an arduous one. Recent flight school graduates flying for a regional airline can make as little as $18,000 annually. However, commercial pilots who work their way up to major airlines, such as United and American airlines, earn six-figure salaries.
