Frequent Questions
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Point-by-point comparison of Aerocadet's fast-track vs degree programs
All you need to know about the program goals, and why this program is right for you.
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 airline pilot candidate, so you find yourself in the best position to get that prestigious airline job offer you worked so hard for!
Let's face it: the airlines will not hire a 200-hour CPL holder to pilot their multi-million dollar jets. So, the goal of any student pilot is to achieve sufficient flight time and aeronautical experience to become employable by the leading and major airlines. However, such airlines require pilots to hold an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) issued by a recognized ICAO member state and have significant aeronautical experience, including a balanced combination of propeller and turbine flight time. Our Airline Transport Pilot program offers the students exactly that: an ability to study from Zero experience to a full ICAO (FAA) Airline Transport Pilot License and gain a lot of valuable flight time - just what the airlines are looking for when they review new candidate's resumes.
Our flight training programs are engineered by our aviation training consultants: current and former airline pilots, flight instructors and other esteemed aviation professionals who have extensive work experience as pilots in Canada, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Our consultant are well aware of the challenges that newly-qualified commercial pilots face after they complete flight training. We build on these program's architect's extensive experience, allowing our graduates to overcome such obstacles with ease.
Our programs are unique, because they guarantees high quality, internationally recognized ICAO pilot licenses, simultaneously affording program graduates an opportunity to apply for pilot internship as flight instructors for 12-18 months. Upon completion of the flight training and internship phases, students will have a valuable opportunity to work in North America either as pilot interns or as permanent residents, or both.
Programs allow students to achieve full, unrestricted ICAO Airline Transport Pilot License pilot certification, with over 2500+ hours of total aeronautical experience and unrestricted amount of passenger jet experience.
These licenses and flight experience will make you fully airline-employmen-ready, and thus eligible for direct entry First Officer employment with the leading airlines in US Canada, Middle East, Asia and most World regions.
Let's review the main program differences in the tabular format, and we will discuss each difference point separately.
Program details |
Fast-track |
Academic |
Program duration |
24-36 months |
4-5 years |
Degree upon graduation |
No |
Yes |
ICAO ATP License |
Yes |
Yes |
ICAO Instructor License |
Yes |
Yes |
US airline pilot internship |
No |
Yes |
Canada airline pilot internship |
Yes |
Yes |
US permanent residency option |
No |
No |
Canada permanent residency option |
Yes |
Yes |
Required for regional employment? |
Yes |
No |
Permanent employment international |
Yes |
Yes |
Estimated cost of training |
$70,000 USD |
$130,000 USD |
Annual salary during CFI internship |
$20,000 |
$20,000 |
Cost of airline internship extension |
$0 (Canada) |
N/A |
Associate/BSc degree (if extended) |
Yes |
Yes |
Aerocadet, currently, has integrated academic degree programs in the United States only. The reason for that is purely due to the US airline pilot internship regulations: if a student wants to undergo an airline pilot internship in the US, they have to complete two sets of CPT and OPT internships: the first set of 18-month CPT/OPT internship from 200 hours to 1500 hours as a flight instructor after graduating from the Associate degree program (Academic, 2 years) or after graduating from any of our fast-track programs (which are non-academic), and then another set of 18-month CPT/OPT internship as an airline pilot at regional airlines in the US. The second set is only possible if a student enrolls into an extended academic program (in this case - Bachelor of Science, which is 2 more years in addition to the Associate degree program, which also takes 2 years) and applies for another 18-month CPT/OPT internship. Therefore, a full academic degree program makes sense only for those students who: (1) need an aviation degree, and/or (2) want to undergo an 18-month regional airline pilot internship on an F-1 visa in the United States. In such case, the total duration of a full academic program will be as follows:
| - 12 months of training (CPL, CFI, AAS Degree), then |
| - 18 months of instructor internship, then |
| - 6-12 months of academics (BSc degree), then |
| - another 18 months of hybrid academics and airline internship. |
So, that’s about 5 years, total. (That’s still a year faster than most traditional degree programs, which take 6 years, but we will talk about them further).
The Canadian internship laws are very different from those of the US. Unlike the US, Canada has a direct pathway for flight students to transition from the initial internship (using Post-Graduate Work Permit program, 12 months) to the permanent residency (through the “Canada Experience Class” program, unlimited duration) without a need to extend degree study programs. So, in Canada there are no legal requirements to engage in a protracted academic study program to qualify for the airline internship, and even a permanent residence. Therefore, we do not need an extensive academic degree coursework in Canada to be integrated into our core (and preferred) fast-track practical pilot training program. However, it doesn’t mean that a degree program is not available for our students in Canada. Read on to learn more…
United States and Canada both have fully accredited “Bachelor of Science in Aviation” degree programs which are designed for 100% online study. Such program are available only for those students who already completed an FAA or Transport Canada practical curriculum (anywhere, in any flight school) and currently hold valid government-issued commercial (CPL) or airline pilot licenses (ATPL). Each pilot license carries its own and specific to its grade academic accreditation (we call it “academic credits”). For example, a sole CPL holder can get as many academic credits as a degree student who has already completed approximately 1 year of studies out of a 4-year BSc degree program. That’s about 30 academic credits. In another example, a CPL & CFI license holder can get as many academic credits as someone who has completed approximately 1.5 years of study out of a 4-year BSc degree program. That’s about 45 academic credits. Finally, if a pilot has over 1500 hours of flight time, holds a full unrestricted ATPL and a CFI license (which is what most of our fast-track program graduates have upon completion of training and internship phases of their programs either in the US or Canada), then he/she may be given as many as 60 academic credits, equaling to approximately 2 years of degree studies out of a full 4-year BSc Aviation Science college degree program.
Please note: these estimated license accreditations apply only to Bachelor in Aviation Science degree programs. Non-aviation degree programs, obviously, will not accredit pilot licenses academically. A full BSc degree program required a student to earn 120 academic credits. Normally, students earn 30 credits per year. It is, however, possible to take a lot more academic credits. Most online degree programs allow pilots to take as many as 12-18 academic credits per 3-month semester term, which could result in as many as 48-72 credits per year. So, the remaining 60 academic credits could be achieved in just 1 year, instead of standard 2. However, to be realistic, you can expect to complete 9 academic credits per semester - 36 per year - if you work for an airline and study online at the same time.
So, if a fast-track program graduate needs a full BSc degree, he/she can simply enroll into an accredited online degree program, constructed specifically for already certified pilots, and finish an entire 4-year BSc degree course in under 2 years. Or even under 1 year.
Such new method of earning an aviation degree has several advantages for the budget- and time-concerned students. Let’s outline them below:
| 1. It costs less. The typical cost for such a degree program for certified ATP pilots with over 1500 hours is approx $10,000 USD per year, or approx. $20,000 total (of degree is accomplished in just 2 years). Again, if a pilot takes 12-18 academic credits per semester, the entire degree will cost just $10,000. |
| 2. It allows you to fly and earn good income while studying. This is a typical choice for a lot of pilots with an ATP who take a regional airline job, which pays around $40,000 - 75,000 USD per year, and then use free time during the scheduled flights and days off (about 85% of your airline flight time will be on autopilot and, hence, completely conducive to learning academic aviation subjects in the cockpit. It is also legal, as soon as you use approved electronic devices) to complete their degree studies. Also, a normal amount of days off in the US and Canada for an airline pilot is 15. That’s half a month of free time. The course written exams are taken 100% online while being remote-delivered to your laptop and controlled via a laptop video camera by a specialist examination company or university exams controller. So, Pilots don’t need to ever visit a college campus to earn their degrees. This saves time and money and expedites the learning process. |
| 3. It’s faster. The traditional way of gaining pilot licenses, aviation degrees and flight experience through an integrated program normally goes as following: an integrated BSc in Aviation and a CPL license phase (takes 4 years), then a CFI license phase (takes 4-6 months), then working as flight instructor until pilot archives 1500 hours and passed an ATP exam phase (takes 18-24 months). So, the total time this traditional route takes for a pilot to become airline-employment-ready, takes about 6 years. In contrast, the new route, which takes advantage of the new online learning technologies and freshly-accredited online academic study programs, looks like this: 0-CPL, CFI fast-track phase (takes 12-18 months), then 1500 hours, plus ATP license phase (takes 18 months). Then regional airline employment, while completing BSc in aviation phase (takes 1-2 years). So, the total time this new route takes to become airline-employment-ready is only about 2.5-3 years. And only then, a pilot can complete his/her degree while already working, making good income, and, most importantly - building valuable jet time in a regional airline. |
But what if an airline requires a degree for employment? Read on to find out answers…
The good news, is that no “starter airlines” (that’s what we call regional airlines which fly regional jets, such as CRJ-700/900 or ERJ-145/175 - basically any airline which operates jets with passenger capacity of under 75 pax) actually require a full BSc degree. So, just to reiterate: no regional airlines in the US or Canada have a degree requirement. Only a full ATP and 1500 hours are required for such employment. Some airlines, however, may prefer candidates who hold an ATP and a degree, or at least currently (upon application) enrolled into a full BSc online program. But again, it’s not a requirement. It’s just a preference. With the current pilot deficit, such preference rarely affects pilot’s chances of getting employment with the regional airlines.
What about the major airlines? “Majors” are airlines that operate mid-range and wide-body jets, such as A320, B737, A330, B777 and so on. Again, not a problem in most world regions. The majority of “major” airlines in the Middle East and Asia - the primary employment market for our graduates - do not require an aviation degree. Check out hiring requirements for direct entry airline pilots into such Middle East “majors” as Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, Fly Dubai, Saudia, etc; or such Asian “majors” as Cathay Pacific, Eva Air, AHK, Dragon Air, Hong Kong Airlines, Lion Air, Air Asia, Asiana, Vietnam Airlines and so on: none of them have any degree requirements at all. So, if you are planing to work for one those airlines during your aviation career - you will not need an academic degree of any kind. Just a high school diploma will be sufficient. Finally, only some major airlines in North America, EU and Asia, such as Delta, United, American, Air Canada, British Airways, Lufthansa, Singapore, Qantas, and so on, may require a full BSc degree for employment.
Yes, a lot of major airlines prefer their candidates to have a full degree, but most do not require it. That’s why it’s not a bad idea to use your free time in one of the “beginner airlines”, while you are getting your initial jet experience, to earn a full Aviation BSc degree. Just in case. It will take only 1-2 years and will cost you a fraction of your annual salary. It’s easy and affordable. And, most of all, it’s a smart a efficient way of earning a degree using the modern online learning technologies.
Guess what? The full BSc degree requirements among most major airlines in the US and Canada are not actually exclusive or specific to the aviation degrees. Most “majors” will consider applicants with pretty much any Bachelor (BSc or BA) degree for employment. Normally, preference goes to degree holders in the following descending order of priority:
| (1) BSc degree in Aviation; |
| (2) BSc degree in any other technical discipline; |
| (3) BA degree in any non-technical discipline; |
| (4) Associate degree in any technical discipline; |
| (5) Associate degree in any non-technical discipline. |
So, if you already have a degree, any degree, your chances of getting airline employment in the “majors” are very good.
First of all, Aerocadet offers a degree pathway for CPL holders who have low flight time - under 300 hours. Check out our “Pathway to Degree” program here >>>
If you already have an ATP and 1500 hours, you can enroll into a 100% online degree pathway though the following recommended by us, fully-accredited universities:
- Thomas Edison State University
- Liberty University
Yes, you can. Remember - it’s a 100% online program. It doesn’t matter where you are located physically. You can work for Eva Airlines in Taipei or Emirates in UAE, and still earn a 100% industry-accredited, 100% online aviation degree. If you hold a Transport Canada ATP, most universities will require you to convert it to the FAA (US) ATP. Such conversion takes only a few days because there is a special bilateral agreement between the FAA and TC: anyone who holds either of those licenses can convert them into one-another without the need to take any practical tests. So, just one medial, and one written exam - and you are done. Same goes to the Canadian universities.
The final decision on what route to take is, of course, yours! If you want a traditional American college experience, and if your time and money is not a major concern - you are completely justified to enroll into one of our integrated Academic degree programs, such as Full BSc in Aviation program in Florida. A full list of academic degree programs can be found here >>>
And if you want to take advantage of a modern, fast online learning pathway to a degree, or if you already have a degree, or if your budget and time is of a serious consideration to you - go ahead and complete one of our our fast-track programs here, and enroll into an online degree while you fly >>>
We hope this information will help you to make the most advantageous for your career aspirations decision. If you need a personal consultation - please schedule it via our online calendar.
Still confused? Contact one of our consultants for explanation
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.
Got a question? Hang on, maybe we got an answer for you right here!
Yes, you can. We do not require you to high grades, just a full certificate of secondary education.
Yes, you do.
Flight instructor internship is offered on discretionary basis by the FTP: the students will be able to apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) to continue working in Canada after the completion of training. The flight academy will be the final authority in determining whether or not the applicant is a suitable candidate for the internship as a flight instructor. The main factors considered by the academy will be: his/her performance during the training phase, professionalism, safety orientation, level or English knowledge and determination.
Airline pilot internship it is subject to approval by the Canadian Government: the foreign students who have studied at an accredited post-secondary school on a full-time basis, in a program of at least 2 years, may qualify to apply for a Permanent Canadian Residency status under the CAC program and, if approved, will be able to apply for an Airline Pilot Employment in any Canadian airline. To qualify, the foreign student must have completed the program on a Canadian campus at a Canadian FTP and achieved the educational and pilot licensing objectives required by the program. In addition, the foreign student must have worked for at least 12 months in a full-time, skilled position (see stage 4). The work experience must have been obtained after graduating from the program of study. (More details about this program can be located here >>>)
Yes, it is conditionally guaranteed: in case of unsuccessful application for the Canadian Experience Class (permanent residency), the students will be offered an internship as international ferry pilots with our direct partner, Global Air Holdings, operating out of Hong Kong SAR.
Yes, it is conditionally guaranteed: upon completion of flight training and internship phases,our company will offer the internship graduates a fully guaranteed and comprehensive airline employment placement assistance support for those who aspire to work in the Middle East, S.E. Asia, Central America and Europe, rather than Canada..
Yes, you can! If you have a current and valid ICAO PPL, you can get a discount of $10,200 USD from either the FPAP-1 program or a full AAS degree program.
Yes, shortly after arriving in Canada students can apply for work off- and on-campus. Students are not allowed to work only 20 hours per week and only in entry-level, basic-pay jobs.
No, You can only work in Canada and many other countries that hire international ex-patriat pilots, but U.S. is not one of them. All U.S. pilots must have a current Green Card or U.S. passport.
You can review the full Frequently Asked Questions section here >>>