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Matthew Walden and Bill Luce, seniors majoring in aviation management and operations, on Thursday, Oct. 18 became the first Jacksonville University students to enroll in the Airline Pilot Pathway Program sponsored by ExpressJet Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
Once Walden and Luce complete all program requirements, ExpressJet will guarantee them jobs as first officers and, later, Delta Air Lines will guarantee them job interviews.
Walden, 26, of Martinsville, Ind., is a teaching assistant and is training to be a JU flight instructor.
“The opportunity to participate in a pathway program, with all that it has to offer, is the way to go,” he said.
Luce, 25, is a decorated U.S. Army veteran from Riverside, Calif., with a combat tour with the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq. The top-ranked Davis College of Business senior, Luce participated in a summer Delta Air Lines internship and serves as a JU flight program instructor.
“This is an amazing opportunity for aviation students … especially in this economy,” he said of the Airline Pilot Pathway Program.
Jacksonville University was recently selected by ExpressJet and Delta Air Lines among only five universities in the nation to participate in career pathway program, a collaboration that is due partly in response to a high demand for pilots As part of their curriculum, JU students complete a rigorous, airline-oriented flight training program in partnership with Aerosim Flight Academy and an intensive business curriculum that prepares them for their career as professional pilots.
ExpressJet, based in Georgia, is the world’s largest regional airline, operating an average of 2,200 daily flights as Delta Connection and United Express.
For more information about the Airline Pilot Pathway Program, contact Dr. Juan Merkt, Director and Associate Professor, Davis Aviation Center, Jacksonville University, jmerkt@ju.edu, (904) 256-7894.
About the Davis Aviation Center
Jacksonville University’s Davis Aviation Center in the Davis College of Business has been educating and training future professional pilots and aviation executives for more than 25 years. The university’s Aviation Management and Aviation Management & Flight Operations degree programs are accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI). JU is one of 36 universities in the nation selected by the FAA to educate future air traffic controllers under the Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI). Its students also benefit from a one-of-a-kind partnership with Aerosim Flight Academy, offering airline-oriented flight training. For more information about the program, call (904) 256-7895.