The journey from Flight Instructor to CommuteAir First Officer

I was born in the former USSR, present day Ukraine. Growing up near a military transport air base, I was always fascinated by airplanes as a child. After spending almost 15 years in the field of airport and land use planning, I made a career switch to pursue my dream of flying.

In September 2018, I enrolled in an accelerated flight training program, completing my course of training in a little under 8 months as an MEI. I was then offered a tremendous opportunity to start my professional aviation career as a Flight Instructor in July 2019 by L3Harris Flight Academy (now Acron Aviation Academy). I began by teaching students from all over the world in instrument, multi-engine and CFI courses.

After becoming a Check Instructor, the Academy gave me the chance to teach and conduct both stage and end-of-course checks in five different airframes, across all the pilot training courses offered by their Academy.

Flying in these busy Class C and B airspaces helped me to hone and improve my pilot skills, and ultimately prepared me for what would become my future job, a Regional First Officer. Despite the challenging year that was 2020, a prior connection to a former flight instructor opened the door for a referral and interview opportunity with CommuteAir. I was impressed with the professionalism and openness of the recruiting department, as well as short and long-term growth opportunities within the company.

CommuteAir’s partnership with United Airlines through the United Aviate program, coupled with projected growth in the next few years is why I chose CommuteAir as my next career step. I plan to attend indoctrination training starting June 1 2021.

I owe my transition from Airport Planner to Airline Pilot in under 3 years to the training and work environment fostered by the leadership of the Academy. It would not have been possible without their commitment to students and employees!