OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Becoming a pilot for a major airline is no easy task, but it is a dream that UNO student Garrett Ferguson has had since he was a kid.
“I grew up across the street from the Lincoln airport in Lincoln, Nebraska. I would always see the planes flying overhead and as a kid that was one of the coolest thing you know. Just getting to look up and see planes flying over you. You think that is really something cool I could get into,” said Garret
Thankfully for Ferguson, there is a huge demand for his dream job.
Consulting firm Oliver Wyman estimated earlier this year that the industry is facing a shortage of nearly 8,000 pilots and that shortage is only continuing to grow.
One major airline has partnered with a select group of universities across the country to keep flights in the air to find the most talented young pilots to add to their rosters, and that partnership has now made its way to Omaha.
“It's a great boost and it's really a win-win for the industry and UNO. We know we have a pilot supply issue isn't the industry now so the airlines are coming to us now looking for the top talent and we are happy to provide it,” said Dr. Becky Lutte, associate professor with UNO’s Aviation Institute.
UNO is now the newest partner of United Airlines Aviate program.
Aviate takes talented young pilots and provides them one on one resources and firsthand expertise from experienced pilots to help get them through the early stages of their career, with the promise of a job as a pilot with United Airlines should they successfully complete the program.
“We are taking the guesswork out of your career. We give you a conditional job offer upon acceptance into the aviate program and they just keep flying and building their hours then they transfer to United without another interview,” said Monica Frain, a pilot with United Airlines involved in the program.
Only a few universities in the country partner with the Aviate program, giving UNO students a leg up on the competition.
It is an exciting development for UNO's Aviation Institute and one that Ferguson can’t wait to take advantage of.
“Even when I first started flight training we didn’t know that anything like this existed so this is a huge boost for us to get up into that cockpit and eventually into that captain’s seat and start doing what airlines pilots do and what we all dreamed of doing. It's awesome we are all super excited about it,” said Ferguson
The program will consider pilots with any amount of experience, from those who still are working towards their pilot’s license or more experienced pilots like Ferguson.
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