One of the challenges of enrolling in a Part 141 training program with a private pilot certificate (PPL) is that the students often have to repeat the primary training. This can be frustrating, time consuming, and expensive, according to officials at Skyborne Airline Academy in Vero Beach, Florida.
That’s why Skyborne is now accepting students who have a PPL into its FAA Part 141 program, allowing them to join training at the instrument rating stage in a new partial pathway.
“Opening our program to those who already hold a FAA PPL gives these students the opportunity to take the next step of their career,” said William Hulse, group head of sales for Skyborne. “The Part 141 program opens doors to a wide range of aviation roles, such as an airline pilot, Certified Flight Instructor [CFI], or cargo pilot, offering a strong foundation to prepare students for their next chapter. This partial pathway expands access to Skyborne’s U.S. training, giving students a clear, structured route to complete their instrument rating, commercial single-engine, commercial multi-engine, and CFI training.
“With state-of-the-art facilities and an experienced training team, Skyborne supports students every step of the way toward a professional pilot career.”
The partial pathway is available to students with a PPLand who meet Skyborne’s entry requirements, which include holding an FAA first class medical certificate and a high school diploma. There is no minimum or maximum flight-hour requirement to enter the program, however, students must complete Skyborne’s Flightline Orientation Course that includes ground briefing and flight time to assess competency against FAA Airman Certification Standards (ACS).
About Skyborne
Skyborne supports a global community of students, with training programs in the U.K. as well as the U.S. The facility in Vero Beach opened in 2021.
According to school officials, the training fleet consists of 60 Piper aircraft, including single-engine trainers such as Warriors, Arrows, Pilot 100is, and multiengine Seminoles, along with a Redbird MCX-E and an elite S512 advanced aviation training device (AAT).
The program can accommodate 400 students at a time, and the student-to-instructor ratio is 4-to-1.
Skyborne operates with a self-examining authority for the Part 141 courses and utilizes DPEs for Part 61 training and non-FAA 141 courses such as flight instrument and multi-engine instructor.
