Aircraft
Textron Aviation Program Grooms Its Own Pilots
Textron Aviation launched the Pilot Development Program in 2016 partly in response to the pilot shortage.
Michaela Parisi and Chelsea Carlin were recruited to Textron Aviation's Pilot Development Program, which has formally been in place since summer 2016. (Photo: Textron Aviation)
Michaela Parisi and Chelsea Carlin were recruited to Textron Aviation's Pilot Development Program, which has formally been in place since summer 2016. (Photo: Textron Aviation)

It used to be that if you were a demo pilot for Cessna’s single, piston-engine airplanes assigned to its Independence, Kansas plant, there wasn’t an easy way to transition to the company’s turboprops and jets. Instead, the Wichita-based company was hiring pilots from the outside, who already had lots of experience flying turbine aircraft, many with 1,500 hours or more.


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