How High Schools Could Solve Airline Shortages and Delays

Airlines saw a huge loss of their workforce coming out of the peak of the pandemic. Many of us have felt the effects with increased flight delays and cancellations due to these crew shortages.

The situation is only going to get worse: By 2029, there will be no pilots of the Baby Boomer generation legally allowed to fly a commercial plane. Reacting to proposals to increase the age ceiling, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg believes that “the answer is not to keep the Baby Boomer generation in the cockpit indefinitely. The answer is to make sure we have as many and as good pilots ready to take their place, to have a stronger pipeline.”

But only in the United States do major airlines insist their pilots have a bachelor’s degree — an expensive and unnecessary requirement that locks out many prospective pilots — in addition to a pilot license and flight experience.

So in one effort by airlines to address the pilot shortage, nearly all major U.S. airlines have now dropped their bachelor’s degree requirement for pilots. Delta Airlines took this step in January 2022, and even the renowned FedEx air fleet, the last major holdout, is rumored to be following suit. Now, experienced pilots without bachelor’s degrees are suddenly getting interviews that they never would have been considered for in the past.

So, does this mean the pilot shortage problem is solved?

Of course not. But now, the U.S. education and training system has an unprecedented opportunity to get young people into a stable career as an airline pilot without requiring an expensive four-year degree. Schools and partners have to step up and develop those opportunities for young people to build the stronger pilot pipeline that Secretary Buttigieg talked about.

In Philadelphia, String Theory School, a charter school serving students from underrepresented backgrounds, has a new innovative program unlike any other across the country. It allows 16-year-old high school students to obtain their private pilot license through both on-campus and formal, local flight school training. By senior year, students get their private pilot license, as well as several key pilot certifications, including a Flight Instructor Certification (CFI). With a CFI, students can immediately become flight instructors after graduation to earn money while gaining more flight hours. This is important because these flight hours are the golden ticket for eligibility to join a major airline.

And unlike similar programs that feel “out of reach for students,” like the Aviate Academy touted by Secretary Buttigieg offering the same credentials for $89,000, String Theory School has no cost for the students whatsoever. Anthony Miller, Chief Climate and Culture Officer at String Theory School, says that “most kids could have never dreamed of” attending pilot training and now with their program, “you have a whole set of kids excited to be pilots and not having the barrier.”

The school offers an impressive looking flight simulator right on campus where students can train for free. There’s also research projects, business courses, and other “ground school” theory coursework before even getting into the cockpit. Once they are juniors, students start their summers by getting free transportation to nearby Northeast Philadelphia Airport to start practical training with Fly Legacy Aviation, a flight school that offers Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified programs for pilots. By 18, these students are certified flight instructors who can begin a job immediately with Fly Legacy.

Through Fly Legacy’s Purdue University partnership, students can also earn 45 aviation-related college credits for completing five online courses. This means that by the time they become instructors, they also have a bachelor's degree from Purdue for a fraction of the cost and time. Because a degree is no longer required to be a pilot in many cases, only about 30 to 40 percent of Fly Legacy’s students choose to pay for this option, even at its discounted and accelerated rate.

Here’s the real kicker: Once students have enough flight hours, Fly Legacy also has a partnership with Piedmont Airlines — a subsidiary of American Airlines — where students can flow directly from a First Officer position with Piedmont to a First Officer position with American Airlines, no interview required.

“The U.S. education and training system now has an unprecedented opportunity to get young people into a stable career as an airline pilot without requiring an expensive four-year degree.”

All said and done, String Theory School offers a high schooler a direct, completely free pathway to a pilot job with American Airlines all by the time they reach 21 years old.

String Theory School has been seeking more funding to allow more underrepresented students to partake in this highly-coveted pilot program. “The interest is overwhelming,” Miller stated. “On day one, we had 80 kids sign up… Unfortunately, we can’t do more than 30 to 40 students.”

Strong Theory School’s pilot program is made possible by String Theory School Co-founder Jason Corosanite’s hard work navigating Pennsylvania’s Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program, which the school qualifies for as an approved EITC foundation. But the program is expensive and String Theory School is looking for companies to become donors so the program can grow and sustain. They have even tried to connect directly with major airlines, such as American Airlines, and receive funds to train their pipeline. Despite some skepticism from potential donors about 16-year-old students learning to fly planes, String Theory School ensures and proves to its donors that they have “the space, the technology, and the capacity” to make it successful.

The efforts are already paying off for students who have started this new program. “I had an email from a mom last year that spent years trying to motivate her son in school,” Miller explained. “She said this program changed his life and gave him something to work towards… Now, he’s one of the better pilots.”

Furthermore, since the degree requirement dropped, many have taken advantage and have become pilots for major airlines: Justin Mutawassim dreamed of becoming a pilot and finally landed the role with Delta without a bachelor’s degree. So the hope is not only that String Theory School can expand its own program to bring more pilots into the pipeline, but for other high schools and districts to take on this idea for their own students.

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