Learn about this program at the next Aviation Program Open House

Professional Pilot

Associate of Applied Science (AAS) - 60 credits
Offered: On-Campus

Overview

The Professional Pilot program is designed to meet the needs of students who plan a career as a pilot in commercial aviation. The program leads to F.A.A. certification as a commercial pilot with an instrument rating.

Most classes take place at the Center for Advanced Aviation (CAA). The CAA is a newly renovated, 40,000 square foot facility adjacent to the Duluth International Airport’s flight line and right next door to Cirrus Aircraft.

Students in this program begin flight training by the second week of class, and should earn their private Pilot license in their very first semester.

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Career Information

Visit the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the MN Dept of Employment & Economic Development, and the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) to gather valuable career information such as wage reports, career outlook, job prospects, industry trends, and career opportunities. These tools are available to help empower students to make informed decisions about their educational and professional paths.

Below you will find the Career Field and Career Cluster that this program is related to. Learn more about if this career area fits your interests!

Engineering, Manufacturing, and Technology

Is Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics right for you?

Transportation, distribution, and logistics workers move people and products by road, air, rail, and water. You might work as a driver, pilot, engineer, or captain. You might repair or maintain the vehicles, trains, planes, and ships that move people and products. Or, you might work behind the scenes to make sure the products and people get to the right place on time.

Related Programs

Take the Career Interest Quiz

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects there could be about 14,500 pilot openings each year for the next decade, but it is unclear how many new pilots will be there to fill those jobs.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which issues new pilot certificates, has issued an average of just 6,500 certificates a year in the past decade. And as the virus disrupted training programs, there was a decrease in applicants and, in turn, a slight dip in certificates in 2020 and 2021.

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Plan Your Education

The Program Guide is a tool to help you map out how to successfully get your degree at Lake Superior College.

Program Guide

View the approximate total tuition and fees with the flight fees for MN residents to complete this degree.

LSC Tuition and Fees

The aviation degree may be completed in 2 years if prerequisites are complete.

Skills & Knowledge

FAA Certifications earned:

Private Pilot License
Instrument Rating
Commercial Pilot License
Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Certification
Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII) Rating
Multi-Engine Certification (airplane)

Fees

View Professional Pilot Lab Fees

ALL FLIGHT-ASSOCIATED FEES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. All students are responsible for the balances in their flight accounts. Do not assume your financial aid or VA dollars will cover the expenses of your flight lab fees in full. Veteran Educational Benefits are available to Veteran students. We will do all we can to help you through the details, but ultimately it is a student’s responsibility to know their status.

***Flight Fees are subject to change. Lake Superior College does it’s best to accurately publish fees, but sometimes things outside of our control may cause changes in flight fees.

Program Participation Requirements

All LSC Flight Students must meet Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requirements. U.S. citizens must provide the following to the flight school: A valid unexpired U.S. passport, or

Original birth certificate and a government issued picture ID, or
Original certificate of birth abroad with raised seal and government issued ID, or
Original certificate of US citizenship with raised seal and government issued ID, or
Original US naturalization certificate with raised seal and government issued ID.

Students in this program must pass a Class II FAA Medical Certification in order to fly at LSC. Students participating in the airplane program are recommended to pass a Class I Medical Certification if they have plans to become a commercial airline pilot. If you are not from the Duluth/Superior area, you can look on the FAA website for an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME):

Janus Butcher Physicians Specialty Clinic SMMC 3500 Tower Ave. Superior WI (715) 392-1251

Resources

Veteran Students:

We are proud of the fact that our flight program is approved for Veteran Educational Benefits. We will accept VA award letters or deposits of VA funds, personal funds, bank loan funds or financial aid award letters. Since many times VA checks come to you directly, we will not under any circumstance, grant fly time based on non-official documentation.
Due to Veteran’s Administration requirements, the LSC aviation programs can enroll up to 85% of students utilizing veterans’ benefits. A minimum of 15% of enrolled students must be either civilian students or veterans not utilizing veterans benefits.
Students who are using Veteran Funding should work closely with an advisor and the VA Certifying Official at Lake Superior College to be sure they understand how their benefits work at LSC, for the flight school it can be complicated at first and there are some differences in registration for VA students. When you are registering for classes be sure the advisor helping you understands that you are VA funded so that issues can be avoided. Your funding is your responsibility so be sure that you understand your benefits.

Career Resources:

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