LSC-Montgomery is seeking approval from state and local accreditors to operate the program from LSC-Conroe Center. If approved, it will be the only public community college in the Greater Houston area offering the pilot program, LSC-Montgomery President Rebecca Riley said.
Riley said the college is expecting to hear from the accrediting entities in October, with the college anticipating to accept up to 20 professional pilot students for the spring 2019 semester.
“The employment needs for this program are really much broader than just Montgomery County,” she said. “We’re hoping to address the pilot shortage that is occurring both nationwide in the United States and internationally, which is projected to get much more critical over the next 10 years.”
A global shortage
According to a July 2017 study from Boeing, the global demand for pilots—specifically commercial airline pilots—will continue to increase over the next 20 years. While the Asia Pacific region will have the greatest demand for pilots, the North America region will require 117,000, according to the report.
The report showed that demand will increase between 2017 and 2036 because many pilots will have entered retirement age and the aviation industry’s growth is anticipated to continue.
James Brown, director of the Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport, or CNHRA, said the pilot shortage is due to how expensive it is to gain a commercial pilot license and the entry barrier to become an airline pilot.
“When programs like the one Lone Star College is proposing comes around, it gives those students a way to get a degree and a pilot license to work toward the hours to become an airline pilot,” Brown said.
The degree will cost upward of $65,000, which Riley said could be partially paid by federal loans, grants or through military benefits for qualified students.
Students will earn 300 flight hours, their private and commercial pilot licenses, a Certified Flight Instructor certificate and college credits through the AAS degree program. Riley said the grounds portion of instruction will be provided at LSC-Conroe Center, while flight courses will be administered by a third-party flight school at CNHRA.
LSCS is accepting applications for the positions of professional pilot program director and professional pilot program coordinator, LSC-Conroe Center President Mary Mendoza said. She said the professional pilot program will also have an advisory board composed of aviation professionals that will meet twice a year and offer the college feedback on curriculum, industry practices and guide students to employability.
