Inaugural JetBlue ‘Gateway Select’ Pilot Trainees One Step Closer to Becoming Commercial Pilots
April 23 2018 - 3:31PM
Business Wire
Candidates Will Now Work as Flight Instructors
at CAE Phoenix to Gain the Required Hours for their Airline
Transport Pilot Certificate
As the First Class Successfully Completes
Training, New Applicants Can Apply Now at
http://pilots.jetblue.com/gateway-select
JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) today announced the first graduation of
candidates from the training portion of its innovative pilot
recruiting pathway - Gateway Select, the airline’s competency-based
training program for aspiring pilots. The first group of pilots has
completed their primary classroom, technical and flight training
and will now continue on a path to receiving their Airline
Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate by earning their FAA-mandated
1,500 hours of flying time as flight instructors. After instructing
for two years, they will begin flying as first officers at JetBlue,
as early as 2020.
“Following a rigorous selection process and extensive training,
we’re proud to see the first cohort complete the training portion
of our Gateway Select program,” said Warren Christie, senior vice
president of safety, security and air operations, JetBlue. “This
milestone with the first class further proves our competency-based
pathway works and provides a new path of entry for those who never
saw commercial aviation as a career option.”
JetBlue partners with CAE (NYSE:CAE)(TSX:CAE) to deliver Gateway
Select’s training curriculum. This milestone is the first from this
innovative program which trains high-quality pilots based on
aptitude. The program is being completed in cohort classes. There
are currently four classes in various stages of the program ranging
from private pilot training through positions as Flight
Instructors.
Cohort one started in August 2016 and has completed the training
curriculum portion of the program. This first class went through
airline and skills-based training at JetBlue’s state-of-the art
training campus – JetBlue University in Orlando, and gained flying
experience at CAE Phoenix, CAE’s aviation academy in Mesa, AZ. As
flight instructors, the candidates will pass the baton providing
flight instruction to Cohort three, currently in the finishing
stages of their classroom learning.
“Gateway Select was designed to help make pilot careers more
accessible to a broader range of candidates,” Christie said. “We
remain committed to recruiting a diverse talent pipeline with our
seven Gateway Programs by continuing to partner with colleges,
technical schools and other organizations that also seek to make
the commercial pilot ranks more accessible.”
“CAE is proud to be the training partner of choice of this
historic cadet creation program,” said Nick Leontidis, CAE’s Group
president, Civil Aviation Training Solutions. “It is part of our
mission to grow and train tomorrow’s pilots to the highest
standards. Congratulations to the first cohort of JetBlue’s Gateway
Select future pilots.”
As JetBlue commemorates this milestone, the airline is currently
accepting applications for the next round of candidates slated to
start training as early as fall of 2018. Applications and more
information on the Gateway Select program will be available at
http://pilots.jetblue.com/gateway-select.
Gateway Select Pilot Training Program - The Gateway
Select program provides participants with the opportunity to become
JetBlue pilots after completing a rigorous multi-year training
program which encompasses classroom learning, extensive real-world
flying experience and instruction in full-flight simulators.
Gateway Select candidates go through a series of assessments based
on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) pilot
competencies and JetBlue’s own selection criteria.
JetBlue partners with CAE, leveraging CAE’s experience in
delivering competency-based training programs to airlines
throughout the world, to deliver Gateway Select’s training
curriculum. Gateway Select takes the best from training programs
used by the U.S. military and international airlines and applies
the safety standards and federal requirements for current pilots.
The Pilot trainees came from a diverse set of backgrounds and
professional experiences, including a heavy machine operator, a
supermarket sales clerk and an accountant.
How It Works
Pilot trainees complete a series of training phases with
guidance and mentorship from JetBlue to build the skills and
experience required of a pilot for a major airline. The curriculum
is also aligned with JetBlue’s unique customer-focused culture.
- Trainees attend JetBlue University in
Orlando for two weeks to learn the fundamentals of aviation and
become acquainted with the company.
- Trainees continue to CAE Phoenix, CAE’s
aviation academy in Mesa, AZ for 30 weeks to develop core flying
skills. Upon completion, candidates receive their private pilot’s
license.
- Trainees then return to JetBlue
University for training on highly complex transport category
aircraft, concluding with a JetBlue Line Operational Evaluation
(LOE) and the completion of the Airline Transport Pilot –
Certification Training Program (ATP-CTP). Training includes the
safe and efficient operation of the Embraer 190 or the Airbus
320
- Next, trainees return to CAE Phoenix
for 12 weeks of additional FAA licensing requirements to receive
their Commercial single & multi-engine instrument ratings.
Trainees will then attend an instructor course to achieve their CFI
(certified flight instructor) and CFII (Certified Flight Instructor
– Instrument) qualifications and ratings. Upon completion, trainees
then begin working as entry-level salaried instructors for CAE’s
aviation academy while accumulating flight hours to achieve the
FAA’s 1,500 flight-hour requirement.
- Upon meeting the FAA and Gateway Select
requirements, pilots become new hires at JetBlue, where they
complete the same orientation and six-week instruction that all
first officers complete.
JetBlue hires hundreds of new pilots every year, recruiting
through its seven JetBlue Pilot Gateway programs®. These pilot
pathways include University Gateway, Transition Gateway, and
qualified first officer recruiting. Information about all of
JetBlue’s pilot recruitment pathways, including Gateway Select, can
be found at http://pilots.jetblue.com.
ABOUT JETBLUE
JetBlue is New York's Hometown Airline®, and a leading carrier
in Boston, Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood, Los Angeles (Long Beach),
Orlando, and San Juan. JetBlue carries more than 40 million
customers a year to 101 cities in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin
America with an average of 1,000 daily flights. For more
information please visit www.jetblue.com.
About CAE
CAE is a global leader in the delivery of training for the civil
aviation, defence and security, and healthcare markets. We design
and integrate the industry's most comprehensive training solutions,
anchored by the knowledge and expertise of our more than 8,500
employees, our world-leading simulation technologies and a track
record of service and technology innovation spanning seven decades.
Our global presence is the broadest in the industry, with 160 sites
and training locations in 35 countries, including our joint venture
operations, and the world's largest installed base of flight
simulators. Each year, we train more than 120,000 civil and defence
crewmembers, as well as thousands of healthcare professionals.
www.cae.com
Follow us on Twitter @CAE_Inc.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180423006355/en/
MEDIAJetBlue Corporate CommunicationsTel:
+1-718-709-3089corpcomm@jetblue.comorCAE:General
Media:Hélène V. Gagnon, 514-340-5536Vice President, Public
Affairs and Global Communicationshelene.v.gagnon@cae.comorTrade
Media:Frédéric Morais, 514-506-8331Director, Marketing &
Strategy, Civil Aviation Training
Solutionsfrederic.morais@cae.com
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