COLLEGIATE 

AVIATION SCHOOLS

Stakeholders’ Views 

on Challenges for 

Initial Pilot Training 

Programs

Report to Congressional Addressees

May 2018

GAO-18-403

United States Government Accountability Office
United States Government Accountability Office

Highlights of GAO-18-403, a report to 

congressional addressees

May 2018

COLLEGIATE AVIATION SCHOOLS

Stakeholders' Views on Challenges for Initial Pilot 

Training Programs

What GAO Found

GAO identified 147 collegiate aviation schools that offered professional pilot 

degree programs in academic year 2015–2016. All pilot students must pass the 

same knowledge and flight tests to obtain pilot certificates from the Federal 

Aviation Administration (FAA), but schools’ programs vary. For example, 101 of 

these schools operated relatively more formalized, FAA-certificated degree 

programs. The other 46 schools operated under a model that provides flexibility

and meets FAA requirements but that does not require FAA certification to 

conduct such training. Total annual pilot-student enrollment and graduation 

numbers are not known. According to FAA officials, FAA does not require 

schools to submit enrollment data and does not verify enrollment data that many 

certificated schools voluntarily submit. Regarding graduation data, schools must 

classify and report completed degrees by program type to the Department of 

Education (Education) using that agency’s classification system. Education’s 

data indicated a total of 1,356 professional pilot degrees in academic year 2015–

2016. Because pilot-student graduates can be classified under a number of 

aviation-related programs in Education’s system, the number of pilot-student

graduates could be higher.

Flight instructor retention, which has been influenced by the current high demand 

for airline pilots, and the high cost of pilot training are key challenges that affect 

schools’ ability to produce pilots, according to aviation stakeholders GAO 

interviewed.

• Flight instructor retention: Nearly all (16 of 18) selected school 

representatives cited difficulty recruiting and retaining flight instructors as 

a great or moderate challenge for schools’ ability to train pilots. 

According to most school representatives (15) and other selected 

stakeholders, instructors who aspire to be airline pilots are rapidly 

accruing the flight hours necessary to qualify and are obtaining 

employment as soon as they are eligible. In addition, regional airlines 

have recently increased hiring, generating high turnover among flight 

instructors, who are traditionally their main source of new pilots. 

• High cost of training: Nearly all (16) selected schools’ representatives

identified the cost of a professional pilot degree program as a great or 

moderate challenge to recruiting and retaining pilot students. High 

education costs are not unique to these programs. Nonetheless, in 

addition to tuition, flight training fees alone often exceed $50,000, well 

above the cap for federal financial aid available to eligible students.

Schools and regional airlines have taken a range of actions to address these 

challenges. For example, eight selected school representatives reported 

increasing flight instructors’ compensation and benefits. In addition, some 

regional airlines’ cadet programs provide mentorship and incentives such as 

bonus pay or tuition reimbursement to select students while they are still in 

school. The Department of Transportation (DOT) has also launched an initiative 

to assess the level of interest among veterans in becoming pilots and to examine 

strategies for employing military veterans as pilots. 

View GAO-18-403. For more information, 

contact Andrew Von Ah at (202) 512-2834 or 

vonaha@gao.gov.

Why GAO Did This Study

Collegiate aviation schools are one 

pathway for initial civilian pilot training 

in the United States and are a key 

source of airline pilots. Over the past 5

years, aviation stakeholders have 

voiced concerns that there is an 

insufficient supply of qualified airline 

pilots, citing increased airline pilot

retirements, among other factors.

The explanatory statement 

accompanying the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act of 2017 included a 

provision for GAO to review aspects of 

collegiate aviation schools’ operations. 

This report examines: (1) what is 

known about schools with professional

pilot degree programs and (2) 

challenges that affect schools’ ability to 

produce professional pilots and 

schools’ responses to these 

challenges. 

GAO reviewed relevant statutes, 

regulations, and documents from the 

FAA, Veterans Affairs, and Education; 

analyzed FAA’s data on flight schools, 

airports, and pilots; and analyzed 

Education’s degree completion data for 

the 2015–2016 academic year, the 

most recent data available. GAO also

interviewed representatives from: 18

schools, selected based on factors 

including program type and location; 6 

airports selected based on type and 

location; and 11 additional aviation 

stakeholders representing schools, 

airlines, pilots, airports, and flight 

instructors, selected to reflect a range 

of perspectives about initial pilot 

training. The results of the interviews 

are not generalizable to all aviation 

schools and stakeholders. GAO is not 

making recommendations in this 

report. On a draft of the report, DOT

provided technical clarifications, which 

GAO incorporated as appropriate.
Page i GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

Letter 1

Background 4

While Some Information on Collegiate Aviation Schools’ Pilot 

Degree Programs Is Available, Enrollment and Graduation Data 

are Limited 9

Flight Instructor Turnover, Cost of Training, and Other Factors 

Affect Collegiate Aviation Schools’ Ability to Produce Pilots 17

Agency Comments 29

Appendix I Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 31

Appendix II GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 38

Tables

Table 1: Examples of Actions Taken by Schools to Address the 

Challenge of Recruiting and Retaining Flight Instructors, 

Cited by Collegiate Aviation School Representatives 20

Table 2: Collegiate Aviation Schools Interviewed 35

Table 3: Summary of Factors That Selected Collegiate Aviation 

Schools Reported as Affecting Their Ability to Produce 

Pilots 36

Table 4: Aviation Stakeholders Interviewed 37

Figures

Figure 1: Initial Pilot Training Pathways to Become a Commercial 

Airline Pilot 7

Figure 2: Number of Collegiate Aviation Schools with Professional 

Pilot Degree Programs by State, Academic Year 2015—

2016 10

Figure 3: Collegiate Aviation Schools with Professional Pilot 

Degree Programs by Degree Length and School Type, 

Academic Year 2014–2015 11

Figure 4: Types of Airports at which Collegiate Aviation Schools 

Provide In-house Flight Training, Academic Year 2015–

2016 14

Contents
Page ii GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

Abbreviations

AABI Aviation Accreditation Board International

ATP airline transport pilot

CFI certified flight instructor

CIP Classification of Instructional Programs

Education Department of Education

FAA Federal Aviation Administration

IPEDS Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System

R-ATP restricted-privileges airline transport pilot

SAA state approving agency

VA Department of Veterans Affairs

This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the 

United States. The published product may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety 

without further permission from GAO. However, because this work may contain 

copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be 

necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately.
Page 1 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

441 G St. N.W.

Washington, DC 20548

May 15, 2018

Congressional Addressees

The aviation system is an important part of the United States’ economy 

and the airline industry is a key provider of domestic and international 

mobility for passengers and cargo. Over the past 5 years, aviation 

stakeholders have voiced concerns that there is an insufficient supply of 

available and qualified pilots to support current and future demand from 

U.S. regional and mainline airlines.1 Many have cited the increased rate 

of airline pilot retirements and first officer airline pilot qualification 

requirements, 2 among other factors contributing to the current tight labor 

market for professional pilots.

We have previously reported on issues related to pilot supply and 

demand. In 2014, we found that, among other things, the number of pilot 

certificate holders—those individuals who have completed pilot training 

and passed Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) pilot certification 

requirements 3—decreased about 1 percent from 2000 through 2012, 

while the growth rate for pilots’ employment decreased by 12 percent in 

that period.4 In addition, available evidence suggested that by 2012 fewer 

students were entering and completing pilot training programs since 2001 

and that regional airlines reported difficulties finding sufficient numbers of 

qualified airline pilots. Recently, some regional airlines, which are 

particularly reliant on newly trained pilots, have been reducing flights and 

 1 Mainline airlines provide domestic and international passenger and cargo service on 

large aircraft. Regional airlines provide domestic and limited international passenger 

service, generally using aircraft with fewer than 90 seats, and cargo service to smaller 

airports. 

2 In commercial aviation, the captain (pilot-in-command) of an aircraft is the person 

aboard the aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during all 

phases of flight, as well as when it is operating or moving on the ground, in accordance 

with FAA’s regulations. 14 C.F.R. § 91.3. The first officer (second-in-command) is the 

second pilot of an aircraft and has the authority to assume command of the aircraft if the 

captain is incapacitated. However, control of the aircraft is normally shared equally 

between the captain and first officer during flight.

3 14 C.F.R. Part 61 prescribes the minimum training, knowledge, and experience 

requirements for acquiring a pilot certificate.

4 GAO, Aviation Workforce: Current and Future Availability of Airline Pilots, GAO-14-232 

(Washington, D.C.: Feb. 28, 2014). 

Letter
Page 2 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

eliminating routes to some markets, reportedly due to lack of qualified 

pilots.

Collegiate aviation schools with professional pilot degree programs are a 

key source of new commercial pilots.5 These programs have been 

generally perceived by aviation industry stakeholders as providing a high 

level of civil aviation pilot training because they are designed to produce 

professional pilots for airlines. In addition, airlines generally prefer to hire

pilots with college degrees, reportedly because they perform better in an 

airline’s training program when hired.

The explanatory statement accompanying the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act of 2017 included a provision for us to review certain 

aspects of collegiate aviation schools’ operations.6 This report addresses:

• what is known about collegiate aviation schools with professional pilot 

degree programs in terms of location, types of training programs 

available, and enrollment, and

• challenges that affect collegiate aviation schools’ ability to produce 

professional pilots and schools’ response to these challenges.

To determine what is known about collegiate aviation schools we 

analyzed several sets of data. Specifically, to identify schools that 

operated pilot programs for fixed wing aircraft in academic year 2015–

2016 and the airports at which they operated, we obtained and reviewed 

FAA’s data on pilot schools that had received certification from FAA to 

operate, as of August 19, 2016. We also obtained and reviewed school 

information from two industry associations and school websites.7 These 

 5 As we have previously reported, airline pilots are mostly trained through (1) FAAcertificated collegiate aviation schools—typically through 2- and 4-year professional pilot 

degree programs at a college or university—(2) FAA-certificated non-collegiate schools, or 

(3) the military. Pilot schools not certificated by the FAA, which are primarily instructorbased schools predominately train students interested in recreational flying. See GAO, 

Initial Pilot Training: Better Management Controls Are Needed to Improve FAA Oversight, 

GAO-12-117 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 4, 2011). This report discusses the various types of 

pilot schools in the United States and oversight of these schools, pilot examiners, and 

flight instructors—those mainly involved with the training of pilots.

6 Pub. L. No. 115-31, 131 Stat. 135 (2017).

7 We did not study aviation programs such as rotorcraft (e.g., helicopters) or other, nonflight aviation majors such as air traffic control or aviation maintenance because they are 

generally not suited for becoming commercial airline pilots.
Page 3 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

data were the most applicable given the academic year we reviewed. To 

determine what is known about the types of programs available at these 

schools, we analyzed the Department of Education’s (Education) data on 

institution type, college-wide tuition and fees, and graduations in 

academic year 2014–2015 (the most recent year available). To determine 

what is known about enrollment at collegiate aviation schools, we 

analyzed enrollment and certificated flight instructor8 data voluntarily 

reported to FAA by some schools between October 2015 and October 

2017.9 We also analyzed FAA’s pilot data to identify, for a number of 

categories, the number of new pilot certificates FAA issued from 2012 

through 2016 and the total number of pilot certificate holders for those 

years.10 We reviewed documents and interviewed Education and FAA 

agency officials, as well as representatives of industry associations and 

an accreditation entity to determine that these data were the most 

complete sources available. While these data were limited, we 

determined that they were sufficiently reliable for the purposes of our 

reporting objectives.

To determine challenges that affect collegiate aviation schools’ ability to 

produce professional pilots, we reviewed federal laws and regulations 

pertaining to pilot requirements and FAA’s oversight of collegiate aviation 

schools’ pilot programs and interviewed FAA officials. We reviewed 

documents and interviewed a non-generalizable sample of 18 collegiate 

aviation schools about their pilot programs and key challenges that affect 

their ability to produce professional pilots. We selected these schools to 

represent a mix in terms of geographic location, institution type, program 

type, and estimated enrollment where that information was available. 

While the sample allowed us to learn about challenges that affect these 

schools’ ability to produce professional pilots, it was designed to provide 

anecdotal information, not findings that would be representative of all 

 8 The holder of a valid flight instructor certificate may provide pilot training and instruction 

for pilot certification in any aircraft for which they are qualified. 14 C.F.R. § 61.193.

9 FAA’s Part 141 pilot school regulations prescribe the requirements for issuing pilot 

school certificates and the general operating rules applicable to a holder of the certificate. 

Collegiate aviation schools operating under pilot school regulations voluntarily report 

enrollment and flight instructor employment data. FAA collects the data on an on-going 

basis, but does not audit the data to verify accuracy.

10 FAA does not proactively purge deceased certificate holders from its airmen database;

however, deceased certificate holders in certain categories will be deactivated if they do 

not renew their medical certificate when it expires and all certificate holders are 

deactivated at age 90.
Page 4 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

collegiate aviation schools. We also reviewed documents from additional 

stakeholders and interviewed them, including representatives of 6 

selected airports where collegiate aviation schools operate and 11 

industry organizations representing collegiate and non-collegiate pilot 

schools, airports, flight instructors, pilots, regional airlines, and mainline 

airlines. In addition, we reviewed documents and interviewed Education 

and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials about regulations and 

policies related to pilot programs’ eligibility for federal student financial aid 

and the use of veterans’ education benefits. Further details about our 

scope and methodology can be found in appendix I.

We conducted this performance audit from September 2016 to May 2018 

in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 

sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that 

the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and 

conclusions based on our audit objectives.

Civil aviation in the United States can be generally divided into two broad 

categories—general aviation and commercial aviation. All civilian pilot 

students undergo their initial pilot training in the general aviation sector, 

which comprises all aviation activities other than military and commercial 

airlines. Once hired in the commercial aviation sector for businesses that 

carry passengers or cargo for hire or compensation, pilots may receive 

additional, employer-specific training.

FAA is responsible for regulating the safety of civil aviation in the United 

States, including the administration of pilot certification (licensing) and 

conducting safety oversight of pilot training.11 Regulations for initial pilot 

training and certification are found in two parts of the Federal Aviation 

Regulations—pilot training requirements 12 and requirements for obtaining 

a pilot school certificate.13

 11 FAA is also responsible for ensuring safety at airports where collegiate aviation schools 

conduct flight training. 14 C.F.R. Part 139.

12 14 C.F.R. Part 61.

13 14 C.F.R. Part 141.

Background
Page 5 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

• Pilot training requirements: These regulations prescribe the minimum 

training, knowledge, and experience requirements for acquiring a 

private, commercial, or airline transport pilot certificate, and for 

becoming a certificated flight instructor (CFI). Individual flight 

instructors can provide pilot training to individuals under these 

regulations and the training is not subject to direct FAA oversight 

beyond the initial flight instructor certification and subsequent 

renewal.14

• Requirements for obtaining a pilot school certificate: These 

regulations prescribe requirements pilot schools must meet to obtain 

an FAA certificate and the general operating rules applicable to a 

school’s holding a certificate. FAA-certificated schools are required to 

meet prescribed standards with respect to training equipment, 

facilities, student records, personnel, and curriculum. Schools’ pilot 

program curriculum can vary in content, but FAA provides core 

training guidelines that schools must follow to receive a certificate. To 

ensure safety, FAA requires its inspectors to conduct on-site 

inspections of each FAA-certificated school at least once a year, 

focusing on pilot school operations and training aircrafts’

airworthiness.15

Schools that provide initial pilot training generally fall into three 

categories: (1) collegiate aviation schools, (2) non-collegiate vocational 

pilot schools, and (3) non-collegiate, instructor-based pilot schools.16

Collegiate aviation schools that provide initial pilot training typically offer a 

2- or 4- year undergraduate degree in an aviation-based major along with 

the pilot certificates and ratings necessary to become a commercial pilot. 

All pilot schools must comply with FAA’s pilot training requirements, but 

some may elect to become FAA-certificated as well. Instructor-based 

schools offer flexible training environments where the training sequence 

can be altered to meet specific students’ needs and time commitments. 

Upon completion of the training, the students can obtain pilot certificates 

for which they were trained, as long as they pass FAA’s tests. FAA-

 14 FAA may inspect flight instructors’ operations when a triggering event occurs, such as 

an aircraft accident.

15 Per FAA requirements, its school inspections must cover the school’s facility and 

student records, aircraft, and compliance with FAA’s airworthiness directives. 14 C.F.R. § 

141.21.

16 Non-collegiate flight-based schools can be either an individual for-hire flight instructor 

operating as a single-instructor school at a local airport, or a more traditional training 

school with a small physical facility located at a particular airport.
Page 6 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

certificated vocational schools do not allow flexible training environments 

as the training sequence outlined in the curriculum cannot be altered. 

FAA requires annual inspections of these schools, unlike flight instructorbased schools.

As we have previously reported, it takes years of training to meet FAA’s 

certification and aeronautical experience qualifications to become an 

airline pilot.17 Once cleared by a medical examination, an individual may 

obtain a medical certificate and a student pilot certificate from FAA.18 Pilot 

students may then begin training, acquiring the knowledge and flight 

training to obtain a private pilot certificate, instrument rating, commercial 

pilot certificate, and multi-engine rating (see fig. 1).

 17 GAO-14-232. 14 C.F.R. Parts 61, 141, 142.

18 To be eligible for a student-pilot certificate, an applicant must be at least 16 years and 

hold at least a third-class medical certificate. Medical certificates are designated as firstclass, second-class, or third-class. Generally, first-class is designed for the airline 

transport pilot; second-class for the commercial pilot; and third-class for the student, 

recreational,and flight instructor. 14 C.F.R. §§ 61.23, 61.83, and 61.89.
Page 7 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

Figure 1: Initial Pilot Training Pathways to Become a Commercial Airline Pilot
Page 8 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

To be eligible for hire as either a captain or first officer for an airline, 

individuals must also obtain an airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate in 

addition to the other certificates and ratings. In July 2013, FAA began 

requiring all first officers to have an ATP certificate, which requires 1,500 

hours of flight experience.19 Pilots with fewer than 1,500 hours can obtain 

a “restricted-privileges” ATP certificate (R-ATP), under which specific 

academic training courses can count toward the required hours of total 

flight time.20 FAA made this change for airline first officers following the 

2009 Colgan Air Inc. crash in New York, 21 and subsequent legislation 

that required FAA to modify, among other things, first officer 

qualifications.22 In our 2014 report, FAA and industry stakeholders 

estimated that it could take an additional 1 to 2 years for pilots coming out 

of school to meet the 1,500 hour requirement.

Consistent with airline representatives’ views from our prior report, 

regional airline association representatives have recently cited the revised 

first officer training requirements and several other factors as contributing 

to a tight pilot labor market. By increasing the minimum number of 

required flight hours for a first officer, entry into the airline pilot profession 

may take longer, which may decrease the pool of eligible pilots that 

mainline and regional airlines can hire as a first officer. In addition, as we 

previously reported, the civil aviation industry has been a historically 

volatile industry because demand for air travel is sensitive to economic

conditions, as well as political, international, and even health-related 

events.23 After several years of industry contraction during the 2007-2009 

economic recession, demand for air travel has increased since 2012, and 

FAA projects continued future growth.24 In addition, since 2014, pilot 

 19 Previously, pilots with commercial pilot certificates were permitted to fly as first officers 

for regional and mainline airlines. To obtain a commercial pilot certificate a pilot is required 

to have a minimum of 250 hours of qualified flight time, among other things.

20 14 C.F.R. § 121.436.

21 78 Fed. Reg. 42324 (July 15, 2013).

22 The Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010 mandated 

that FAA further limit the hours of pilot flight and duty time to combat problems related to 

fatigue and that FAA increase training requirements and pilot qualifications for first 

officers. Pub. L. No. 111-216, §§ 216 and 217,124 Stat 2348, 2366 (2010). 

23 See GAO 14-232.

24 FAA forecasts 1.9 percent average annual increases in U.S. airline passengers from 

2017 through 2037. FAA’s forecast also reports that the total number of domestic 

departures rose in 2016 for the first time since 2007, but still remains 17.3 percent below 

the 2007 level. FAA, FAA Aerospace Forecast Fiscal Years 2017-2037.
Page 9 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

retirements have been increasing, further tightening the labor market, 

according to one study.25 That study forecasts between 2,000 and 3,000 

annual mandatory age retirements from the mainline airlines between 

2018 and 2021. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most of the 

newly hired pilots in the next 10 years will be replacing retiring pilots.

We identified 147 U.S. colleges and universities that offered at least one 

professional pilot degree program in academic year 2015-2016. These 

collegiate aviation schools are located throughout the country, as shown 

in figure 2. They may offer pilot programs within different academic 

departments, such as aviation or business. Within a department, pilot 

programs may be offered as a stand-alone program, as an integral part of 

a larger major, such as flight education or aviation management, or as a 

specialty or track within a major.

 25 See McGee, “Air Transport Pilot Supply and Demand, Current State and Effects of 

Recent Legislation.” (PhD diss., Pardee RAND Graduate School, 2015) On July 15, 2009 

FAA, implementing federal law, finalized a rule on raising the mandatory retirement age 

for pilots serving in domestic, flag, and supplemental operations from 60 to 65. Fair 

Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act. Pub. L. No. 110-135, § 2, 121 Stat. 1450; 74 Fed. 

Reg. 34229 (July 15, 2009).

While Some 

Information on 

Collegiate Aviation 

Schools’ Pilot Degree 

Programs Is 

Available, Enrollment 

and Graduation Data 

are Limited

Collegiate Aviation 

Schools Are Located 

across the Country and 

Offer Different Types of 

Pilot Degree Programs
Page 10 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

Figure 2: Number of Collegiate Aviation Schools with Professional Pilot Degree Programs by State, Academic Year 2015—

2016

Professional pilot degree programs at collegiate aviation schools may 

vary in several ways:

• School type: About three-quarters of collegiate aviation schools are 

public (110 out of 145),26 while the remainder are either private non-

 26 Of the 147 collegiate aviation schools we identified from FAA data, information from 2 

industry associations, and school websites, 2 of these schools were not listed in 

Education’s data. See appendix I for additional information. 
Page 11 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

profits or private for-profits,27 according to Education’s data (see fig. 

3).28

Figure 3: Collegiate Aviation Schools with Professional Pilot Degree Programs by 

Degree Length and School Type, Academic Year 2014–2015

Notes: Percentages may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding.

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data for academic year 2014—2015 w ere 

not available for tw o collegiate aviation schools w e identified.

• Program degree length: A majority of collegiate aviation schools offer 

4-year degree programs, as shown in figure 3. Program degree length 

may affect how long it takes pilot students to meet FAA’s 

requirements and their career options once they complete training. 

For example, pilot students in 2-year degree programs may complete 

the program and acquire a commercial pilot certificate and ratings in 

less time than the 4-year degree program, which may save the 

students time and money. However, according to associations 

 27 Public schools are generally operated by publicly elected or appointed officials. Private 

non-profit schools are traditionally operated by independent or religious organizations and 

earnings do not benefit any shareholder or individual, whereas private for-profit schools 

are owned and operated by private organizations and earnings can benefit shareholders 

or individuals.

28 Academic year 2014–-2015 was the most recent institution data available from the 

Department ofEducation.
Page 12 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

representing pilot training providers and pilots, mainline airlines prefer 

pilots with a 4-year degree. In addition, representatives from one 

mainline airline told us that the airline requires a 4-year degree for 

employment as a pilot. Regardless of which school and degree 

program a pilot student graduates from, all pilot students must pass 

the same knowledge and flight tests to obtain pilot certificates and 

are, by FAA’s standards, eligible for the same career opportunities.

• FAA Regulations and academic curriculum: Forty-six collegiate 

aviation schools we identified operate their pilot programs solely 

under FAA’s pilot training requirements. The remaining 101 collegiate 

aviation schools’ pilot programs are certificated by FAA under FAA’s 

pilot school requirements.29 As previously discussed, FAA-certificated 

schools must meet prescribed standards, have structured programs, 

and FAA must approve their pilot program’s curriculum. In addition, 

each pilot program’s academic curriculum may differ, though all must 

meet FAA’s pilot training requirements and, if the school is 

certificated, FAA’s pilot school requirements.

• R-ATP authorization: Only FAA-certificated collegiate aviation schools 

may apply to FAA for authority to certify eligible graduates for an RATP certificate with a reduced number of flight hours. Since FAA 

promulgated the new first officer qualification rule and established the 

R-ATP certificate in 2013,30 FAA has issued R-ATP authorizations to 

more schools each year. As of August 22, 2017, 86 collegiate aviation 

schools hold R-ATP authorizations. In addition, the number of R-ATP 

certificates FAA has issued to eligible graduates each year has 

steadily increased, from 37 in 2013 to 2,190 in 2016. The number of 

R-ATP certificates issued in 2016 represented about 18 percent of all 

ATP certificates. The reduced flight-hour eligibility may save students 

time and money on their path to becoming a professional pilot, 

depending on how they gain flight experience, which may motivate 

more students to consider attending collegiate aviation schools that 

are authorized for R-ATP certificates, compared to other training 

alternatives.

 29 FAA-certificated collegiate aviation schools may also offer more flexible, less structured 

training to students using FAA’s pilot training requirements in certain circumstances, 

although representatives from seven schools we spoke with said they rarely do so. 

Students who have prior flight training or a prior degree may prefer the more flexible, less 

structured training.

30 78 Fed. Reg. 42324 (July 15, 2013).
Page 13 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

• Aviation Accreditation Board International accreditation: Schools’

professional pilot programs may choose to pursue program 

accreditation in addition to the school’s institutional accreditation.31

Thirty-two collegiate aviation schools we identified have pilot 

programs accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International 

and an additional 4 schools have pilot programs that are candidates 

for accreditation, as of December 27, 2017.32

The collegiate aviation schools we identified require that students 

complete training that includes both classroom (ground) and flight 

training. Ground school aims to provide students with the required 

aeronautical knowledge and cognitive skills necessary to perform the 

tasks required to become a pilot. Flight training focuses on teaching how 

to manipulate the controls of and safely operate an airplane. Most schools 

(89 of 147) conduct their own flight training using university-owned or –

leased aircraft and university employed CFIs (in-house flight training). 

The number of CFIs employed by collegiate aviation schools varies and is 

one of the primary determinants of a school’s enrollment capacity. The 

remaining 58 schools contract out their flight training to one or more pilot 

schools or allow students to complete their flight training at a pilot school 

of the student’s choosing.

Schools that provide in-house flight training operate at a relatively small 

number of all domestic airports, which vary greatly in size as measured 

by annual passenger enplanements (see fig. 4). Approximately 69 

percent of these schools operate at non-primary airports—those with 

fewer than 10,000 passenger enplanements a year. Flight training may 

comprise a large proportion of an airport’s activity, particularly at smaller 

airports, according to representatives from seven schools and two airport 

authorities. The remaining 28 percent of the schools that provide in-house 

flight training operate at primary airports with over 10,000 passenger 

 31 The primary purpose of accreditation is to help ensure that schools provide a quality 

education to students. Accreditors oversee academic quality at schools by applying and 

enforcing standards for the schools they accredit. 

32 The Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI) is an independent body that 

advances aviation education through accreditation and is the only program accreditor for 

collegiate, non-engineering aviation education for both 2-year and 4-year programs. 

Program accreditors, like AABI, review and accredit specific programs or subject area 

offerings within an educational institution. AABI accredited programs must be degreegranting at a nationally or regionally recognized institution.
Page 14 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

enplanements a year.33 There are advantages to operating at small and 

large airports. Representatives from three schools and five stakeholders 

representing flight training providers, airports, and pilots told us that 

operating out of smaller airports may be advantageous because they are 

less crowded, a condition that can save waiting time for take-offs and 

allows students to practice certain maneuvers that may be more difficult 

to perform at larger airports. Conversely, according to representatives 

from two schools, two pilot training provider associations, and one airport, 

operating at larger airports can be advantageous because students can 

learn to fly in the controlled environment that airline pilots will eventually 

fly in.

Figure 4: Types of Airports at which Collegiate Aviation Schools Provide In-house Flight Training, Academic Year 2015–2016

For several reasons, there are no comprehensive data on pilot student 

enrollment at collegiate aviation schools. First, because non-certificated 

schools are not subject to periodic FAA inspections, FAA does not collect 

any enrollment data for these schools. Second, enrollment data are 

available for only some FAA-certificated schools because reporting that 

 33 Of the 89 collegiate aviation schools that conduct in-house flight training, 3 operate at 

airports outside of the National Airport System. Because of this, percentages will not add 

up to 100%.

Pilot Student Enrollment 

and Graduation Data Are 

Limited
Page 15 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

data is optional for those schools during FAA’s certification and inspection 

process.34 In addition, FAA does not verify the data to determine their 

accuracy. As previously noted, FAA is responsible for regulating the 

safety of civil aviation in the United States. As such, according to FAA 

officials, FAA requires data collection when such a requirement serves a 

safety purpose, such as data required for pilot school certification and 

FAA oversight.35 FAA officials told us that other data on collegiate aviation 

schools, such as enrollment numbers, do not serve FAA’s primary safety 

purpose.

The size of collegiate aviation schools appears to vary greatly. Although 

voluntary, almost all FAA-certificated collegiate aviation schools 

submitted enrollment data to FAA. According to FAA’s data provided to us 

on October 5, 2017, 92 FAA-certificated schools had reported average 

yearly enrollment data for their pilot programs.36 Reported enrollment at 

these FAA-certificated collegiate aviation schools varied greatly—from 5 

professional pilot students to 850. Despite this wide range, most (66) of 

these schools reported that they enrolled 100 students or less in their pilot 

programs. A majority (15 of 18) of representatives from selected 

collegiate aviation schools noted an increase in enrollment over the past 

5 years.

Additionally, the data on graduations from professional pilot programs are 

not comprehensive.37 Education requires schools, including collegiate 

aviation schools, to report how many students they graduate annually. 

School officials classify and report completed degrees by program type to 

 34 While FAA requires certificated schools to maintain a monthly listing of enrollment in 

each training course offered, schools are not required to report enrollment to FAA. 14 

C.F.R. § 141.93(b). Since FAA-certificated schools submit enrollment and certificated 

instructor information during each school’s certification process, this enrollment 

information does not specify a specific academic year or time frame.

35 As previously discussed, Part 141 outlines the specified personnel, aircraft, facilities, 

curriculum, and other operating requirements that approved pilot training organizations 

(schools) must meet to hold a certification from FAA.

36 Since academic year 2015–2016, an additional seven collegiate aviation schools 

received FAA certification. Four collegiate aviation schools no longer hold FAA 

certification.

37 Education reports the number of degrees awarded, a figure that we interpret as 

graduations. 
Page 16 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

Education using the agency’s classification system.38 One of Education’s 

program codes—for “Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot and Flight 

Crew”—appears to best capture graduates from professional pilot 

programs. Education’s data for professional pilot degrees awarded by 

collegiate aviation schools under this code totaled 1,356 in academic year 

2015–2016. However, of the 147 collegiate aviation schools we identified 

for academic year 2015–2016, 72 reported pilot student graduates using 

the code. This might be because collegiate aviation schools may report 

their pilot student graduates under other program codes, such as 

“Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology, General” and 

“Aviation/Airway Management and Operations.”39 According to an 

Education official, while the agency expects schools to provide precise 

reporting of graduations from each degree program, he said it is possible 

that some school officials may not perceive their programs consistently 

with Education’s program classifications, despite specific definitions for 

each program category. Because pilot student graduates could be 

reported under a number of aviation-related program codes in 

Education’s system, the number of professional pilot graduates could be 

higher.

According to Education’s data, the number of professional pilot degrees 

awarded by collegiate aviation schools under the 

Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot and Flight Crew code fluctuated 

from year to year between academic year 2010–2011 and 2015–2016. 

Almost half of the representatives from our selected collegiate aviation 

schools (8 of 18) noted increased pilot student graduations over the past 

5 years. The number of these graduations could continue to increase in 

 38 According to the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, 

the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) is a coding scheme of instructional 

programs. Its purpose is to facilitate the organization, collection, and reporting of fields of 

study and degree completions (i.e., graduations). The CIP titles and program descriptions 

are intended to be generic categories into which degree completions data can be placed, 

not exact duplicates of a specific major or field of study titles used by individual 

institutions. The CIP is the accepted federal government statistical standard on 

instructional program classifications and is used in a variety of education information 

surveys and databases.

39 Education gathers information from every college, university, and technical and 

vocational institution that participates in federal student financial aid programs, as well as 

other institutions that report data voluntarily. The department works with collegiate 

institutions to ensure high quality reporting. According to department officials, Education 

tracks graduation data for all collegiate institutions participating in federal student aid, but 

all collegiate institutions do not classify and report graduations for their aviation programs 

in a uniform manner. 
Page 17 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

the next few years since, according to representatives from seven 

schools, student enrollment generally responds to industry need and the 

perception of a more stable career pathway. According to one of these 

representatives, graduations increase with a lag relative to the increased 

industry demand and student enrollment, given the time it takes to 

complete the degree program. Given the observations from school 

representatives of increasing enrollment, graduations may continue to 

increase as well.

Selected school and other aviation industry representatives we spoke 

with generally agreed that retaining and recruiting flight instructors is one 

of the key challenges facing collegiate aviation schools.40

Representatives from nearly all (16 of 18) of the schools identified 

recruiting and retaining flight instructors as a great or moderate challenge 

and a majority stated that it was their greatest challenge affecting their 

ability to produce pilots (see app. I for a summary of the responses.).

According to representatives from 3 aviation industry stakeholders, in the 

current environment some schools are unable to recruit and retain 

enough flight instructors to train all the pilots that they otherwise have the 

resources to accommodate in their pilot programs. To illustrate, 

representatives from 2 schools reported an inability to accept some 

qualified students because they did not have sufficient flight instructors. 

 40 We spoke with representatives from 18 collegiate aviation schools to understand the 

extent to which a variety of factors posed a challenge to their ability to produce pilots. We 

asked the selected schools to rank each of the 10 factors that we identified from initial 

interviews as a great challenge, a moderate challenge, a slight challenge, or not a 

challenge to their ability to recruit, retain, and train professional pilot degree students. We 

also interviewed 10 aviation industry representatives about actions taken and potential 

future actions to address those factors.

Flight Instructor 

Turnover, Cost of 

Training, and Other 

Factors Affect 

Collegiate Aviation 

Schools’ Ability to 

Produce Pilots

Retaining Flight Instructors 

Is a Key Challenge for 

Collegiate Aviation 

Schools’Ability to Produce 

Pilots
Page 18 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

Meanwhile, representatives from 4 other schools said they have been 

able to hire enough new instructors to keep up with flight instructor 

attrition. In addition to presenting a management challenge, instructor 

turnover may hinder training effectiveness. For example, one pilot 

association representative told us that the quality of instruction tends to 

be lower when students are routinely subject to new instructors since 

there is little instructional continuity.

Representatives of 6 of the collegiate aviation schools we interviewed 

said they recognize that instructor turnover is unavoidable because most 

pilots do not pursue flight instruction as a long-term career. Regardless, 

the rate of turnover in recent years has increased, according to selected 

school and other aviation industry representatives. As previously 

discussed, school representatives told us that most pilots use flight 

instruction as a stepping stone to accrue the required flight time to 

become an airline pilot, which commands a higher salary and greater 

prestige than flight instructor positions.41 Flight instructors generally seek 

employment with an airline as soon as they are eligible, according to most 

school representatives (15 of 18) and other stakeholders we spoke with.42

According to two aviation industry stakeholder representatives, the career 

progression of civilian-trained pilots from flight instructor to commercial 

airline pilot has typically worked in this way. However, stakeholders have 

stated that in recent years, airline industry growth, increasing pilot 

retirements, and other factors previously discussed have caused 

commercial airlines to accelerate pilot recruitment, ultimately causing 

pilots to move through the instructor ranks more quickly.

Regional airlines now hire qualified pilots as soon as they accrue the 

minimum hours required by FAA, according to representatives from one 

airline pilots association. According to one study, in the mid-2000s most 

of the larger regional airlines set minimum flight-hour requirements for 

first officer applicants of 800 to 1,000 hours, which were well above the 

 41 According to a 2015 online survey of current students and recent pilot-student 

graduates conducted by researchers at the University of North Dakota and the University 

of Nebraska at Omaha, only 2 percent of those who responded to the survey aspired to 

become career flight instructors, whereas 60 percent aspired to become career airline 

pilots.

42 Not only does a pilot’s pay increase when they are hired by an airline, but pilots have a 

strong incentive to begin working for an airline as soon as possible because when they 

are first hired pilots receive a “seniority number,” which designates their rank within the 

airline. That number determines when they are eligible for promotion, as well as their 

bidding position for route selection, work schedule, and vacation timing.
Page 19 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

FAA requirements at the time.43 Furthermore, applicants needed an even 

higher number of hours to be competitive for those positions prior to that 

time—between 1,500 and 2,000 hours, according to representatives of a 

pilots’ association.

Recruiting and retaining flight instructors with more advanced 

qualifications, such as instructors qualified to train other pilots to be flight 

instructors and chief instructors, can be a particular challenge for 

collegiate aviation schools:

• Flight instructors qualified to train flight instructors: FAA requires flight 

instructors to have a minimum 2 years of instructor experience before 

they may train other pilots to obtain their CFI certificate.44

Representatives from almost half (8 of 18) of collegiate aviation 

schools reported challenges with retaining flight instructors long 

enough for them to meet that requirement. According to some school 

representatives, flight instructors typically accrue the minimum hours 

required to qualify for their ATP or R-ATP within 2 years or soon 

afterward. The resulting attrition of experienced flight instructors can 

therefore hamper schools’ ability to train enough pilots to become 

flight instructors, an ability that is crucial for turning out the next 

generation of instructors and pilot students.

• Chief Instructors: FAA requires certificated schools to have a chief 

instructor who meets minimum regulatory qualifications, such as at 

least 2,000 hours of flight time as “pilot-in–command.”45

Representatives from two schools told us that because of high 

instructor turnover, few instructors meet these qualifications and the 

schools find it challenging to recruit qualified chief instructors.

Four school representatives and two other aviation stakeholders we 

interviewed noted that the revised first officer requirements have helped 

 43 McGee, Air Transport Pilot Supply and Demand.

44 14 C.F.R. § 61.195 (h)(2). In addition to holding a flight instructor certificate for at least 

24 months, flight instructors must have given at least 200 hours of flight training as a flight 

instructor to provide training to an initial applicant for a flight instructor certificate.

45 14 C.F.R. §§ 141.33 (a) (1), 141.33 (b), and 141.35.The minimum qualifications for a 

chief instructor under Part 141 vary depending on the courses taught in the flight school’s

curriculum. Pilot-in-command means the person who: (1) has final authority and 

responsibility for the operation and safety of the flight; (2) has been designated as pilot in 

command before or during the flight; and (3) holds the appropriate category, class, and 

type of rating, if appropriate, for the conduct of the flight.
Page 20 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

collegiate aviation schools retain flight instructors.46 As previously 

discussed, these revised requirements increased the minimum number of 

flight hours a pilot must have to become a first officer, so instructors 

continue to instruct longer than they might have otherwise. The school 

representatives noted that while they are still experiencing high flight 

instructor turnover the situation would be more challenging without the 

new requirements. In addition, representatives from two large collegiate 

aviation schools stated that when there is a high demand for pilots, they 

would not be able to recruit and retain any flight instructors in the absence 

of FAA’s first officer requirements.

As shown in table 1, several of the collegiate aviation schools we 

interviewed have taken some actions to address the challenge of 

recruiting and retaining flight instructors.

Table 1: Examples of Actions Taken by Schools to Address the Challenge of Recruiting and Retaining Flight Instructors, Cited 

by Collegiate Aviation School Representatives

Description of action taken

Number of schools 

reporting action

Increased flight instructor compensation such as pay, tuition, and health benefits, sometimes in conjunction 

with full-time employment status. 8

Enhanced instructor quality of life with amenities, such as an instructor lounge. 1

Provided instructors the opportunity to train for additional ratings, such as multi-engine instructor rating, at 

no cost. 4

Expanded efforts to recruit instructors from outside their own student and graduate population, including 

broadening searches to include other pilot schools and retired pilots. 5

Focused on recruiting flight instructors who were likely to instruct for the long term, such as retired pilots 

from airline, military, or law enforcement careers. 1

Source: GAO analysis of interviews with representatives from 19 collegiate aviation schools. l GAO-18-403

At least 6 regional airlines offer cadet programs, which may provide 

additional incentives for graduates to remain at their alma mater as flight 

instructors until they meet FAA’s first officer qualification requirements, 

according to school representatives we spoke to. These programs may 

 46 According to one study, the revised first officer qualification rule may have affected the 

career plans of aspiring pilots. This finding is based on a survey completed by 820 recent 

graduates and current students of collegiate aviation programs; the study found that 8 

percent of survey respondents no longer planned to fly for the airlines and 28 percent of 

respondents were reconsidering plans to fly for the airlines due to the revised rule. See 

Rebecca Lutte and Kent Lovelace, “Airline Pilot Supply in the US: Factors Influencing the 

Collegiate Pilot Pipeline,” Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering, vol. 6, no. 1 

(2016).
Page 21 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

include incentives such as bonus pay for a number of flight hours, health 

benefits, or tuition reimbursement. Students who sign onto the cadet 

programs typically accept a provisional employment offer and are 

expected to work for the airline upon obtaining the number of hours 

necessary for the ATP certificate and completing an airline’s new hire 

training. Representatives from two schools said that few students 

participated in these programs, attributing lower participation to students 

who may not want to commit to one airline.

In addition to actions that schools can take to retain flight instructors, 

school representatives suggested additional actions that would require 

cooperation from airlines. Representatives from one state university told 

us that the school negotiated an agreement with one airline to initially hire 

its graduates as part-time pilots, allowing the pilots to continue to work 

part-time as flight instructors. The school is attempting to go one step 

further by negotiating agreements whereby airlines will not hire its 

instructors until the school is ready to relinquish them. According to the 

school’s representatives, two regional airlines have recognized that 

keeping instructors at the school longer could be to their benefit, 

increasing the school’s capacity to produce more pilots that the airlines 

will then hire. Another school representative suggested that airlines might 

consider loaning out their pilots to instruct for schools, but a 

representative from an airline association said that airlines do not have 

extra personnel to spare. Representatives of a pilot school said they are 

working with airlines to change the seniority system so that pilots can get 

their seniority number while they are instructors, which could reduce the 

strong incentive to become an airline pilot as quickly as possible.

School representatives and a stakeholder described additional actions 

that could be taken to address this issue, including encouraging students 

to obtain their CFI, encouraging retired airline pilots to instruct, and 

raising the profile of the flight instructor profession as a possible career 

path.47 Collegiate aviation schools may require their students to obtain a 

CFI to graduate. Those schools that do not require a CFI may produce 

fewer graduates who are qualified to instruct. A representative from one 

school told us that it is now encouraging students to obtain their CFI as a 

way to increase the number of potential flight instructors. Representatives 

from three industry associations said the FAA should consider changing 

 47 Pilots with an expired CFI can reinstate all of their previously-held ratings by passing a 

practical test, allowing them to have the required ratings to work as a flight instructor.
Page 22 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

its requirement for instructors to have 2 years instructing experience 

before they may train other pilots to obtain their CFIs. In addition, in 2017 

the FAA Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee issued a report 

recommending that FAA permit completion of an FAA-approved 

standardized course at FAA-certificated schools as an alternative to the 

2-year experience requirement.48 According to FAA officials, the agency 

is drafting a proposed regulatory change to allow appropriately qualified 

flight instructors who have met proficiency requirements to train other 

pilots to obtain a CFI.

There was general agreement among the majority of school 

representatives we interviewed that in the last 5 years more students 

have shown interest in the pilot profession by applying for and enrolling in 

pilot programs at collegiate aviation schools. Representatives from eight 

schools and one aviation industry stakeholder noted that students may be 

interested in becoming pilots because there appears to be more pilot 

career opportunities and a greater likelihood of a secure and lucrative 

career path. Some airlines have created career path programs that 

document the requirements to move along the career path from pilot 

school to a particular regional airline and on to a particular mainline 

airline. According to an association representing pilots, they have done so 

to encourage more students to enter the pilot profession. Nonetheless, 

representatives from nearly all schools we interviewed identified the cost 

of a professional pilot degree program as a great (10 schools) or a 

moderate (6 schools) challenge to recruiting and retaining students.

While high education costs are not unique to pilot programs, these 

programs can be particularly expensive, and therefore unaffordable to 

many students.49 As previously reported, professional pilot students incur 

flight training “lab fees” in addition to general college tuition and fees, that 

 48 See Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee, ARAC Input to Support Regulatory 

Reform of Aviation Regulations – ARAC Addendum Report(Washington, D.C.: Sept. 12, 

2017). The FAA Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee is a formal standing advisory 

committee, comprised of representatives from aviation associations, aviation industry, 

public interest groups, advocacy groups, foreign civil authorities, and FAA. The committee 

provides FAA with information, advice, and recommendations, concerning rulemaking 

activity.

49 There is widespread concern that the rising costs of higher education are making 

college unaffordable for many students and their families. See GAO, Higher Education: 

State Funding Trends and Policies on Affordability, GAO-15-151 (Washington, D.C.: Dec.

16, 2014).

The Cost of Flight Training 

Is a Challenge for Some 

Colleges in Recruiting and 

Retaining Students
Page 23 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

together often exceeds $100,000.50 Schools’ tuition and fees can vary 

significantly. Factors affecting cost include whether the school is public, 

private non-profit, or private for-profit, whether the school offers a 2-year 

or 4-year program, and the student’s resident status. According to 

Education’s data, annual in-state tuition at public collegiate aviation 

schools we identified ranges from approximately $1,100 to $13,000. 

However, annual out-of-state tuition at a public 4-year program can cost 

as much as approximately $28,800. Private school tuition can cost more. 

For example, one 4-year private for-profit collegiate aviation school lists 

estimated annual undergraduate tuition of nearly $36,000, not including 

room and board or flight training costs.

Flight training costs also vary considerably. According to the University 

Aviation Association’s 2016 directory of collegiate aviation schools, a 

majority of pilot programs (27 of 45) have total approximate flight training 

costs of more than $50,000, with an upper cost of about $81,000.51 Flight 

training costs may vary, depending on the school requirements, student 

interest, and aptitude. Pilot program curriculum may differ and some 

students may choose to take additional classes.52 Each additional 

certificate and rating adds to the total cost of the training. Also, the time 

required for students to complete their certificates and ratings varies. 

Compounding the issue of cost is that the maximum federal financial aid 

available to eligible students is well below the full cost of a collegiate flight 

education, a factor that is also not unique to collegiate aviation students. 

For academic years 2017–2018 and 2018–2019, the maximum federal 

Pell Grant award is currently $5,920, and annual federal loan limits range 

from $5,500 up to $12,500 depending on the student’s year in school, 

dependency status, and other factors. Most students need to either use 

family resources or take out private loans to pay for the total cost of a pilot 

program, according to representatives from four schools. Not all students 

have the means to do so, as private lenders may require a co-signer with 

 50GAO, Initial Pilot Training: Better Management Controls Are Needed to Improve FAA 

Oversight, GAO-12-117 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 4, 2011).

51 University Aviation Association, The Collegiate Aviation Guide, Sixth Edition (Auburn, 

AL: 2016).

52 As previously discussed, pilot students may obtain a number of ratings and 

certifications on their path to become an airline pilot. Some professional pilot degree

programs require a minimum of a commercial pilot certification, while others require a 

flight instructor certificate or multi-engine rating.
Page 24 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

good credit and a minimum income level.53 Also, representatives from two 

schools said that some students who initially secure private loans for flight 

training are unable or unwilling to secure loans needed later on to 

complete this training, causing them to leave the pilot program. This 

financing challenge may pose a significant barrier for lower income 

students to enter the pilot profession.

There are lower cost alternatives to collegiate aviation schools, though 

they are not entirely equivalent. Students may obtain a flight education 

and achieve the same FAA certificates and ratings from a non-collegiate 

pilot school and incur flight training expenses without the added cost of 

college tuition. As previously discussed, a pilot with non-collegiate flight 

training could be eligible for the same employment opportunities with 

regional airlines, but according to five stakeholders, airlines prefer or have 

typically hired pilots with a 4-year degree. Military service is another lower 

cost alternative for flight training, as service members are compensated 

for their time while they are training. However, one school representative 

noted that service members may enlist in the military with the intention of 

pursuing flight training, but they are not guaranteed to receive a flight 

assignment.

Representatives from two stakeholders told us it is not possible to 

significantly reduce the cost of flight training because it is inherently 

expensive, and four school representatives said that costs are 

increasing.54 One approach to controlling costs for students is to make it 

easier for them to transfer from public 2-year pilot programs to 4-year 

programs, since public 2-year programs are typically less expensive. A 

representative from a state university told us that he is developing a 

degree completion program for professional pilot students from U.S. 2-

year colleges. This program would enable students to complete their 

bachelor’s degree online with the university after they have obtained an 

associate’s degree in flight. Similarly, a community college has transfer 

agreements with several 4-year universities, and most of its students aim 

to obtain a 4-year college degree. We previously found that when 

colleges provide their students with information on transfer agreements 

they help students save on tuition costs by enabling students to predict 

 53 GAO, Federal Student Loans: Impact of Loan Limit Increases on College Prices Is 

Difficult to Discern, GAO-14-7. (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 18, 2014).

54 Representatives from some schools and stakeholders told us that in addition to general 

tuition and fees, key cost drivers for professional pilot degree programs are purchasing 

and maintaining aircraft, insurance, and fuel. 
Page 25 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

which credits will transfer and reducing the likelihood that they will need to 

repeat coursework.55 Two schools have opened satellite campuses for 

their flight programs, and two other schools are considering that option, 

both to expand their capacity and to provide options for students to 

receive flight training while living closer to home, according to school 

representatives.

Other actions schools have taken focus on ensuring that students are 

able to pay for the program and offering assistance with costs where 

possible. Representatives of three schools told us that they are raising 

money for departmental scholarships, and a representative of one school 

said the school raises awareness about outside scholarships that may be 

available to its students.56 A representative from a community college 

said that there are scholarships available for women and minorities. 

According to one industry representative, there are not enough women 

and minorities in aviation, which will negatively affect the supply of future 

pilots. One state university offers in-state tuition for flight students who 

are residents of nearby states, with the aim of both reducing some 

students’ costs and increasing enrollment at the school. Representatives 

of four schools told us that they emphasize communication with potential 

students about costs before they enroll to improve pilot student retention. 

In addition, one school we spoke with requires students to pay their flight 

training fees for each certification upfront in one lump sum to ensure that 

students will be able to complete the training.

Initiatives to assist students with funding and reduce costs of flight 

training have been in place for a long time with limited impact, according 

to one flight training provider association. Other aviation stakeholders 

noted that regional and mainline airlines could have a greater effect than 

previous efforts by working together. For example, airlines could provide 

scholarships and subsidize students’ flight training while students are still 

in school. The airlines could also work together as an industry to provide 

scholarships to students. However, as one aviation association noted, 

airlines are reluctant to provide scholarships to students who are likely to 

fly for a competitor. Representatives from two stakeholders suggested 

 55 See GAO, Higher Education: Students Need More Information to Help Reduce 

Challenges in Transferring College Credits, GAO-17-574. (Washington, D.C.: August 14, 

2017)

56 A variety of organizations offer aviation-based scholarships. However, one 

representative of flight training providers noted that the scholarships are small compared 

to the total cost of a professional pilot degree. 
Page 26 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

that increases to limits on federal student loans could provide additional 

resources to help students pay for flight training costs. To some extent 

and even if additional actions are taken to help defray some of the

educational costs, some students may not be able to afford the cost of 

collegiate aviation schools.

Some selected school representatives also cited other challenges, though 

these challenges were cited by fewer representatives, and most of the 

representatives characterized these challenges as moderate or slight.

• Purchasing and maintaining aircraft. Representatives from 13 schools 

said that purchasing or maintaining aircraft, or obtaining the requisite 

purchase approvals can be challenging. New single-engine training 

aircraft could cost more than $300,000, while a new multi-engine 

aircraft can cost around $750,000. Purchasing older, used equipment 

is one possible way to defray aircraft costs, but older equipment 

requires more time offline for maintenance.57 Representatives from 

two schools stated that aircraft used for training requires extensive 

scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, which can interfere with 

their ability to train students.

• Airport infrastructure and airspace constraints. When asked about 

challenges related to airport infrastructure, representatives of six 

schools identified challenges related to space constraints. Issues 

included insufficient space to store and maintain aircraft, insufficient 

classroom and office space, and crowded airspace that cannot 

accommodate the desired flight operations to train the number of pilot 

students they could with their existing resources. Few representatives 

identified infrastructure availability at the airport as a great (1 school) 

or moderate (3 schools) challenge, while 6 representatives reported 

that infrastructure posed only a slight challenge and 7 said it was not 

a challenge at all.

• VA education benefit program administration—publication of specific 

training hours and costs. Representatives from eight schools and two 

stakeholders expressed some concern about new enforcement of VA 

education benefit rules from the Post 9/11 GI Bill, as amended by the 

Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 

 57 While older aircraft are generally less expensive to purchase, they can be more costly 

to maintain.One school representative reported spending about $150,000 per year to 

maintain the school’s 11 older model aircraft.

A Variety of Other Factors 

May Present Challenges 

for Some Collegiate 

Aviation Schools
Page 27 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

2010.58 VA issued two policy advisories in 2015 to notify collegiate 

aviation schools about statutory education benefit policies and bring 

them into compliance. One policy advisory notified schools that they 

must publish the specific number of training hours, as well as the 

specific cost of training, for each flight course, effectively setting a 

maximum number of training hours and fixed fees for each course 

taken as part of a standard degree program.59 According to VA, 

before the agency issued the policy advisories there was great public 

and congressional outcry about individual pilot students receiving 

hundreds of thousands of dollars from VA for their education. VA 

issued the policy advisories to specify what pilot training activities are 

appropriate uses of VA money, and under what circumstances. VA 

funds cannot be used to pay for pilot training to proficiency because 

that would entail an unlimited amount of funds to be available for an 

individual’s flight training.

Representatives from five selected schools reported that this rule 

made it difficult to provide efficient and effective flight training for all 

pilot students. Depending on the program structure, students who 

cannot finish the course in the set number of hours must either pay 

out of pocket for additional training or accept a failing grade and take 

the course again. VA education benefits pay for eligible beneficiaries 

to repeat the course if needed. In contrast, FAA imposes a minimum 

but not a maximum number of hours per certificate, because the 

training goal is to achieve a certain level of proficiency for each 

certificate. One school representative stated that the school allowed 

its VA education benefit eligibility to lapse because it allowed them the 

freedom to train students to proficiency without maximum training 

hours; however, veterans can no longer use their benefits to enroll in 

that program.

• VA education benefit eligibility for contracted flight instruction.

Representatives of two out of the five schools we interviewed that 

contract out flight training and one stakeholder reported a challenge 

concerning a rule described in the second VA policy advisory; the rule 

places restrictions on collegiate aviation schools that contract out 

flight training to a non-collegiate school.60 Previously, veterans 

 58 Pub. L. No. 111-377, § 102, 124 Stat. 4106, 4108 (2010).

59 Veterans Affairs Compliance and Liaison Advisory 223-15-01, September 1, 2015.

60 Veterans Affairs Compliance and Liaison Advisory 223-15-02, December 2015.
Page 28 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

received benefits for flight training conducted at non-collegiate pilot 

schools through the institution of higher learning that contracted out 

the flight training.61 However, in its policy advisory VA stated that this 

practice was not consistent with the rules of the education benefit 

program because there are different rules for non-collegiate pilot 

schools; VA benefits cannot be used to pay for training toward private 

pilot certification at non-collegiate pilot schools. In addition, federal 

law states that the VA cannot approve the enrollment of an eligible 

veteran in a course if it involves contracted training that is either 

otherwise barred from being approved or has not obtained approval 

on its own.62

As a result, to remain eligible for VA education benefits, a collegiate 

aviation school cannot include private pilot certification training 

provided by a non-collegiate pilot school in its degree program since 

such training is statutorily barred from approval at the contracted noncollegiate pilot school.63 Therefore, all students enrolled in such 

programs must have already earned their private pilot certificate 

before matriculating in the program, whether they use veterans’

education benefits or not. According to VA, it issued its policy advisory 

to clarify the statutory limitations of education benefits under the GI 

Bill relating to private pilot certificate courses. Representatives from 

two schools said that they are currently not eligible for VA education 

benefits as a result of this rule, which representatives of one school 

said has affected the school’s enrollment of veterans. Furthermore, 

industry stakeholders have expressed concern about greater limits on 

VA education benefits for flight training based on possible future 

legislative action.64 Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Transportation 

has announced a new “Forces to Flyers Initiative” with two objectives: 

(1) to assess the level of interest among veterans in becoming pilots 

and (2) to help veterans who are not former military pilots to receive 

 61 According to VA, several state approving agencies (SAAs) authorized these degree 

programs though they were not in compliance with statute. VA contracts with each SAA to 

approve programs of education and provides training and oversight to the SAAs.

62 38 U.S.C. § 3680A(f).

63 38 U.S.C. §§ 3034(d)(2), 3313(b).

64 Aviation industry representatives expressed concerns about a cap on tuition and fees 

for flight training degree programs within H.R. 4149 (115th Cong.) in a November 28, 

2017, letter to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.
Page 29 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

the training they need to become commercial pilots.65 Though 

representatives from five schools identified this issue as a great 

challenge, overall its impact is limited because not all schools have 

students using veterans’ benefits for their pilot programs, and a small 

percentage of students overall use veterans’ benefits to pay for their 

education.

We provided a draft of this product to the DOT, Education, and VA for 

comment. DOT provided technical comments, which we incorporated as 

appropriate. Education and VA declined to provide formal or technical 

comments.

We are sending copies of this report to the appropriate congressional 

committees, the Secretary of the Department of Transportation, the 

Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of the 

Department of Education, and other interested parties. In addition, the 

report is available at no charge on the GAO website at 

http://www.gao.gov.

If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please contact 

me at 202-512-2834 or vonaha@gao.gov. Contact points for our Office of 

Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page 

of this report. GAO staff who made major contributions to this report are 

listed in appendix II.

Andrew Von Ah

Director, Civil Aviation Issues

 65 For more information about the Forces to Flyers Initiative, see Remarks Prepared for 

Delivery by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao. Washington DC, November 

16, 2017.

Agency Comments
Page 30 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

List of Addressees

The Honorable Susan M. Collins

Chairman

The Honorable Jack Reed

Ranking Member

Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing 

 and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

Committee on Appropriations

United States Senate

The Honorable Mario Diaz-Balart

Chairman

The Honorable David E. Price

Ranking Member

Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing 

 and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

Committee on Appropriations

House of Representatives

The Honorable Heidi Heitkamp

Ranking Member

Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

United States Senate
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 31 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

For our review we addressed (1) what is known about collegiate aviation 

schools with professional pilot degree programs in terms of location, 

types of training programs available, and enrollment; and (2) challenges 

that affect collegiate aviation schools’ ability to produce professional pilots 

and schools’ response to these challenges.

To address both objectives, we reviewed a range of reports from GAO, 

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Congressional Research Service, 

and Bureau of Labor Statistics: these reports included general 

background information on a variety of related issues on pilot training, 

issues such as pilot certification and training issues in the United States; 

FAA regulatory training requirements for different levels of pilot 

certification; types and requirements of pilot training schools; current 

supply and demand, and forecasts for commercial airline pilots; and 

airport infrastructure financing. Furthermore, we reviewed the Federal 

Aviation Regulations related to training and certification for pilots under 

Part 61 and Part 141. We also reviewed provisions of the Airline Safety 

and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010 (Pub. L. No. 

111-216) related to “Flight Crewmember Screening and Qualifications”

and “Airline Transport Pilot Certification.”

To determine what is known about collegiate aviation schools we 

analyzed several sets of data and interviewed representatives from 

collegiate aviation schools and other aviation stakeholders. To identify 

colleges and universities with professional pilot degree programs for fixed 

wing aircraft in academic year 2015–2016,1 we compared FAA’s data on 

FAA-certificated pilot schools as of August 19, 2016; the Aircraft Owner 

and Pilot Association’s list of colleges and universities with aviation 

programs as of September 19, 2016; and the University Aviation 

Association’s 2016 directory of collegiate aviation schools.2 These data 

were the most applicable given the academic year reviewed. We verified 

schools on all three lists by checking school websites, typically the 

program’s webpage or course catalog detailing degree program 

requirements. For schools that were included on only one or two of the 

lists, two staff members independently reviewed school information and 

categorized the school as inside or outside of our scope. Disagreements 

 1 We did not study aviation programs such as rotorcraft (e.g., helicopters) or other, nonflight aviation majors such as air traffic control or aviation maintenance because they are 

generally not suited for becoming commercial airline pilots.

2 University Aviation Association, The Collegiate Aviation Guide.

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 32 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

between coders were reviewed by a third staff member and resolved 

through discussion. In a few cases where website information was 

unclear, the staff member contacted school officials to verify that they 

offered a professional pilot degree program.3 To determine the airport and 

airport types at which schools with professional pilot degree programs 

operated their flight training, we reviewed information from FAA’s National 

Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, the Aircraft Owner and Pilot 

Association, and school websites.4 We also selected and interviewed 

representatives of six airports of varying types (e.g., medium-hub, smallhub, and non-hub) and in different geographic areas of the country, all of 

whom had collegiate aviation school tenants. Because we selected the 

airports as part of a nonprobability sample, our findings cannot be 

generalized to all airports with collegiate aviation school tenants.

To determine what is known about the institution type, college-wide tuition 

and fees, and graduations at these schools, we analyzed data from 

Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).5

Of the 147 collegiate aviation schools with professional pilot degree 

programs that we identified, 146 of them have an IPEDS identification 

number. According to Education officials, schools with an IPEDS 

identification number are likely to participate in Title IV financial aid, be 

accredited, and consequently be monitored by Education through several 

mechanisms including IPEDS, federal student aid compliance, and 

accreditation. With respect the institution type, the categories of schools 

included in our analysis included degree-granting institutions of the 

following types: public, private non-profit, and private for profit with either 

4-year baccalaureate or 2-year associates degrees. With respect to 

tuition and fees, we reviewed both in-state and out-of-state costs schools 

reported to Education.6 Data were not available for academic year 2014–

 3 In some instances, we found schools that operated in the 2015-2016 school year had 

discontinued their program. However, these schools remained in our analysis. We did not 

include schools that opened professional pilot degree programs in the 2016-2017 

academic year or later. 

4 FAA, National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, 2017-2021. The National Plan of 

Integrated Airport Systems is a plan for developing public use airports in the United 

States.

5 The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is the federal 

government’s core postsecondary data collection program. All postsecondary schools 

participating in federal student financial aid programs are required to complete a group of 

annual surveys on a variety of topics. 

6 Academic year 2014-2015 was the most recent information available for institution type 

and college-wide tuition and fees.
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 33 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

2015 for two collegiate aviation schools we identified. In a few instances 

schools offered lower-cost tuition and fees to local students (in-district). 

For purposes of comparison, we did not include these costs in our report, 

since not all schools offer in-district discounts. With respect to the 

graduations data, we analyzed graduations data in academic year 2015–

2016 in 10 aviation-related categories within Education’s Classification of 

Instructional Programs (CIP) for schools we identified as having 

professional pilot degree programs.7 We determined that IPEDS data 

were sufficiently reliable for the purposes of our reporting objectives 

based on prior testing of the data from these systems and interviews with 

knowledgeable officials at Education’s National Center for Education 

Statistics.

To determine what is known about enrollment at collegiate aviation 

schools, we analyzed enrollment and flight instructor data voluntarily 

reported to FAA by some schools between October 2015 and October 

2017.8 Through interviews with FAA officials, we have determined these 

data were the most complete sources available and, while limited, were 

sufficiently reliable for the purpose of illustrating the variety in the size of 

professional pilot degree program enrollment. We also obtained and 

analyzed FAA’s pilot certificate and instrument rating data to identify, for a 

number of categories, the number of new pilot certificates FAA issued 

from 2012 through 2016 and the total number of pilot certificate holders 

for those years.9 One limitation associated with the database in which 

 7 The 2015–2016 academic year was the most recent graduation (also referred to as 

degree completion) information available from the database. According to the Department 

of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, the Classification of Instructional 

Programs (CIP) is a coding scheme of instructional programs. Its purpose is to facilitate 

the organization, collection, and reporting of fields of study and program completions. The 

CIP titles and program descriptions are intended to be generic categories into which 

program completions data can be placed, not exact duplicates of a specific major or field 

of study titles used by individual institutions. The CIP is the accepted federal government 

statistical standard on instructional program classifications and is used in a variety of 

education information surveys and databases.

8 Pilot school regulations prescribe the requirements for issuing pilot school certificates 

and the general operating rules applicable to a holder of the certificate. Collegiate aviation 

schools operating under Part 141 voluntarily report enrollment and flight instructor 

employment data. FAA collects the data on an on-going basis, and FAA does not audit the 

data to verify accuracy.

9 FAA does not proactively purge deceased certificate holders from its airmen database;

however, deceased certificate holders in certain categories will be deactivated if they do 

not renew their medical license when it expires and all certificate holders are deactivated 

at age 90.
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 34 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

FAA stores certificate-holder information is that the agency does not have 

an active process in place to discover and deactivate deceased pilots. 

This lack may lead to an over count in the number of active pilot 

certificates. However, airline transport pilot certificate holders must 

regularly renew their medical certificates to remain active. We found that 

the data were sufficiently reliable for the purposes of reporting the number 

of “restricted privileges” airline transport pilot certificates FAA has issued 

since 2013.

To determine challenges that affect collegiate aviation schools’ ability to 

produce professional pilots, we reviewed documents, interviewed, and 

administered a standardized question set to a non-generalizable sample 

of 18 collegiate aviation schools about their pilot programs and key 

challenges that affect their ability to produce professional pilots. To select 

our non-generalizable sample of schools, we used information from FAA, 

the Aircraft Owner and Pilot Association, school websites, and initial 

interviews with aviation stakeholders. Based on the schools’ geographic 

location, we selected schools in each of FAA’s nine airport regions. In 

order to provide a variety of perspectives in our selection, we included 

schools of each institution type (public, private non-profit, and private forprofit), of each program type (2-year and 4-year), some that were FAAcertificated and some that contracted out flight training. While the sample 

allowed us to learn about challenges that affect these schools’ ability to 

produce professional pilots, it was designed to provide anecdotal 

information, not findings that would be representative of all collegiate 

aviation schools with professional pilot degree programs in the United 

States. Our initial selection included 20 schools, of which 19 responded to 

our request for interview. Of these 19, 18 schools responded to our 

question set, and representatives of one additional school provided us 

with general information about their program.
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 35 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

Table 2: Collegiate Aviation Schools Interviewed

Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, Massachusetts

California Baptist University Riverside, California

Chandler-Gilbert Community College Chandler, Arizona

Community College of Baltimore County Multiple locations, Maryland

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach Daytona Beach, Florida

Glendale Community Collegea Glendale, California

Hampton University Hampton, Virginia

Kansas State Polytechnic Salina, Kansas

Middle Georgia State University Multiple locations, Georgia

Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma

Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana

Quincy University Quincy, Illinois

University of Alaska at Anchorage Anchorage, Alaska

University of North Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota

University of Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma

Utah State University Logan, Utah

Wallace State Community College Hanceville, Alabama

Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan

Westminster College Salt Lake City, Utah

Source: GAO. I GAO-18-403

a

Glendale Community College provided us w ith general information about its program but declined to 

answ er our question set.

In our question set, we asked schools to rate 10 factors that we identified 

in preliminary interviews as potentially affecting schools’ ability to recruit, 

retain, and train professional pilot students—thereby affecting their ability 

to produce pilots. Schools rated each factor as a great challenge, a 

moderate challenge, a slight challenge, or not a challenge to the ability to 

recruit, retain, and train professional pilot students. After our interviews 

with officials from the selected schools, we analyzed and aggregated 

responses to these questions, and identified two factors that schools most 

frequently cited as the most challenging to their ability to produce pilots. 

In addition, 3 other factors were cited by multiple schools as a great or 

moderate challenge. Schools generally cited the remaining 5 factors as a 

slight or moderate challenge.
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 36 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

Table 3: Summary of Factors That Selected Collegiate Aviation Schools Reported as Affecting Their Ability to Produce Pilots

Factors

Great 

challenge

Moderate 

challenge

Slight 

challenge

Not a 

challenge No response

Recruiting and retaining flight instructors 11 5 1 1 0

The cost of a collegiate flight education for 

students (including cost of flight training/lab 

fees, cost of tuition, other fees/expenses) 10 6 2 0 0

The school’s ability to purchase and maintain 

aircraft 3 8 3 4 0

Infrastructure availability at the school’s 

primary airport (e.g., runways, hangar space, 

control towers) 1 3 6 7 1

Eligibility for veterans’ education benefits 5 2 3 6 2

Availability or eligibility for federal financial aid 3 8 3 2 2

Recruiting and retaining faculty 2 6 6 4 0

Starting pay for commercial pilots upon 

graduation 0 4 6 8 0

Operating under FAA pilot training 

requirements (Part 61) and/or obtaining and 

maintaining FAA pilot school certification

requirements (Part 141)a 0 5 0 13 0

Maintenance of airport infrastructure (e.g., 

maintaining and repairing runways or aprons, 

snow removal) 0 2 3 13 0

Source: GAO. l GAO-18-403

a

14 C.F.R. Parts 61 and 141.

To describe stakeholders’ views of factors that affect collegiate aviation 

schools’ ability to produce pilots and actions that have been or could be 

taken to address these factors, we reviewed and summarized schools’

comments. We also reviewed documents and interviewed FAA officials, 

representatives of airports and industry organizations representing 

collegiate and non-collegiate pilot schools, airports, flight instructors, 

pilots, regional airlines, and mainline airlines, selected to reflect a range 

of perspectives about initial pilot training. (See table 4.) In addition, we 

reviewed documents and interviewed Education and Department of 

Veterans Affairs officials about regulations and policies related to pilot 

programs’ eligibility for federal student financial aid and the use of 

veterans’ education benefits. 
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and 

Methodology

Page 37 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

Table 4: Aviation Stakeholders Interviewed

Non-collegiate aviation school

Boeing

Industry organizations

Air Line Pilots Association 

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

Airlines for America

Airports Council International-North America

Aviation Accreditation Board International

Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations

Flight School Association of North America

National Association of Flight Instructors

Regional Airlines Association

University Aviation Association

Source: GAO. l GAO-18-403

Note: Delta Airlines provided w ritten responses in lieu of an interview .

We conducted this performance audit from September 2016 to May 2018 

in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 

sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our 

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that 

the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and 

conclusions based on our audit objectives.
Appendix II: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments

Page 38 GAO-18-403 Collegiate Aviation Schools

Andrew Von Ah, (202) 512-2834, or vonaha@gao.gov

In addition to the contact named above, Gerald Dillingham, Ph.D. 

(Director); Vashun Cole (Assistant Director); Jaclyn Mullen (Analyst-inCharge); Amy Abramowitz; Danielle Ellingston; Dave Hooper; Delwen 

Jones; Serena Lo; John Mingus; Natasha Oliver; Malika Rice; Michelle St. 

Pierre; and Elizabeth Wood made key contributions to this report.

Appendix II: GAO Contact and Staff 

Acknowledgments

GAO Contact

Staff 

Acknowledgments

(101145)
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