LAKELAND, Fla. — Polk County has a soaring aerospace industry. A flight school in Lakeland is training the next generation of pilots with an emphasis on safety.
Certified flight instructor Kyle Mansfield is about halfway through completing his required hours to become an airline pilot.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires new pilots to have 1,500 flight hours before they can fly commercially.
“I have really enjoyed being an instructor. I love to teach. That’s what I've done my entire career, prior to being a pilot,” Mansfield said.
As a flight instructor, Mansfield teaches FAA guidelines with safety being paramount.
“Making sure that you’re relaying all of the safety measures that need to be relayed to a student and just making sure that we’re doing our job to the fullest to prepare the next professional pilot in this industry,” said Mansfield.
One of the very first things Mansfield teaches student pilots is the IM SAFE checklist. The acronym stands for illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue and emotions.
It is a personal health assessment used to ensure the pilot is healthy before each flight.
“Talk about your illness. Medications that you’ve taken, whether or not they’d affect you during your flight. Stress, the amount of stress that you’re under. Flight training is inherently stressful, but there’s also bad stress that can add to that,” said Mansfield. “Alcohol consumption obviously doesn't go well with flying. Your overall fatigue, especially in a training environment and it’s good to make sure you have your emotions in check before you fly.”
He trains student pilots at International Aero Academy in Lakeland. People come to this flight school from around the world, including Africa, China and India, to launch their careers in the aviation industry.
“We are one of the most comprehensive aviation training organizations in the United States,” said Steven Markhoff, President and CEO of International Aero Academy.
Markhoff said about 60% of the world’s pilots receive their primary flight training in Florida. There are five flight schools in Lakeland alone. International Aero Academy is partnering with a major US airline to get pilots hired quickly.
“Students who train with us, become flight instructors with us, when they reach 500 hours they can go interview with the airline. If they pass the interview, they will get a conditional letter of employment,” Markhoff said.
This fast track could help airlines as they grapple with a severe pilot shortage.
