FAA requires annual inspections of these schools, unlike flight instructor- based schools. 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

We identified 147 U.S. colleges and universities that offered at least one  professional pilot degree program in academic year 2015-2016. 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. In addition, FAA does not verify the data to determine their  accuracy. 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. School officials classify and report completed degrees by program type to  Education using the agency’s classification system. Education’s data for professional pilot degrees awarded by  collegiate aviation schools under this code totaled 1,356 in academic year  2015–2016. 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. 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

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. 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. These programs may include incentives such as bonus pay for a number of flight hours, health  benefits, or tuition reimbursement. In addition to actions that schools can take to retain flight instructors,  school representatives suggested additional actions that would require  cooperation from airlines. 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. 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 example, airlines could provide  scholarships and subsidize students’ flight training while students are still  in school. 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  the training they need to become commercial pilots. DOT provided technical comments, which we incorporated as  appropriate. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

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. These data  were the most applicable given the academic year reviewed. In addition, 3 other factors were cited by multiple schools as a great or  moderate challenge. 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.
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.

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.