OMAHA, Neb. – December 21, 2020 – Jet Linx, the country’s leading private jet management and jet card membership company, today announced it has welcomed the first cadet out of the groundbreaking Destination 225° career pathway program for pilots. Cameron Hise is the first cadet to be hired out of the program, who joins the Company as Second-in-Command on a Lear 45 XR based at Jet Linx Chicago. The announcement was made by Jamie Walker, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jet Linx.
Created in partnership with Southwest Airlines, the nation’s largest domestic carrier, and CAE, a global leader in pilot training for civil aviation, Destination 225° is the first and only program that provides a defined career path for pilots from initial training through retirement.
“We are thrilled to welcome Cameron to the Jet Linx family and celebrate this milestone together,” said Mr. Walker. “Destination 225° was designed to offer a lifecycle solution for pilots that not only facilitates entry into the aviation industry, but provides opportunities for pilots to begin, elevate and extend their careers. We have been working closely with Southwest Airlines and CAE to ensure the successful implementation of Destination 225°, and the first hire in the program represents a significant achievement. We look forward to welcoming even more pilots from the program in the future.”
Launched in August 2019, Destination 225° provides motivated and capable candidates with a career path that seamlessly bridges all three segments of the industry, from initial training, to private aviation (Part 135) and to commercial airlines (Part 121). Functioning as a pipeline between Southwest Airlines and multiple flight partners, the program offers several career paths for candidates, including the Cadet Pathway for individuals with little to no experience, University Pathway for college students, Military Pathway for men and women exiting service and Employee Pathway for current Southwest employees. Participating Destination 225° organizations offer their most talented pilots the opportunity to move from one organization to the next, without having to leave the Program.
Mr. Hise arrived to the Destination 225° program via the University Pathway after graduating from Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s Aviation Science Institute, one of the top aviation institutes in the country and one of four schools included in the program. Mr. Hise was invited to participate in a series of rigorous screening tests at Southwest’s headquarters in Dallas, followed by an in-person interview conducted his college campus by a Southwest representative. After being accepted into the University Pathway, Mr. Hise began applying for positions with the program’s private aviation partners and was subsequently hired by Jet Linx following numerous interviews.
“The Destination 225° program has been an encouraging and motivating experience, from the initial application to the actual interview and hiring process,” said Mr. Hise. “I am extremely grateful to be part of a program that allows me to start my career with such a distinguished operator while also developing a working relationship with Southwest at a young age. Not only will I be gaining hours while flying at Jet Linx, I will be receiving hands-on, in-depth experience that would not have been available at a typical regional operator. This is a goldmine of an opportunity for young pilots needing quality of hours, not just quantity.”
Added Brian Goodman, Jet Linx Chicago Base President: “What strikes me about this program is the consistent high-quality candidates coming through. Destination 225° has so many layers of interviews and hurdles – only the best of the best make it to us.”
An additional component of Destination 225° is an Ab-Initio training program that CAE will lead in cooperation with ARGUS International, Inc., a company specializing in aviation safety risk management. Ab-Initio is a Latin term meaning “from the beginning” and is a process that takes a student pilot from the beginning of training, mentors them throughout pilot training, and ensures the pilot an airline career upon being rated and certified in a particular type of jet aircraft. CAE will be training and mentoring these pilots throughout the Program. Shortly following the first cadet hire, Jet Linx welcomed a second Destination 225° team member to the Company. Pilot Brooke Basinger has joined the Washington D.C. Base as a Second-in-Command on a Beechjet 400. Basinger represents the first female cadet to come through the program, and the first to arrive at Jet Linx via the CAE Pathway.
In addition to pursuing industry initiatives such as Destination 225°, Jet Linx is committed to delivering the highest safety standards in the private aviation industry, with extensive safety certifications including IS-BAO Stage 3, ARGUS Platinum and Wyvern Wingman. Jet Linx has become the preeminent jet card membership and private jet management company in the United States due to its unique and innovative business model that offers a more personalized approach to guaranteed private jet travel solutions through individual, city-specific, local services that are supported by a national operation and robust technology platform.
For more information on Jet Linx, please visit www.jetlinx.com.
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About Jet Linx Aviation
Jet Linx Aviation is a locally-focused private jet company founded in Omaha, NE in 1999 as a more personalized approach to national private jet companies. Jet Linx offers two different ways to experience private aviation — a guaranteed jet card and private jet management program — providing its clients with an all-encompassing, local solution to all of their private jet travel needs. Jet Linx is an IS-BAO Stage 3, ARGUS Platinum and Wyvern Wingman safety rated operator, an accomplishment earned by less than one percent of all aircraft operators in the world. In 2019, Jet Linx became the only Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star trained and accredited private aviation company in the world. In addition to establishing the independent global rating system’s preeminent and unparalleled service standards for the in-flight experience, Jet Linx also collaborated with Forbes Travel Guide to develop their own customized, proprietary Jet Linx standards of service excellence. Jet Linx is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska and has base locations in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Ft. Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Omaha, San Antonio, Scottsdale, St Louis, Tulsa and Washington D.C. For additional information, please visit the Jet Linx website (www.jetlinx.com).
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