Career Pilot: Airline internships

I spoke with Hayden Hall, who interned in the chief pilot’s office of United Airlines at Washington, D.C.’s Dulles International Airport in 2018. Hall is a 25-year-old Sacramento, California, native with 320 total flight hours. He holds a commercial certificate with multiengine and instrument ratings and is working on a flight instructor ticket. He is also applying to several Air National Guard units around the United States.

His story follows in his words:

“I had always wanted to be a pilot, but it took me a while to figure out how to pursue it. In high school, I had no idea what I wanted to study, let alone what I wanted to do for a career; so I elected to attend junior college and played baseball. When my last season of community college baseball was nearing an end, I realized that my 5-foot, 11-inch, 150-pound stature wasn’t the most conducive to a career in professional sports. It was time to focus on something that would pay the bills and be rewarding at the same time. I finished my associate degree and decided to look for schools where I could pursue a degree in aviation and [chose] Arizona State. My experience at ASU set me up for my success in the future and was an all-around great experience.

“After graduating, I applied for the United [Airlines Flight Operations—Professional Pilot] internship after hearing from close friends how great an experience it was. I was selected to go to the next round and was instructed to submit a series of videos of myself answering interview-type questions. The day I graduated, I immediately went back to my apartment, threw on a suit, and spent the next several hours perfecting my responses to the questions they requested. Shortly after submitting my responses, I received notification that I was selected for an interview. So I learned to tie the only other tie I owned, threw the same suit on from before, interviewed, and found out shortly after that I was selected to be based at Dulles in Virginia.”

Regarding the internship itself, Hall said the daily duties are to support the pilots and do whatever the team needs you to do. Along the way, there are several perks beyond the fact that it’s a paid internship at United. “I have made countless connections [with] many wonderful and supportive people whom I will remember for the rest of my life,” he said. “I’ve traveled to numerous amazing places, toured the Boeing Everett [Washington] factory, rode in the flight deck on both domestic and international flights, and have seen brand-new aircraft that the public won’t see for months to come [787-10]. The internship has been the greatest opportunity of my life and I have never been around so many people who want me to succeed and are all willing to offer help and advice.”

The only negative aspect of Hall’s internship was the difficulty of continuing to build flight hours while working so many hours per week. But internships at major airlines are a coveted slot and in the long run, likely well worth the lost flight time: “I think that the ability to interact, for 16 weeks, with people who could be the ones interviewing you in the future is extremely valuable. Additionally, you are able to be engulfed in the company culture for months and know what to expect if you are given an interview. Lastly, you know whether or not the company is actually a good fit for you and you know what happens behind the scenes. I can confidently say that people with an internship with a major airline on their résumé have a leg up on the competition.”

In the case of United Airlines, applicants must be enrolled in an accredited university and pursuing a bachelor’s degree in aviation. Recommendations also help. For more information, check out the websites of the airlines that interest you for internship opportunities. FT