[Jacksonville, Florida, June 10] – Sterling Flight Training is excited to announce that enrollment is now open for Purdue University Global’s Professional Flight Program.
Through this premiere program students will complete their Bachelor of Science degree courses online through Purdue Global, while completing professional, Part 141-approved flight training at Sterling Flight Training LLC, a portfolio company of Wexford Capital LP, in Jacksonville, FL.
This new program is designed to get students flying immediately, taking them from private pilot to certified flight instructor (CFI) in a few years or less, shortening the timeline to becoming a professional pilot. Upon reaching CFI status participants enrolled in the program can begin teaching fellow students and earn compensation for their work, in addition to flight hours, which can help with education costs and living expenses. Graduates of the program will leave with a Bachelor of Science in Professional Flight as well as the essential skills and flight hours required by airlines and other aerospace/aviation companies.
First announced in February, the program was created in partnership with Purdue University’s School of Aviation and Transportation Technology, expanding the reach of Purdue University’s aviation program to more students in other locations across the country.
“We are excited to see this program take off,” said Frank Dooley, Purdue Global chancellor. “It is a wonderful association among Purdue Global, Purdue West Lafayette and Sterling Flight Training, utilizing the strengths of each entity, all with students’ best interests in mind and aimed at addressing an anticipated pilot shortfall in the coming years.”
As US airline pilots approach the federally mandated retirement age of 65, the industry faces a global shortage of pilots. Reports forecast a need for more than 800,000 pilots over the next 20 years. This initial class of students will be positioned to enter the industry right as hiring demands are expected to increase once again.
“The level of expertise and collaboration that has gone into developing this program speaks to its quality. From Purdue University to Sterling, painstaking efforts have been made to ensure students will be offered a high-quality professional flight program with flexibility that is hard to find elsewhere,” said Wayne Heller, CEO of Sterling and former COO of Republic Airways. “We are excited for our first Purdue Global students to arrive and look forward to adding our decades of experience in airline operations, to Purdue’s distinguished professional flight program.”
Students interested in enrolling for the fall 2020 semester should apply quickly as space is limited for this first class. More information, including course outlines and enrollment qualifications can be found at purdueglobal.edu.
About Sterling Flight Training
Sterling Flight Training is Jacksonville’s premiere flight school, offering programs from private pilot to professional pilot. Backed by a team of airline industry veterans with more than 100 years of combined aviation experience, the Sterling team has led the training initiatives for thousands of airline pilots across the US. Students receive training they can trust with safety always top of mind. The school is FAA and VA approved, and offers degrees through both in-house training programs and university affiliations. For more information, visit sterlingflight.com.
About Purdue University Global
Purdue University Global is the extreme personalization online university, providing students the competitive edge to advance in their chosen careers. It offers a hyper-tailored path for students to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, desired pace, military service, previous college credits and other considerations – no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global serves more than 31,000 students (as of January 2020), most of whom earn their degree online. It also operates several regional locations nationwide. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. It is affiliated with Purdue University’s flagship institution, a highly ranked public research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue University also operates two regional campuses in Fort Wayne and Northwest, Indiana, as well as serving close to 6,000 science, engineering and technology students at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus. For more information, please visit www.PurdueGlobal.edu.
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