An orange band that slowly brightens the still dark morning sky over the Arizona desert at five in the morning heralds the upcoming sunrise. The day is awakening— but the student pilots in Goodyear have been up for some time. As early as 4 AM, the first future pilots meet with their instructors for a briefing for the early morning flights. Some are preparing for solo flights, while others will be flying with an instructor.

A total of 75 Cirrus SR20 aircraft are ready on the large apron. The fact that some are "ready for departure" as early as 5 AM is due to the temperatures— with 28 degrees Celsius at that time, it is still pleasant, but by the afternoon, it can reach up to 45 degrees, making the flight more turbulent. However, the aspiring pilots who train here also learn to handle this. The Lufthansa Group's European Flight Academy (EFA), in cooperation with the United Aviate Academy (UAA), conducts a portion of the practical training phase at the historic flight school campus in Goodyear, Arizona. Multiple classes are always on-site training simultaneously, including a current class of 20 aspiring pilots who have signed a letter of intent to later fly for SWISS or Edelweiss.

All with the same goal

One of them is 25-year-old Marvin Meier from Bad Zurzach, who is doing a solo flight today. "We don't have these very often, so it's always a special moment," Marvin says excitedly. In total, he and his classmates complete nearly 100 flight hours in Goodyear over about four and a half months. "The goal is to perfect ourselves here. When we fly with the instructor, we can also request what we want to work on, such as specific weaknesses." The student pilots also help each other out; there is no sense of competition. "We all have the same goal. To later sit in the cockpit of a large aircraft, that's the shared dream we all have. We have a very strong sense of camaraderie," says the aspiring pilot. 

It feels a bit like a never-ending school camp, say his classmates. "There are also sports facilities here; sometimes we play tennis, for example," says 25-year-old Dusan Vlatkovic from Kloten, "but by 8 AM, it's already 34 degrees." So, a dip in the pool might be more tempting. Such leisure activities do take place, at least on the two days off per week. But on the five flying days, there is not much time to rest. "After the flight is before the flight," says 23-year-old Sarah Morgenthaler, one of three women in the class. "The preparation with all the flight planning is intense. The flight itself lasts about two to two and a half hours. There's a briefing before the flight, and a debriefing after. And then you already start preparing for the next day's flight." Naturally, flying is also the first topic of conversation when spending time together in their free time. "But sports are also a recurring topic; sometimes we watch sports broadcasts together," says Sarah Morgenthaler.

Slightly increasing number of women

The proportion of women at SWISS is currently around five percent. In the training courses, the trend is slightly increasing. "The more female role models there are, the more motivating it is for young women who can imagine a future as a pilot," says Sarah Morgenthaler. "There is no reason not to apply for a training spot; we women can do it just as well as the men."

Both Sarah's flight today and those of her classmates went smoothly. Only at the end did time get a bit tight for Sarah, "they are very strict about the time when you have to return the aircraft. I just made it by two minutes." With every successful flight, she gets closer to her dream of becoming a role model for future female pilots. 

Why four and a half months in Goodyear?

The Swiss class of aspiring SWISS and Edelweiss pilots completed the first part of their training in Grenchen. Phase 3 of VFR training (Visual Flight Rules), as well as Phase 4, which corresponds to the first part of IFR training (Instrument Flight Rules), takes place over four and a half months in Goodyear. But why in the desert, where it gets so hot in the summer?

Raymund Obst, Head of Pilot Schools at EFA, explains the advantages of the location: "We always have safe flying weather here, which is a crucial factor. Other advantages include the airspace structure, which is simpler and less restrictive than in Europe; the altitude up to which you can fly without controlled airspace is higher; there are many small airfields without takeoff and landing fees; and there are a lot of flight instructors here." In the U.S., major airlines often only hire pilots once they have at least 1,500 flight hours, so many pilots gain these hours as flight instructors. Notably, the percentage of female flight instructors here is high—about 50%. "Many flight attendants make the switch to becoming pilots. This is definitely much more common in the U.S. than in Europe," he adds, citing the role model factor, with many female flight instructors, as a possible reason.

Of course, role models in aviation can also come from within the family, which is quite common among the student pilots here in Goodyear. Dusan Vlatkovic's mother and uncle are both air traffic controllers. He grew up near Geneva Airport and watched arriving and departing planes every day as a child. Marvin Meier's father was a sport pilot, and he also lived near the airport, in the approach area of Zurich-Kloten. Sarah Morgenthaler's grandfather had a private pilot’s license and now regularly listens to Live ATC to follow Sarah’s flights. The numerous flights that Sarah Morgenthaler and her classmates complete bring them closer to their dream of spending their professional future in the cockpit of a large aircraft. 

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Information on applications and the various stages of training can be found at Pilots | SWISS and European Flight Academy.