Admission Information

Applications for the Professional Pilot Degree open every October and close March 1st for the following academic year. An acceptance/waitlist/denial letter will be sent out after March 1st. All students accepted must submit a letter of intent to the Department of Aviation by June 1st to hold their spot in the program. Waitlisted students will not have a spot, but will still need to submit their letter of intent to hold a potential spot. Failure to submit a letter of intent will result in denial to the program. Students who receive a waitlist letter will be notified if spots open after June 1st. 

Students coming in with no flight experience:

Students who are coming to CWU with no past flight training experience will be placed in a Private Pilot Course.

Requirements

• Accepted to Central Washington University
• Possess valid FAA First Class Medical Certificate
• High School GPA of 3.0
• College GPA of 3.5 (if applicable)
• Letter of Recommendation (from someone other than a family member)
• Must fully complete the application prior to deadline

Students coming in with their Private Pilot Certificate:

Students who possess a Private Pilot Certificate will be placed in the Instrument Rating Course. 

Requirements

• Accepted to Central Washington University
• Possess valid FAA First Class Medical Certificate
• Possess valid FAA Private Pilot Certificate 
• High School GPA of 3.0
• College GPA of 3.5 (if applicable)
• Letter of Recommendation (from someone other than a family member)
• Must fully complete the application prior to deadline

Students who possess an Instrument Rating and/or Commercial Pilot Certificate are not eligible to apply to our program. 

We are unable to accept students with an Instrument Rating or Commercial Pilot Certificate due to the Part 141 Flight Training Requirements. 

Non-US Citizens

No non-US citizens are allowed to begin flight training, nor are the flight lab fees collected and paid to the flight school until the TSA vetting process is completed and approved. Normally this process takes about 6 weeks and it requires certified fingerprints. There is a cost to this. Click here for information on how to apply.

Student Supplies

Headsets: It is recommended that you purchase and bring your own aviation headset. Aviation headsets can be purchased online through websites such as sportys.com/pilotshop or mypilotstore.com. You need to purchase a dual plug connection headset. It is also highly recommended to purchase a headset that has Active Noise Reduction (ANR). This helps reduce the noise of the engine and protects your hearing. The bluetooth function is not required.

Charts: Other items students will need to order are a Seattle VFR Sectional Chart and Airport/Facility Directory NW. A sectional chart is essentially a pilot’s map and a chart supplement contains information about all the airports in a specific region. These items must be ordered online and are not provided by CWU. However, students will not need the Sectional Chart or Airport/Facility Directory until Stage 2 of the Private Pilot Training. 

Equipment: Students will also need a flight plotter, flight computer, kneeboard, logbook, and flight bag to hold necessary items when on a flight. A backpack works just fine as a “flight bag”. These items can be purchased either online.

iPads: Many students have also asked if they are able to use an iPad for their training. iPads are useful, though not allowed for Private Pilot Training. Private students will be focusing on flight planning and making calculations by hand with paper charts. Instrument students can use either paper charts or digital charts on the iPad. 

Hood: View limiting devices will be used by Private Pilot Training  for only a few flights, while Instrument Rating Training will spend a vast majority of their flight time using one. 

Flashlight: Students will need to purchase an aviation flashlight or any flashlight with a red lense on it. Students will be using this during the night flight training and it is essential to have a red light for night vision.