White Plains Youth Bureau Opens New Flight Academy Program

The White Plains Youth Bureau is taking applications for its new Flight Simulator/Flight Academy Program. The program is designed to provide youth and young adults, 12 to 24 years of age, with flight instruction. The program will run every Thursday from July 5 to August 9. One hour of flight instruction is offered. Slots are available between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. This is a free program.

According to the airline industry, there is a growing shortage of pilots and this puts the future of the industry at risk.  A recent report by CNN indicated that “over the next two decades, 87 new pilots will have to be trained and ready to fly a commercial airliner every day in order to meet the demand to travel by air.” In the next 20 years, BOEING has estimated that airline carriers in North America will need 117,000 pilots.  More than 42% of active U.S. airline pilots at the biggest carriers will retire over the next 10 years, according to a recent report by Cowen & Company.

The White Plains Youth Bureau has plans to expand the Flight Academy Program in the future to work with the airline industry and to work with Westchester County Airport to establish a Cadet Program.

For more information and to receive an application for the program, contact Laura Montoya at the White Plains Youth Bureau at 914-422-1378 or lmontoya@whiteplainsny.gov.

“Encouraging young adults who have a passion for the airline industry is not only a ton of fun, but also crucial for the future of the industry,” said John Ravitz, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer at The Business Council of Westchester. “Thank you to the White Plains Youth Bureau for making this tremendous opportunity possible.”