Why I Chose to Flight Instruct at Western Michigan University

By: Phil McCain

Western Michigan University College of Aviation has developed a reputation in the industry of producing professional pilots that are highly sought after and consistently top performers in airlines and corporate aviation departments.

The current aviation industry is thirsty for as many pilots as possible. With the majors retiring record amounts of pilots who are aging out this is a wonderful time to enter the industry and begin an amazing career (Reference Delta Air Lines mandatory retirements over the next decade). These numbers are very similar to the other legacy carriers and major cargo airlines.

   Source: Airline Pilot Central

There is however, a misconception, about the hiring practices by airlines. Some things I have heard over the last few years include: “Oh, Airline XYZ, they’ll hire anyone with a pulse” “They really need us, so don’t worry about the training”   “The examiners will pass you because they’re hurting for pilots right now.”

These kind of comments are hurtful and detrimental towards the professionals in this industry and flat out wrong. It is hurtful to the pilots who have strived hard to achieve excellence in their own flying and knowledge while providing the absolute safest product and producing a positive reputation of the industry. Yes, it is true the airlines need to hire more pilots, however that does not make getting an ATP certificate easier, or operating in the complex part 121 easier or less competitive. Granted, securing an interview with the airline of your choice will be easier but having proper experience is the key to succeeding after passing that interview. Transitioning to a jet under part 121 or 135 is difficult, if you are not ready with strong airmanship skills and experience; failing out of an airline or corporate department will follow on your record. That is not meant to scare, but rather just make a point of the seriousness and standards demanded by this industry.  

This is the reason I am extremely happy of my decision to instruct at Western Michigan University (WMU). My background is flight instructing CFI, CFII, MEI at WMU while completing my bachelor degree. WMU even helped pay for my education through the aviation associate position saving me upwards of $10,000 in education expenses while also having full health benefits. During my time at WMU I signed off 23 students for checkrides, and served as a check instructor for many more. I am currently flying the CRJ 200/700/900 for SkyWest Airlines which is the nation’s largest regional airline operating flights for Delta, American, United and Alaska. I would be remiss not to highly recommend SkyWest Airlines to anyone reading this. We have a unique operation including being a non-union organization partnering with four major airlines and rapidly expanding, taking on deliveries of multiple new Embraer 175 aircraft every month while currently operating the largest CRJ fleet servicing over 200 destinations. Our pilots are in great position to build time rapidly with the most base choices of any U.S. airline.

So, why is WMU such a successful place to begin your professional aviation career? WMU operates in many ways identical to a small airline. We insist that our students operate the technically advanced fleet in a similar manner to how the professionals at the airlines conduct their operations. This makes the transition into a 70 seat, Mach .80 cruising, 80,000 pound jet with complex systems much easier than the transition from Cessna 150/172 flying with basic avionics. Our part 141 program familiarizes instructors with managing the highly regulated environment and the instructors are trained extensively on the Cirrus and Seminole aircraft and company operations. Our SOPs are similar to that of the airline where the aircraft is legally required to be operated within limits of all ops specs and SOPs precisely every flight.

Speaking with training managers and instructors at SkyWest Airlines the most successful new pilots in training are former flight instructors who taught on technically advanced aircraft with extensive glass, autopilot, and instrument experience operating in a highly controlled and standardized environment.

At WMU instructing in the instrument and commercial courses I gained over 35 hours of actual instrument time and much more simulated with the rapidly changing weather condition in Michigan facing icing conditions, approaches to minimums, thunderstorm avoidance, and operations in some of the country’s busiest airspace including Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Cincinnati, and many other airports all the way down to Southern Florida at our satellite campus in Punta Gorda, FL (https://wmich.edu/news/2016/07/33430). After a couple hundred hours, frankly there is little piloting benefit of teaching only private students in the practice area in good weather, it does not further develop an instructors skills. Many instructors who move down south for bulk hours miss out on the variety of flight experience. At WMU, instructors become instrument pros performing literally hundreds and hundreds of approaches, holds, and operations in busy airspace. The familiarity of instrument procedures and confidence gained from monitoring student pilots increases situational awareness and teaches the instructor to stay ahead of the aircraft. Staying ahead is vital when the procedures stay the same but it all happens five times faster.

The rush for hours is understandable, however it should never be done in a way that compromises safety. At WMU there will be no pressure to complete a flight when weather or maintenance is in question. The airline is absolutely no place to mess with flying an unsafe aircraft or cavalier attitudes towards safety. The fleet of Cirrus and Seminole aircraft is very well maintained and there is a strong culture of safety including the safety management system, essentially another thing very similar to what is conducted in the airlines. At WMU, I always was given as many students as I wanted, with more ready whenever I had capacity, allowing me to build hours at a pace that worked best for me while maintaining the quality of life desired.

The opportunities to grow as a professional pilot, benefits provided by the company, and experience gained from operating in the ever changing weather and complex airspace surrounding Southwest Michigan makes WMU the ideal place to begin an aviation career as professional pilot. I am very satisfied with my decision to teach at WMU, especially after going through the rigorous initial training at SkyWest and seeing the various experiences of other new pilots and the benefit of possessing the experience I earned at WMU. There can be quicker ways to build hours, but consider the importance of quality and depth of experience which directly translates into future success for the rest of your professional aviation career and after this consideration take a look at how instructing at WMU can be a great career move.