History of the U.S. AB Initio Flying Program at WMU
Published by Tom Thinnes on Thu, Feb 28, 2013
Western Michigan University’s School of Aviation Sciences set its sights high to become a nationally and internationally recognized program delivering excellence in aviation education. In 1997, with the help of multiple grants from the WK Kellogg Foundation, Kellogg Company, U.S. federal dollars, and the City of Battle Creek taxing authority, the School of Aviation Sciences was moved from Kalamazoo, Michigan to the WK Kellogg Airfield in Battle Creek, Michigan. With that move came a new fleet of airplanes, new and refurbished buildings and new opportunity to expand the program.
The School of Aviation Sciences worked hard to secure international pilot training contracts with British Airways, Aer Lingus and Emirates Airlines, and in 1998 began the International Pilot Training Centre. For five years the now College of Aviation worked to produce competent and qualified pilots for these organizations in an ab initio format. The ab initio format meant that students were selected in their home countries through a battery of tests and interviews and then sent to the United States to learn to fly. These students had no prior flying experience and were taken from 0 hours to 250 hours in 18 months where they would return to their home countries and fly as a first officer with the company that hired them. The companies paid for their training, housing and living expenses and in return were given a competent and qualified pilot that would work for them for the next 30+ years.
In contrast, this was very different from the model that what was utilized in the United States to hire qualified pilots. The College of Aviation continued to maintain its excellent aviation education program for U.S. students however their curriculum included a Bachelors of Science degree. So while they too graduated with about 250 hours, it took them 4+ years to accomplish their flight training. When they were finished they were competent pilots but not yet competitive in the U.S. market. First Officers hiring in to regional airlines needed 1000+ hours to be competitive. This meant that U.S. students finishing their training and studies would need to log more hours before being hirable. In stark contrast, the U.S. student also bore the entire cost of his/her education/training and building hours before being hired.
Watching these two programs operate caused the College of Aviation to ask itself some questions. What was really so different about the International student compared to the U.S. student? Were the programs so significantly different that one came out the other end more proficient, competitive and qualified than the other, which allowed the International student to sit in the right seat of a Boeing 737 with 250 hours, but merely allowed the U.S. student to need to build 750 more hours of time before being hirable to a regional carrier flying a turbo prop airplane that carried 30 passengers. The College looked very closely at the programs and the students coming out of them and we could easily see there wasn’t much difference at all between the programs and the students. U.S. students were just as competent and proficient as the International students and we were convinced that with the right selection we could show that the international model of pilot training could be used in the United States.
Proving the Concept
The first step in showing this model could work in the U.S. for pilot hiring was a proof of concept class. While it was never our intention that U.S. airlines would begin paying for the primary education/training of their pilots, we wanted to show that with good selection and quality training they did not require 1000+ hours of flight time before being hirable. A quality trained student at 250 hours could competently sit as a first officer. While pulling together this proof of concept class, Delta Air Lines became very interested in this idea. They knew that pilot shortages were going to come, and they wanted to gather as much information and be as proactive as possible in dealing with a possible shortage. They were also very interested in proactively figuring out ways to increase the numbers of women and minorities in pilot careers at Delta.
Through scholarship dollars at the College of Aviation, the WK Kellogg Foundation sponsored the first proof of concept class for ab initio pilot training we called the group US 1. These students were interviewed, given a battery of tests and selected by representatives from the College of Aviation and the Organization of Black Airline Pilots. Five students were selected, all had already obtained a Bachelors degree, but none had pursued flying, meaning they were coming in at zero hours of flight time. In 2001, the five scholars came to Battle Creek, MI to prove that with quality training we could fast-track flight students in to new hires. Out of the five selected – three finished and today all three are pilots with various airlines.
Delta Air Lines
In 2001 Delta Air Lines bought in to the concept and donated $1.6 million in scholarship dollars to 24 students, which focused on increasing women and minority pilots at Delta. The students were divided in to three groups, Delta 1, Delta 2 and Delta 3. All three groups consisted of students selected using interviews and a battery of cognitive tests given by Delta. However the first two groups were made up of students that had already obtained a bachelor’s degree and were looking to pursue their dream of flying. The last group was made up of students already enrolled at WMU seeking their bachelor’s degree but had not yet started their flight training. The scholarship covered flight training, tuition, and room and board expenses. Eight students were assigned to each Delta group, none of which had any flight training prior to starting the program.
The 16 females and 8 males selected began their training in 2001 and 2002. Upon graduation they were eligible for immediate interview with the Delta Connection carriers, Comair and Atlantic Southeast Airlines.
The Delta 1 group started with 8 students, 6 of which finished the program. One student returned to the military after 9/11, while the other 5 pursued careers in aviation. Today, 2 of those students work directly for Delta and 3 of those fly for other organizations.
The Delta 2 group started with 8 students, 7 of which finished the program. One student gained employment with the federal government while the others pursued careers in aviation. Today, 5 of those students work directly for Delta and 1 continues to actively fly with other organizations.
The Delta 3 group was the youngest scholars selected. They were all currently enrolled students at the College of Aviation at WMU, but had not yet started their flight training. All eight students selected for the Delta Scholarship finished the program and all 8 have gone on to pursue careers in aviation/aviation related fields.
Upon graduation of the program, the Delta 3 scholars had earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Flight Training from WMU as well as their flight ratings.
Whether the students pursued flying directly or ended up in an aviation related field, their degree and experiences at WMU have proved beneficial.
Of the 8 students that started in the Delta 3 group – 8 finished the program. Four are first officers with Delta Airlines, with the remaining four finding their careers in corporate aviation, United Airlines, the military and technology and flight instruction.
The College of Aviation and Delta Air Lines believed in the idea that with quality training and appropriate selection we could train competent and proficient pilots with the ability to function at a high level upon graduation. Delta invested in scholarships for 24 students with the overarching goal to increase the presence of women and minorities in the field of aviation and the specific goal of obtaining quality trained pilot professionals for themselves and their affiliated regional carriers.
86% (18 scholars) of those students that finished the program are involved in the aviation industry; 52% (11 scholars) of them are directly working for Delta Air Lines; and 43% (9 scholars) of them are first officers for Delta.
Delta Air Lines increased the presence of women and minorities in the field of aviation, increased their presence within their own organization and showed that with the right selection and training proficient and competent pilots can be obtained with lower hours. The College of Aviation showed that it can be a provider of high quality education that produces proficient and competent pilots at lower hours.