LIFT Academy partners to launch Tuskegee flight school
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The flight training subsidiary of Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings Inc. is partnering with Tuskegee University to establish its first flight school.
Through the collaboration with Republic’s Leadership In Flight Training, or LIFT, Academy, Tuskegee University students can earn a bachelor’s degree in aviation science and a private pilot license. Tuskegee University Flight School also will offer an 18-month certificate program for people who want to train for a career in aviation but are not university students.
“Tuskegee University is proud to continue a tradition that has contributed so much to the country through the courage and skills provided by the Tuskegee Airmen,” university President Charlotte Morris said in a news release. “A new generation of Tuskegee airmen and women will have the training they will need to serve our country through the military or as commercial pilots.”
Founded by Republic Airways Holdings Inc., LIFT Academy has similar partnerships with other schools, such as Indiana Wesleyan University, Purdue University Global and Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana. The partnerships allow students to pursue bachelor’s and associate degrees in aviation science while pursuing commercial pilot licenses.
“We are excited to grow our aviation community in Alabama,” Matt Koscal, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Republic Airways Holdings, said in the news release. “By joining forces with Tuskegee University and its esteemed heritage, we are honored to enable opportunity and shape the next generation of commercial pilots.”
Founded in 1881, Tuskegee University is a historically black university in Tuskegee, Alabama.
Less than 4% of the commercial airline pilots in the United States are Black, according to a 2020 FAA aviation workforce report.