Expert: David A. NewMyer - 4/6/2003

Question
Mr. NewMyer,
I am a recent college graduate and I have my commercial, multi, and instrument pilot ratings. I have about 300 flight hours and no one is hiring right now (probably because of 9/11). I am now looking into internships-because that usually leads to full-time employment.
My only problem is that I can't find any flight internships. Do you know of any?
Please help.
Clint  

Answer
Hi, Clint:

Most of the flight internships that I am aware of are at major or national airlines and are for CURRENTLY ENROLLED aviation students....not graduates.  In other words, you have to have the active sponsorship of, and enrollment in, your university.  The reason for the active enrollment of the student is that the enrollment of you as a student then covers you from a liability standpoint...few, if any, of the internships pay anything.  Therefore, they do not treat you as an employee with regard to liability.  Thus, the connection to the university is required by most employers to cover you for workmen's compensation issues, injury, etc.  Also, the airlines want to see you get the college credit for doing an internship...they want it to help you with graduation requirements (and see that it fits into the overally way in which your university is teaching you about the aviation industry).

The airlines that my university (Southern Illinois University Carbondale)works with on flight operations internships are:

American (and, through them, TWA LLC)
American Trans Air
Chicago Express
Delta (currently suspended, since 9-11)
Northwest
United (currently suspended, since 9-11)
United Parcel Service Airlines

SIUC has formal internship agreements with the airlines listed above.....

Other universities (but not my university) have internships set up with:

Alaska
America West
Atlantic Coast
Atlantic Southest
Comair
Federal Express

Also, Southwest Airlines takes about four interns a semester but you just apply directly to them.  They get up to 80 applicants a term for those four spots, so, it is very competitive.

As far as internships in other locations....meaning, general aviation and corporate aviation, SIUC has worked with a few corporate flight departments and some Illinois and Missouri-based companies, but, not on a formal basis and not every semester as with the airlines.  And, for your information, the vast majority of the internships at FBOs and corporate flight departments are set up by individual students making contact with a company that they want to work for.  And, if you go in this direction, many times the "pay" that you receive for working there (aside from great aviation experience) is an additional rating....in your case, you need a CFI (A), so, that would be a good place to start.  A CFI is a great ticket to have so that you can build your flight time further and get over that 500 hours of PIC flight time barrier that many insurance companies have built into the insurance policies of small charter companies....

I hope that this is of assistance.  Please follow up with another question if you need more information.

Sincerely,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
http://www.aviation.siu.edu