The U.S. Department of Transportation recently began accepting proposals from flight schools that want to be part of the Forces to Flyers Research Initiative.
The initiative examines strategies for training military veterans as commercial pilots.
“This initiative will help address our country’s serious pilot shortage as well as provide a career path in aviation for our country’s veterans, to whom we owe so much,” said Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
Proposals will be used to determine which schools will receive federal funding to provide flight training to veterans and will establish the minimum requirements for veterans interested in participating in the initiative.
Schools selected to participate will offer veterans private-pilot certificates, instrument ratings,
Commercial-pilot certificates, multi-engine ratings, certified flight instructor (CFI) certificates and CFI-instrument (CFI-I) certificates.
One school in each of the following regions will be awarded a contract: Western Pacific/ Northwest/Mountain/Alaskan, Central/Great Lakes, Southwest, and Eastern/Southern.
The schools must be eligible to receive GI Bill funding reimbursement and be Federal Aviation Administration approved.
Proposals will be reviewed for the cost of training, past performance, and its classroom and flight training program.
A person earning a CFI-I certificate can be employed as a flight instructor and gain the flight hours needed to earn an airline transport pilot certificate.