Under the “mutually supportive” program, Southern Airways will provide cadets with 1,200 hours of flying second-in-command on the 35 Cessna Caravans and Grand Caravans operated by its commuter carriers—Southern Airways Express and recently acquired Mokulele Airlines—and then 600 hours more as pilot-in-command, said Little. After accumulating 1,800 hours of experience, all of it on scheduled, two-pilot passenger services, each pilot cadet will transfer to SkyWest Airlines to become a first officer on regional jets.

Southern Airways will benefit from the program through its ability to offer a means for cadets to move quickly from the 250 hours of experience they formerly needed to qualify as air transport pilots in the U.S. to the 1,500 hours of piloting time the FAA now requires, said Little. Southern Airways gives each pilot 100 hours a month of flight time, offering an alternative to flying as instructors for as long as four years to build experience to 1,500 hours.

The program allows pilots to graduate to SkyWest after only 18 months. SkyWest will benefit both from a guaranteed flow of qualified pilots from Southern Airways and from the fact that all their experience will involve two-crew commercial aircraft.