Germans fly the skies of Arizona

The World
The World
This is home to the airline training center and all of Lufthansa's pilots come through here and learn their first lessons here. The Vice President of the comapny says we're here because of the weather which allows them to fly all year. Now pilots are first weeded out in Germany but eventually move on to Arizona for a six month training session before finishing in Germany. Students carry their materials in their rolling suitcases. Most business is done in English, the language the pilots use in the cockpit. This woman says it's good not to have distractions. This fellow student just passed the test and can now fly solo. The method of training pilots from the ground up is a stark contrast to US methods where many pilots or ex-military or worked for many years in commercial flying. This official says there's a worldwide pilot shortage right now and Lufthansa's model is a possible approach for domestic companies in the US.
Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.