Pan Am Flight Academy in Miami has teamed up with Professional Pilots of Tomorrow (PPOT), a US nonprofit that pairs aspiring pilots with experienced airline and corporate pilots as volunteer mentors. Under the new partnership, highlighted through the NEXTGEN Pilot Program, the two organisations will work together to support the next generation of pilots by expanding access to mentorship, training resources and industry connections, and PPOT members get exclusive members-only rates for Pan Am's ATP-CTP course118.

"PPOT is proud to work alongside organizations like Pan Am that share the mission of making aviation more accessible, transparent, and supportive for future pilots," the nonprofit said when announcing the partnership1.

"At Pan Am, we see firsthand how important it is for aspiring pilots to have access to the right training, guidance, and industry connections. This partnership with Professional Pilots of Tomorrow is about helping pilots take that next step in their careers. We want to make professional airline training more accessible while building stronger connections between the next generation of pilots and the aviation industry," said Federico Flores Navarro, Chief Commercial Officer of Pan Am Flight Academy18.

Who the partners are

Pan Am Flight Academy is the only surviving division of Pan American World Airways2. The airline opened its own pilot training facility in Miami in 1980, and the training operation carried on after the airline stopped flying2. Private equity firm Acorn Capital Management bought the academy in February 2025. At the time it had a fleet of 25 owned full flight simulators and flight training devices and served more than 550 customers in 2024, mainly passenger and cargo airlines3. Today it offers type ratings, ATP-CTP and multi crew cooperation courses on a range of Boeing and Airbus simulators2.

PPOT was founded to give aspiring professional pilots free and unbiased career guidance. Every member is paired one to one with a trained mentor, and members can also draw on the wider mentor group, guides to regional airlines and help with a first professional flying job45. The organisation reports more than 3,000 active members and more than 750 pilot mentors, and says membership is "completely free, and always will be"5. It runs its own scholarships as well: applications for the 2026 Carmen John Lomando Memorial Scholarship close on Monday 16 November 20266. Because of very high demand, the mentee application portal is temporarily closed, with reopening expected in the fall of 20265.

Why the ATP-CTP matters on the US airline path

In the United States, every pilot flying for an airline under Part 121 needs an airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate and a type rating for the aircraft7. The standard ATP requires at least 1,500 hours of total flight time8. A restricted ATP is available earlier, from 750 hours for US military pilots and from 1,000 hours for graduates of an approved aviation bachelor's degree9.

Before the ATP knowledge test, candidates must complete the Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program, or ATP-CTP, at an approved training provider. The rule sets at least 30 hours of classroom instruction and 10 hours in a flight simulation training device that represents a multi-engine turbine airplane10. Pan Am delivers this in as little as five days: 30 hours of classroom work covering aerodynamics, weather, air carrier operations, leadership and crew resource management, 4 hours in a fixed base simulator and 6 hours in a full motion simulator, with classes every week in Miami and a virtual ground school option11. Under a separate university partnership, Pan Am lists an exclusive price of $3,395 for the full course for Embry-Riddle CFIs and students, with simulator sessions completed within 60 days of ground school12. The PPOT member rate itself is published only on PPOT's members' portal1.

The ATP-CTP is a small part of the overall bill. A US Government Accountability Office review found that, on top of tuition, flight training fees alone often exceed $50,000, well above the cap on federal financial aid13. That is the gap mentorship programmes, scholarships and discounts try to narrow.

Pilot demand in North America

Boeing's Pilot and Technician Outlook 2026 to 2045 forecasts demand for 674,000 new commercial pilots worldwide over 20 years, 122,000 of them in North America14. Boeing expects replacement demand to be especially strong in North America and Europe, where a significant share of pilots will retire over the next decade. It also notes that disruptions in 2026 led some carriers to adjust pilot recruitment in the near term, and that airlines are leaning more on school partnerships, cadet programmes, scholarships and financing to make the profession more accessible14.

US airlines already run their own pathways, such as United Aviate Academy, the American Airlines Cadet Academy and Delta Propel. Many pilots build their hours and ATP at regional carriers such as SkyWest, Envoy and Republic Airways before moving on. Our report on the Airbus pilot forecast by region sets out where the rest of the global demand sits.

What it means for international pilots

PPOT is a US organisation, but Pan Am's Miami campus trains aviation professionals from more than 100 countries15. In July 2026 the academy signed a representation agreement with EPA Training Center in Curitiba to grow its presence in Brazil15. For pilots from outside the United States, the route to an FAA airline licence runs through the same building: Pan Am's FAA licence conversion path starts with verification of the foreign licence by the FAA, which takes 45 to 90 days, followed by TSA approval, the ATP-CTP, the ATP knowledge test and a type rating16.

Non-US citizens need a security threat assessment from the TSA before flight training. It costs $140 and the resulting determination of eligibility can cover several training events for up to five years. Pan Am is approved to issue the I-20 form for the M-1 student visa17.

For international candidates, the partnership is a reminder of how the US system works: a long hour building phase, a short but mandatory ATP-CTP, and then airline selection. If you are weighing training in the United States, compare flight schools in the United States, see the Pan Am Flight Academy school profile and read what pilot training costs. When you get to the airline stage, you can prepare with the United Airlines, Delta, American Airlines and SkyWest selection guides, and browse current pilot jobs in the United States.