He launched a flight school called United Aviate Academy with the goal of training 5,000 pilots by 2030. Half of whom will be women and people of color.
“I had the pleasure of flying the Boeing 737, the Boeing 777 and now the Boeing 787,” said Gabrielle Harding, a United Airlines pilot.
Harding said while growing up in Detroit, he had access to programs that sparked interest in flying, but says many minorities are not exposed to aviation.
“The fact that United has decided to expand and further diversify the booth is wonderful considering the cities where United serves,” Harding said. “They are diverse cosmopolitan urban cities.”
“It was in my blood, there was never a time when I didn’t think I would be a pilot,” Kevin Mack said.
Mack was a regional pilot for Delta Airlines for five years, but changed gears.
“This was that post-9/11 environment where airlines were bankrupt on the right and left and they were all shrinking and firing people,” Mack said.
Mack said this recruitment effort by United will come at another time of transition for the airline industry as a large number of pilots are about to retire.
That’s why United said it plans to break down barriers and give more aspiring drivers a more direct path to jobs.
Applications are now accepted at United Aviate Academy website.
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