DENTON, Texas, January 12, 2021 - US Aviation Academy (USAA) welcomes their first class of student pilots from Pilot Flight Academy (PFA) in Norway. Fourteen Norwegian student pilots will be completing an extended Private Pilot curriculum that involves 45 hours of dual flight and 50 hours of solo flight.
USAA flight instructors are granted a special permit by the Norwegian Civil Air Authority (NCAA) and European Aviation Safety Administration (EASA) to teach a dual enrollment course. US Aviation’s Denton campus is an approved Aviation Training Organization (ATO) under PFA’s EASA certificate. In addition, PFA students have the option to complete a FAA Private Pilot certificate while earning credit hours towards their EASA certification. Upon completion of the course, the students will return to Norway to continue training in Instrument and Multi Engine curriculums.
“We are motivated about the possibilities of training students under the EASA curriculum, and better equipping our instructors for their future endeavors as professional pilots,” said Seth Hamilton, Vice President of International and Domestic Training. “The students from Norway are excited that they will be able to take advantage of better winter weather and have the ability to complete their training faster in Denton, Texas.”
Norway and other European countries train under EASA regulations which are very different from the FAA training regulations that govern in the United States, which includes different minimum flight hours required. Students can obtain a First Officer position with an airline in as little as 250 hours. The partnership with PFA and USAA will bring 120-150 students per year initially, but is expected to increase. The students will be attending training at US Aviation’s Denton campus (KDTO) for three months and will be followed by three more groups scheduled for February, April and May 2021.
