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Purdue University partners with Florida flight school

Students enrolled in Indiana-based long-distance learning center Purdue University Global can now pursue flight instruction at Sterling Flight Training in Florida, the schools announced.

Purdue University Global in Indiana and Sterling Flight Training in Florida announced an initiative to allow online learning students to pursue flight training in Jacksonville. Photo courtesy of Sterling Flight Training.

The initiative allows students to complete their Bachelor of Science degree online courses while gaining pilot skills and experience at the Jacksonville training center. Upon completing the instructor portion of their flight training regimen, instructors are paid to teach fellow students, and the funds can help defray their education and living expenses.

School officials said that the “program is designed to get students flying immediately” and predicted the partnership could help shorten the timeline to a professional pilot career to meet continuing high demand.

The aviation industry faces a global shortage of pilots, and the annual Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook cited a need for 212,000 pilots in North America and 804,000 overall, plus worldwide demand over the next 20 years for 769,000 technicians and 914,000 cabin crewmembers.

The multi-year agreement between Purdue and Sterling “calls for additional training centers across the nation as demand warrants,” the news release noted.

David Tulis
David Tulis
Senior Photographer
Senior Photographer David Tulis joined AOPA in 2015 and is a private pilot with single-engine land and sea ratings and a tailwheel endorsement. He is also a certificated remote pilot and co-host of the award-wining AOPA Hangar Talk podcast. David enjoys vintage aircraft and photography.
Topics: Flight School, Aviation Education Programs, Career

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