Feb. 19—With an airline industry seeing an increasing need for more pilots, the Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport's OWB Pilot Program provides a clear path for those interested in a commercial airline career.
Established four-years ago in partnership with Cape Air, the program was born after a Rooster Booster breakfast attended by Cape Air founder Dan Wolfe and Andrew Bonney, senior vice president of planning.
Bob Whitmer, who was airport director at the time, said the airline executives met with about 40 members of the Owensboro and Daviess County government and business community after the breakfast to discuss air service.
"It came up in the discussion that there is a pilot shortage on the horizon that is going to really cause problems, not only for the commercial airlines, but even the military," Whitmer said. "I said why don't we start a flight school here in Owensboro and help meet some of Cape Air's needs. That is how it actually got off the ground."
To date, there have been two graduates from the program and about five other individuals are currently enrolled in it.
Sam Dukes is the first person to graduate from the OWB Pilot Program. He graduated in 2020 and is currently employed as a captain at Cape Air.
"I was actually living overseas at the time, but I had my private license and my dad and my mom live about 30 minutes south of Owensboro and they get the newspaper," Dukes said. "They had seen an article that Cape Air was looking to get people into this program to get their ratings and then come to work for them."
Dukes, who had previously earned his private pilots license, said he knew a helicopter pilot and had a friend from high school that wanted to be a Navy pilot, and he thought aviation could provide an interesting career.
He completed the OWB Pilot Program in 13 months.
"I was treating it as a full-time job," Dukes said. "I was up in the plane six-eight hours on a lot of days if the weather was good. I think I was probably pretty ambitious."
For those who do not have a private pilots license, Dukes said they would have to learn the rules and regulations of flying from a certified flight instructor.
"Most of your time is going to be with an instructor doing various ground lessons but also some work in the air, and then sort of the same thing when you work to get your instrument rating and your commercial ratings," he said.
After achieving those ratings, all perspective commercial pilots must log 750 hours of flight time.
"You can do that in a bunch of ways but I just picked random airports around the area that I hadn't been to before," Dukes said. "I flew with my dad a lot; that was fun."
After completing the program, Dukes went to work for Cape Air as a first officer, flying in the right seat for about nine months before upgrading to captain.
Based in Quincy, Illinois, Dukes currently flies to Chicago and St. Louis.
"Those are the only two airports that we have scheduled operations to out of Quincy," he said. "When I first upgraded, I was out in the Caribbean on a small island and I would just fly back and forth between that island and San Juan."
Bonney said the program has proven to be beneficial to Cape Air and the Owensboro community.
"What is unique about this program and what we are really proud to bring to Owensboro is it is one of the most efficient, in both time and money, ways of getting quality training towards an airline career."
While those in the program must pay for the cost of earning their license, which can cost about $70,000, Cape Air will begin to repay that back after the pilot graduates from the program and become airline captains.
Dukes said the program does require a significant financial commitment upfront, and he opted to take out an equity line of credit on his home to cover the expenses.
"I upgraded to captain about nine months ago and that is when Cape Air started repaying my loans," Dukes said.
Tristan Durbin, airport director, said he believes it is important for OWB to promote all forms of aviation, from private to corporate and commercial.
"Currently, we have three students in the program; we have had two graduates of the program," Durbin said. "It is such a great economic development tool and a very unique program that is unlike really any other program that you can find anywhere else really in the country."
Durbin said at least two people have moved to Owensboro to participate in the OWB Pilot Program.
"It is a true economic development tool and engine that has a lot of opportunity to grow for the community," he said.
While there is an upfront cost to the program, Durbin said there are currently no federal student loans designed for people looking to gain their commercial pilot's license.
"You get the training at a much discounted price compared to a lot of training programs that are out there," Durbin said. "This is a program where there is a guaranteed job with Cape Air as a captain at the end of it and then the loan reimbursement through a time commitment with Cape Air at the end of it as well. It is just something that is truly unique and very advantageous for individuals who are seeking aviation as a career."
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