The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has released its final Forces to Flyers report, assessing the initiative offering military veterans an opportunity to earn commercial pilot’s licenses and flight instructor certifications.
The report evaluated the three-year research initiative’s success in meeting project goals while also providing lessons for future efforts to assist veterans in obtaining flight training to become airline pilots.
“The Forces to Flyers demonstration project has helped veterans transition from military service to good-paying jobs as pilots,” Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said.
The USDOT and its Volpe National Transportation Systems Center established Forces to Flyers in response to the airline pilot shortage in 2017. The circumstances negatively impacted air services to small and rural communities nationwide.
Researchers sought to study pathways for entering the pilot workforce and identifying barriers to training and employment – and one portion of the research was the development of a flight training demonstration focused on providing flight training to veterans on an accelerated schedule at vocational flight schools.
The DOT’s analysis showed the Forces to Flyers demonstration resulted in 32 veterans earning a commercial pilot’s license with a multi-engine rating, which allows them to begin a career as a professional pilot. Airlines and private sector operators themselves may be in a strong position to recruit, screen, and train future pilots as the needs of the labor market change.