FAQ for Parents

We believe that it’s important to consider the future demand for pilots and mechanics when choosing a school, which is why we rely on resources like the Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook to project the long-term demand for aviation personnel. According to this outlook, the demand for pilots is expected to be unprecedented over the next 20 years, with a global need for 660,000 pilots and 710,000 maintenance technicians.

We also understand that effective training and an adequate supply of personnel remain critical to maintaining the health, safety, and prosperity of the aviation industry. This is why our training program is focused on producing safe and competent pilots and mechanics who are well-prepared to meet the demands of the aviation industry.

We take pride in our students’ success and work closely with them to help them achieve their career goals. Whether your son or daughter is interested in becoming an airline pilot, a corporate pilot, or A&P mechanic, our training programs are designed to prepare them these career paths.

Sustained support for your student’s progress is one of the primary advantages of an accredited academy like HAA. With an average student to staff ratio of 1:4, HAA commits to the success of each student. Your son or daughter’s progress is tracked by the instructors and program management staff. Student advising is available through the office of the School Director or Chief Instructor. Our Learning Resource System provides further support through a library of training resources, as well as access to the Foreflight training system for flight training students. We also offer placement assistance services to assist students with job placements, in addition to the career mentorship that specific training programs, such as Alaska’s Ascend Pilot Academy, provide to their cadets.

We understand that safety is a key concern for parents considering a professional flight school, and we want to assure you that we take every precaution to ensure the safety of our students.

We are proud to have received the prestigious IS-BAO accreditation, which is an internationally recognized set of safety standards for business aviation. We are the first Part 141 primary flight school (academy) to receive this accreditation, which is a testament to our commitment to safety.

Our Director of Safety oversees our Safety Management System (SMS), which is an integrated system that supports our safety culture. The SMS allows students and employees to report any hazards or incidents anonymously from any location, at any time. Once a report is received, it is immediately responded to and logged into a tracking program for documentation and trend analysis.

In addition to our safety program, we take pride in maintaining a fleet of reliable aircraft that are regularly inspected and maintained in our FAA-approved repair station by factory-authorized mechanics. We also employ a team of quality inspectors to ensure that all work is completed thoroughly and accurately.

Pilot Programs

For airplane training, we maintain two campuses in Oregon – one in Hillsboro, just outside of Portland, and one in Redmond, in central Oregon. Both offer the advantages of dedicated facilities with classrooms, flight simulators, and large training fleets, in addition to the camaraderie of a campus environment. Our helicopter campus is just east of Portland in Troutdale, at the gateway to the spectacular Columbia Gorge – one of the most breathtaking and diverse flight environments on the planet.

Our approach to training equipment is to invest in the most reliable and proven aircraft for instruction and keep them outfitted with the very latest navigation equipment, known as avionics. For our airplane school, that means a fleet of Cessna 152 and 172 airplane in addition to our multi-engine Piper Seminoles, and for our helicopter school, a fleet consisting of Robinson R22 and R44 helicopters. These aircraft are all known for their responsiveness, reliability, and safety, and are considered the standard for professional training worldwide.

Maintenance Program

Students enrolled in our maintenance program benefit from dedicated facilities and hands-on training on real aircraft, including airplanes, helicopters, and a Learjet 24. This program is conducted at our Hillsboro campus and is designed to provide immersive, practical experience in a professional environment, using industry-standard tools and equipment to prepare students for FAA examination and real-world careers in aircraft maintenance. Being located at an active flight school and near a Part 145 repair station provides students with valuable exposure to live operations, giving them a firsthand look at the day-to-day demands of aircraft maintenance in a real-world setting.

Pilot Programs

Because each student learns differently, the flexibility to self-pace is a critical component of the success of the program. At the same time, students who maintain a consistent schedule persistently progress faster and at higher success rates. We recommend that students in our Standard track airplane training and helicopter training schedule 4-5 activities per week.

For our Accelerated track airplane training, we request that students plan to schedule at 5-6 training activities per week.

These schedules, alongside ground school and simulator training time, still allow students time for relaxation. Our campus environment and our proximity to both city life and outdoor recreation create a wonderfully balanced lifestyle that attracts students from around the world.

Maintenance Program

Our aviation maintenance students attend class five days a week, Monday through Friday. Classes run from 8:00am to 2:30pm, with a shorter day on Fridays, ending at noon. This consistent schedule provides a structured learning environment and ensures steady progress through the program’s hands-on and classroom-based training.

Pilot Programs

The quality of our instructors is perhaps the single largest reason that prominent operators, from Alaska Airlines to ADAC, have chosen us to train their future pilots. As a professional flight academy, our instructors work within a defined curriculum, standard operating procedures, and safety protocols, thereby ensuring consistency and accountability across the teaching staff.

Because we are one of the largest flight schools in the U.S., we are able to hire most of our instructors from within our own pool of graduates and select those with the strongest teaching skills. Why is this important? It means that those instructors completed their instructor courses with us, and are highly trained to the conditions and protocols under which we operate. We seek instructors who hold additional certificates beyond just the CFI – meaning that they have completed not only their Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Rating, but also their CFI Instrument (CFII), and/or Multi-Engine Instructor (MEI)  ratings, ensuring they can instruct students in more weather conditions and with more aircraft types for the broadest possible education.

Maintenance Program

The instructors for our Aviation Maintenance Professional Program hold valid FAA Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certifications and have real-world industry experience. Our instructors play a critical role in guiding students through each phase of the program. They lead classroom instruction, supervise hands-on lab work, and ensure students gain both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required for FAA examination.  

Pilot Programs

A flight student’s training timeline depends both on the student’s own progress and on the training track the student selects. The Standard Track for our Airplane Professional Pilot program is designed to take 18 months for students with availability five days per week and 4-5 scheduled training activities per week.

Our Accelerated Track requires student availability for seven days per week and 5-6 scheduled training activities per week. Detailed information on our airplane training tracks can be found here.

Our Helicopter Professional Pilot Program is structured to take 14 months to complete if you are a full-time student on the schedule five times per week. However, this estimate can vary depending on how often you fly, ability to understand and apply material, maintenance requests, and weather conditions. Based on these factors, we recommend budgeting for 18 months to complete your training to ensure you have enough funds to cover training and living expenses for this period of time.

Please note, that these estimates can vary depending on how often you fly, resource availability, and weather at the campus where you are based.

Maintenance Program

Our Aviation Maintenance Professional Program is structured to be completed in 12 months.

Pilot Programs

The biggest variable factor in training cost is the student’s own availability, aptitude, and pace of learning. Flying more frequently improves retention and accelerates skill development. Some students are able to understand and retain the material more quickly than others. These factors can all affect the total cost of the program. We estimate our program costs based on averages to complete our Professional Pilot Program.

The Airplane Professional Pilot Program includes the private pilot, instrument, commercial, and flight instructor courses. We also recommend students get the two additional instructor ratings to improve their knowledge and experience and enable them to build additional flight hours more quickly. Our current program pricing based on averages for our students, can be found here.

The Helicopter Professional Pilot Program includes private, instrument, commercial, and flight instructor courses. And we recommend obtaining the additional instructor rating as well. The current pricing for this program based on averages, can be found here.

These estimates are based on average program pricing for flight instruction, ground instruction, aircraft rentals, simulator rentals, and written tests. The only item not included in this estimate is the fee you pay to the Designated Pilot Examiner when you take your check ride because those fees are paid directly to the DPE. Please note that prices are subject to change.

Maintenance Program

Our Aviation Maintenance Professional Program includes general, airframe, and powerplant courses as well as tools, uniforms, testing, and materials. Click here to view current tuition.

Pilot Programs

Our helicopter training takes place at the Hillsboro Heli Academy Campus in Troutdale, OR. For airplane training, we have two campuses. The Hillsboro campus in Hillsboro, OR and our Redmond campus in Redmond, OR accommodate students who are doing standard training track in addition to those doing accelerated training March through June. Alaska Airline’s Ascend cadets are currently assigned to the Redmond campus. You can contact our admissions team for more information.

Maintenance Program

Our maintenance training takes place at our Hillsboro campus in Hillsboro, OR.

Our Apply page lists the available starts dates by program and campus. Please refer to this page to see our current openings. Our pilot programs begin monthly except December, and our maintenance program has one start date per year in September.

If you have questions about the programs or our campuses, please contact our admissions team, and one of our representatives will follow up with you to answer your questions.

Yes, we have a strong financing partners that can offer up to full tuition coverage for students who qualify. Sallie Mae® and College Ave Student Loans have financing options for our students. Please note that not all options are available to all programs. Learn more on our financing page.

HAA does not currently offer any scholarships, but there are a number of aviation organizations that offer scholarships for portions of the training. When we are made aware of these opportunities, we share them on our social channels, so be sure to follow us.

Tuition Funding Sources is a free scholarship search engine with over 7 million scholarships totaling more than $41 billion to help pay for college. Visit TuitionFundingSources.com to learn more.

The simplest answer is that the M-1 visa allows a student to participate in our flight training courses in the US, but the student is not allowed to work. The F-1 visa allows students to participate in flight training and be eligible to work as a pilot after the completion of their training. There are different requirements for the M-1 and F-1 visas, and there is more information on our website regarding the specific requirements.

We do offer student housing located near each of our campuses. Housing is only available to enrolled students. We are not able to accommodate families or pets in our housing, and students must be 18 years of age to stay in housing. Each student who requests housing is asked to pay prior to their arrival to secure their housing spot. The rates vary between our campuses so contact our admissions team to get the current rates. The apartments all have shared living space, even if a student has a private room. Students will have at least one roommate. The apartments come fully furnished and include all towels, bedding, and kitchen items.

Pilot Programs

The first job for the majority of our students is to work as a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) which allows you to build the hours necessary to progress in your career. We hire a large number of our graduate to work as CFIs, and as you get closer to completing your training you can visit our employment page to see available job openings. While we do hire many graduates, we cannot guarantee employment. We also have connections with numerous other operators and can make recommendations and sometimes introductions if you choose to begin your career somewhere besides HAA.

Maintenance Program

While we can’t guarantee employment, it is certainly a possibility. Once you’ve earned your airframe and powerplant certification, you can visit our employment page to view current job openings. We also maintain strong industry connections and are happy to provide recommendations—or even make introductions—if you choose to pursue other opportunities.