Full BSc Aviation Degree
and US airline pilot internship

Why enroll with AeroCadet?

We will start by telling you a "big secret": getting into the world’s best airlines is not just about having the minimum required pilot licenses. In reality, it never has been. Pilots who have the highest chances of getting their dream jobs with the top aviation companies are those with a working strategy to stand out among other candidates. Be different. Be special. Dazzle the airline's recruitment team with their level of experience, knowledge, qualifications and employment references. Anyone who wants to become successful in the tough, meticulous and demanding world of commercial aviation needs to know how to focus his or her efforts in order to achieve the airline hiring standards requirements in a quick and efficient way. And get the dream job they always wanted.

With a personalized team of strategists, career mentors, and airline employment consultants, Aerocadet provides you with the insight you need to stand out as a top pilot job applicant, so you find yourself in the best position to get that prestigious airline job offer you worked so hard for!

What recruitment standards do top airlines actually have?

Let's face it: the airlines will not hire a 200-hour CPL holder to pilot their multi-million dollar jets. Most airlines have fairly high pilot recruitment standards. And the goal of any student pilot is to achieve sufficient flight time, licensing and aeronautical experience to become employable by such airlines. Most of our international students are targeting first officer employment positions with the leading well-paid and highly prestigious passenger carriers such as Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, Cathay Pacific, Eva, AHK, Fly Dubai, ANA, and so on - the companies that hire international pilots from a wide range of citizenship and ethnic backgrounds to work on 3-, 5- or even 10-year contracts. However, these coveted airline positions require job applicants to hold qualifications that newly-minted commercial pilots just can not achieve straight out of the flight school. Such requirements normally include, but not limited to: full, unrestricted Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) issued by a recognized ICAO member state (preferably from a developed, English-speaking country, such as U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia and so on - this guarantees that student has a high level of English command - a skill that airlines consider extremely important, and that he/she did not just bribe their way through the flight school - sadly, a practice which commonly plagues flight training industry in many developing countries), significant aeronautical experience (over 1500 hours), including a balanced combination of propeller and turbine/jet flight time. How would a 200-hour CPL holder who just completed his or her flight training program be able to achieve such high qualifications and experience? Paying for that sort of flight time could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The conundrum of gaining the initial transitional aeronautical experience dismays so many new pilots sending them searching for dangerous, desperate, underpaying jobs, such as bush-flying or banner-towing. Some simply give up on their dreams in frustration and let their pilot licenses expire, leaving aviation for employment in other industries. But guess what? It does not have to be this way.

AeroCadet consultants, most of whom are active or retired airline pilots with formidable experience behind their shoulders, have developed a range of unique fully-integrated flight training and internship programs that offer our students a simple solution to the transitional experience problem: our students can undergo a unified training program that takes them from Zero experience-level (or any other level they have already achieved) to a full ICAO (FAA) Airline Transport Pilot License, gaining a lot of valuable propeller and/or turbine experience in the process, thus meeting all the pilot recruitment requirements for the major airlines that hire contract pilots for long-term, full-time, well-paid positions.

How does this program achieve its objectives?

The BSA-US program is unique: a very few flight training facilities in the World offer a full Airline Transport Pilot License program because it requires at least 1500 hours of flight time in various flight regimes. However, we are able to offer you this program because our FTP is an accredited by the FAA flight academy which has a special permission from the USCIS to issue our students not just a regular flight training visa (M-1) but a full academic visa (F-1). Such visa allows our students to study and, after the achievement of CPL and CFI licenses, undergo structured pilot internships as certified flight instructors in the United States, regardless of their country of citizenship. In contrast, a regular flight student M-1 visa does not effort any internship opportunities. The F-1 visa internships allow our graduates to build enough flight time to qualify for a full, unrestricted FAA/ICAO Airline transport Pilot License. Yes, a real deal. Not a "Frozen" ATPL (which is just another form of a basic 200-hour CPL), not a "Restricted" ATPL (again it's just a fancy name for a basic CPL), but a full, unrestricted ATPL. The one that the World airlines actually want their pilots to have at the recruitment events and career fares. The one that comes with the real-life employment experience, employer recommendation letters, safety records, etc - all serving as proof that some other companies have already entrusted this pilot with expensive airplanes and priceless lives and he or she did not disappoint. This is the assurance that the world-class airlines want from the resumes of the pilots they are looking to hire.

More and over, our advanced pilot internship partners are able to conditionally offer U.S. and international commercial pilot internship options to all our graduates in order to ensure that students continue developing their aviation careers and widen their aeronautical experience thus becoming more competitive on the current airline employment market. This is why, upon completion of all the internships offered to our students, our company guarantees comprehensive airline employment placement program for pilots who want to work in the leading airlines based in the Middle East, South-East Asia, Central America and Europe.

This program is structured in such a way that every segment leads our students to the ultimate goal: employment in the l;eading airlines. The program is divided into the following stages:

Total approximate duration of the program is four (4) years, including flight instructor and airline pilot internships. All stages of flight training are conducted in the United States to a very high standard by an accredited aeronautical college (Aviator College of Aeronautical Science and Technology).

Detailed explanation of the program outline and its segments:

At this stage, 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 knowledge of English. our requirements are simple: high school diploma (or higher), English knowledge on upper-intermediate level or better, international passport and good health with no disqualifying conditions (see full list of enrollment requirements here >>>) Once all requirements are satisfied, the student will be furnished with the flight training agreement, visa support paperwork, preliminary aviation training study materials and TSA security clearance. 

After arrival in the United States at our flight training center, a student will undergo a short FAA pilot medical. After this, student will start his/her theoretical and practical training: ground school and flying. We aim to conduct at least 3-4 hours of ground school every day and 2-3 hours of flight training together with the ground school. The flight training segment will be subdivided into Private, Instrument, Commercial courses, each giving the student a higher aeronautical license and grade. After completion of this phase, the student will be fully certified Commercial Pilots with FAA/ICAO licenses, rated to operate single-engine, multi-engine aircraft both in normal (VMC) and limited visibility (IMC) conditions. It takes 200 flight hours to complete this stage

Students will then proceed to obtaining their Certified Flight Instructor license with instrument and multi-engine instructor ratings. This is necessary to facilitate the internship phase of our program which allows students to work as commercial pilot flight instructors and start building valuable flight time, as well as getting paid for their work. It takes 25 flight hours to complete this stage

Student, or at this point, a fully-qualified FAA commercial pilot and a flight instructor, will be offered opportunity to work as a flight instructor in our academy under the CPT (Curricular Practical Training) program on their F-1 visa. During this period, student may obtain up to 500 hours of additional total 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 multi-crew environment. In addition, student will also start his academic phase of the degree program, taking classes in non-aviation related electives. It takes 500 flight hours and 6 months to complete this stage.

The student's F-1 visa also offers a unique opportunity to continie working as flight instructors under the OPT (Optional Practical Training) program inside or outside of the college campus. Such program allows pilots to build additional piston time, up to 1500 hours total. It takes additional 750 flight hours and 12 months to complete this stage.

By the time all academics and flight instructor internship phases are completed (see stages 1-5), the student will be able to graduate with an Associateof Aeronautical Science college degree (AAS). Upon completion of this stage, student can re-enroll into the Bachelor's degree program. Graduation takes 1 day.

In order to be eligible for the airline employment in the United States, a pilot must hold an ATP license. The FAA allows students who have earned an AAS degree to take a full Airline Transport Pilot license exam with only 1250 total flight hours (instead of 1500 which are normally required). At this stage, the student will take 1 FAA ATPL (Pt 121) theoretical exam, and 1 FAA ATPL practical check-ride. Upon completion, student will be eligible for airline internship with the regional airlines in the US. It takes 1-2 weeks to complete this phase.

Having an ATPL is not enough for the legal airline employment in the U.S. A foreign student also needs to also have a work permit. The employment permit is achieved by re-enrollment into the degree program to continue studies to level of the Bachelor of Science in Aviation. Once student re-enrolls, he/she will be again eligible for the OPT internship for up to 24 months.

Having obtained an ATPL and OPT internship authorization, student can apply for airline internship with the leading regional airlines in the U.S. Our most common employer is SkyWest Airlines (CRJ-700/900, ERJ-175), Silver Air (ATR-42), and many more. During this time, student will be required to take academics using college's online module system. However, student will also be required to take some classes on campus. Because airline pilots and pilot interns enjoy completely free travel all over the United States, commuting from student's airline back to college campus for some an-campus modules will be very inexpensive. Please note: the airlines in the U.S. always fully-sponsor command (PIC) type-rating for the type of aircraft that they assign to the pilot to operate, so student does not need to worry about any additional type-rating expenses.

At the end of the aforementioned 24-hour period, student would have worked as an airline pilot, building over 1000 hours on a passenger jet, completed 60 academic credits towards the BSc degree, and earned all the requirements for graduation with the BSc degree.

In a competitive airline employment market, any pilot with such high-quality credentials as Bachelor's Degree in Aviation from an accredited U.S. college, a full ICAO/FAA ATP license, over 2500 hours of total time, and over 1000 hours on a passenger jet as a first officer, will have no problems obtaining employment even in the most prestigious airlines. We are certain of that, that Aerocadet guarantees permanent employment placement assistance service with the leading airlines in the Middle East, Asia and South America to any graduating student within 6 months of graduation. Such airlines include, but not limited to: Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, ANA, Eva Air, Cathay Pacific, Peach Air, Lion Air, Copa Airlines, and many more.

For those students who want to continue working in the U.S. airlines, we can assist with the legal representation to apply for the EB1A visa ("extraordinary ability") which has proven to be an effective way of obtaining permanent residency permit in the United States. Such application requires recommendation letters from our company, from the flight training facility, from the internship airlines and some additional professional connections.

Students will receive the following amount of flight training hours during the licensing phases of the program:

Students will receive the following flight crew licenses during this program:

The Bachelors of Science in Aeronautical Sciences shares the same core foundation courses offered in our Associate of Science in Aeronautical Sciences. Like the AS Degree the BS degree is centered on the Commercial Pilot certification under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 141 and is designed as a more in depth academic approach to flight training. The BS degree curriculum permits students to further their subject matter expertise by providing upper level courses in the following subject matter areas:

For students with existing aviation-related knowledge and skills, this degree recognizes and acknowledges a student’s valuable acquired academic experience through the award of advanced standing for prior-learning credit up to and including an accredited Associate degree that encompasses our AS degree content, or the transfer of a comparable set of courses and FAA ratings from an accredited college of university. The curriculum then builds on that coursework and knowledge and becomes a “2 Plus 2” degree program. The combination of robust aviation courses, as well as structured curriculum in the humanities, social sciences, mathematics, and physical sciences will prepare or enhance graduates’ careers as professional pilots.

Students may elect one of the following concentration:

1. Flight Education | 2. EASA Professional Pilot | 3. Airline Pilot

Flight Education: This concentration is designed for students interested in pursuing a career as an aviation educator. This concentration is also best suited for the student new to the aviation industry who need to gain additional flight time while acting as a qualified flight instructor.

EASA Professional Pilot: This concentration has been designed to provide the additional certification requirements to obtain the “frozen” European Airline Pilot License and act as a commercial pilot under the European Aviation Safety Agency regulations.

Airline Pilot: This concentration applies to students with existing aviation-related knowledge and skills, by acknowledging a student’s valuable acquired experience as a Commercial or Military Pilot through the award of advanced standing prior-learning credit. The curriculum then builds on those skills and knowledge. This concentration also provides an opportunity for those students new to the aviation industry to acquire airline-specific knowledge through aviation-related coursework and experience. ​

Core Plan of Study

Optional Concentrations

During the primary stage of training, flight students may elect to stay either on or off-campus.The campus is located in Fort Pierce, Florida. The quality of campus accommodation is comparable to any public American college or university campuses, and includes such amenities as swimming pool, dining hall, air conditioning, cable TV, high speed Internet, pilot shop and access to other student services. Students are offered standard shared room accommodation (two people in one room) and have an upgrade option to a non-shared accommodation. 

Campus is located only a few minutes walk from the airport and approximately 10-15 minutes from the beach. Please review the campus details here >>>

Tuition fees:

The full program cost estimate includes: Flight Fees: $58,747 USD; Academic tuition fees: $56,135 USD; on Campus shared room for 12 months: $6,600 USD; books and equipment, FAA writtens and checkride exams, key card, mailbox fee, non-refundable housing deposit, wi-fi, administrative fees: $ 6,840.00; int. internship placement fees: $1,750.00.

Scholarships:

The college offers academic achievement scholarship of $20,000 USD for students who maintain 3.5 GPA through their flight training and academic program. The scholarship is paid in the following format: $15,000 for the initial two-yeat AAS program (phases 1-6); $5,000 for the subsequent two-yeat Bsc program (phases 7-10);

*cost without scholarship for students who are unable to maintain 3.5 GPA: $130,000 USD

So, what is included in the above cost?

Internship earnings:

Flight students are able to work as flight instructors upon completion of their CPL and CFI licenses (phases 4-6). This internship program does not just offer a unique opportunity to gain valuable command flight time, but also give students an ability to earn a small salary. Normally, instructors are able to fly up to 80 hours per month, and get paid at $20 USD per flight hour. This way, flight instructors will earn up to $1600 USD per months, during each month of their 18-month CFI internship.

Further, students will be able to continue working as airline pilots during the BSc stage of their training (phases 7-10). Just like the CFI internship, the airline pilot internship is paid by the airline at a rate of $45 per flight hour during year 1, and $50 per flight hour during year 2. Pilots will be limited to flying 80 hours per month, thus making approximately $3,600 USD p/m during their first year of internship, and approximately $4,000 per montth during the second year. (Salaries are estimated only, and based on the SkyWest Airlines pay-rates. Other airline pay-rates may slightly vary)

Additinal Discounts

Also, some students will be eligible to additional discounts. The discounts include the following items:

Required Bank Balance for U.S. Student Visa Approval

Due to Department of State and US Immigration requirements, applicant must demonstrate a balance of approximately $135,000 USD on his/her account or a sponsor's account, upon applying for the US Student visa. This is required to ensure that student has sufficient funds to pay for tuition, accommodation, living expenses (food, transport, etc) even if he/she is unable to obtain scholarship. 

Please note: the aforementioned balance may be presented to the United States Consulate as a combination of two or more balances on the applicant's account/s or his/her sponsor's account/s.

Our academy does not require students to pay for the entire flight training program in advance. We have a payment structure that needs to be followed by all students, with some exception. Students must submit the following payments:

Please note: terms and conditions for the security deposit refund are outlined in the flight training agreement, which students are required to sign upon enrollment and before any payments are due. Security deposit is required to ensure that students are sticking with the outlined flight program and do not skip the outlined program to live and work in the U.S. illegally.

Our company can provide administrative support for students to obtain Financial Aid from their respective banks and financial institutions. Such support is offered by providing conditional employment offer letters and training bond contracts. Read the details here >>>

Please note: Aerocadet does not provide flight training sponsorships. Please read the student loan information located via the above link thoroughly before applying for enrollment. 

To enroll into this program, an applicant must have the following documents:

If you need a personal consultation regarding the flight training program, please email one of our highly qualified consultants with a full list of your questions, and receive a structured response within 24 hours.

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