Welcome to Our First Class!

Pinch us! After months of planning and replanning, long days and sleepless nights spent putting together a flight training academy from scratch, on September 4, 2018, LIFT Academy students began their first day of training. It was truly an exciting and emotional day for students and staff alike.

Our inaugural class of 13 students began their classroom-to-cockpit education by meeting their instructors and going through orientation, receiving their über-cool LIFT gear, getting a glimpse of how they would be spending the next several months training on the flight simulators, online and in the air (faster than they ever thought they would—within the first few days, weather permitting).

Our parent company, Republic Airways, conceived of and created LIFT with the intention of removing barriers from the pilot pathway. There are several ways we did that:

  1. We made tuition more affordable than other flight schools.
  2. We appealed to a broader audience than is typically done in order to expand the pool of not only perspective students but to bring diversity to the industry.
  3. We offer a financial assistance program to help students repay school loans.
  4. We hire students who have achieved their Certificated Flight Instructor status—which takes about 12 months—to teach other LIFT students while they finish their flight hours.
  5. We guarantee our graduates a job as a First Officer with Republic, creating a win-win for LIFT students and the airline.

Now that classes are in session, we are incredibly pleased to discover that our plan worked! Students routinely report that before LIFT, they didn’t think their desire to become a pilot was possible. Students like Tyler Susong, who said, “LIFT Academy has given me the chance to achieve a lifelong dream that I thought was unachievable.” Mark Twain said, ‘The two most important dates in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.’ Thanks to LIFT Academy, I now know why.”

When you or someone you know is ready to discover their “why,” consider applying to LIFT. We’re watching dreams take flight on a daily basis.