GOODYEAR, AZ — This Wednesday, United Airlines — the only major U.S. airline to own a flight training school — celebrated the graduation of its first-ever class of students from United Aviate Academy, located at the Phoenix Goodyear Airport.
At 22 years old, Grace Durbin is cleared for take-off.
She spent the last year at United Aviate Academy in Goodyear gaining various certifications and banking flight hours to reach a milestone day on Wednesday.
“I’m a little biased but we might be one of the best flight schools in the country,” she said before her classmates, their families, and instructors.
Grace is one of the valedictorians for the first-ever graduation class at the United Aviate Academy. The academy helps aspiring aviators get a certified flight instructors license to help train the next crop of pilots — aiding a nationwide pilot shortage.
Many of them will continue their journey to 1,500 flight hours needed to be commercial pilots. United expects half of its pilots to come from the one-of-a-kind program.
“Ultimately I want to fly for United, I want to get on the 787,” said Grace with a smile on her face.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, just over 5% of pilots are women and 6% are people of color.
UAA's first graduating class of students was nearly 70% women or people of color, according to a release from the airline. United says the airline's goal is to train about 5,000 new pilots at the school by 2030 with at least half being women or people of color.
”Specifically to us at United, we need to look like on the flight deck and in the cabin, we need to look like the customers we serve to represent the communities we fly in and out of,” said United Captain Michael Bonner.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg addressed the graduates through a video message.
“You will be making a real difference in an industry of national importance that urgently needs your skills,” said Secretary Buttigieg.
United CEO Scott Kirby shared the inaugural commencement, “This is about bringing people in for people to spend their careers with United."
The academy's first graduating class is comprised of more than 50 students.
To learn more about the United Aviate Academy, or even apply to the program, click here.
