Expert Opinion
AINsight: Training Contract Ethics and Accountability
Bonuses and incentives might be better than training contracts to keep pilots at flight departments that just paid for their new aircraft type rating.
Cirrus Vision G2 pilot
(Photo: Cirrus Aircraft)

I’ve never been a fan of pilot training contracts. Meaning a legal document that binds a pilot to a flight department for a set period of time after earning a type rating or the pilot owes his or her employer for some portion of the training investment.

I’ve always thought of these kinds of agreements as a red flag, and I know I am not alone. To many, it suggests a low-paying job or a toxic work culture where a pilot might not want to stick around. Perhaps it means the job equates to “indentured servitude.”  

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Sheryl Barden
AIN Contributor
About the author

Sheryl Barden, CAM, is CEO of Aviation Personnel International, the longest-running recruiting and HR consulting firm dedicated to business aviation. A recognized thought leader on workforce and leadership issues, she is an NBAA CAM Fellow, past member of NBAA’s board of directors and advisory council, and recipient of NBAA’s John P. “Jack” Doswell Award for lifetime achievement and service to business aviation.

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