Colorado Springs Flight School, Metro State Partner to Train Airline Pilots

April 11, 2022

A partnership with the Direct Connect Flight Academy at the Colorado Springs Airport and Metropolitan State University of Denver cuts about a year from the time needed for a student pilot to get hired by a passenger airline or major cargo carrier.

By Wayne Heilman

Source The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.) (TNS)

Apr. 10—Nolan Shell has dreamed of becoming a pilot for a major airline since taking a flight on a family vacation when he was a child. Now he's on a path to realizing that dream in about 3 1/2 years as part of a new program.

The 18-year-old has already received his pilot's license and will get the additional training needed to pilot commercial aircraft under a partnership with the Direct Connect Flight Academy at the Colorado Springs Airport and Metropolitan State University of Denver. The program cuts about a year from the time needed for a student pilot to get hired by a passenger airline or major cargo carrier.

"I wanted to become a pilot ever since I was sitting in the passenger seat and thought it was awesome to fly," said Shell, who graduated from Doherty High School in May. "My goal is to work for a major airline such as a cargo carrier like FedEx or UPS. The first takeoff I remember was leaving on a family vacation and I looked out the window and looked forward to the flight more than the vacation."

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