Tuskegee to be home to new LIFT aviation training facility

Moton Field Municipal Airport is the home of a big chapter in American history. And while the past will always hold historical significance, the Tuskegee airport will soon have a new section focused on the future.

A ceremony was held Wednesday at the airport where Gov. Kay Ivey announced Republic Airways Holdings and its Leadership in Flight Training (LIFT) Academy plan to develop a new flight training program in Tuskegee. Its goal is to prepare the next generation of pilots for career opportunities in the airline industry.

“Alabama has a long history of providing critical flight training for military aviators, and historic Moton Field is the perfect location for a training center for a new generation of commercial pilots. The LIFT Academy is an ideal way to build on the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen by creating solid career opportunities for tomorrow’s pilots.”

~ Gov. Kay Ivey

How the LIFT program will be used

Republic Airways Holdings formed LIFT Academy as an internal flight school in 2018 with its first students graduating less than three years later. The program trains students in a commercial flight school then graduates can transition to first officer at Republic Airways with a pathway to the captain’s seat.

The LIFT program in Tuskegee will train on Diamond DA40-NG single-engine and Diamond DA42-VI twin-engine aircraft, as well as technologically advanced flight simulators. The new project will include:

• 35 full-time aviation related jobs with an average salary of nearly $75,000
• 57 certified flight instructors
• $27 million capital investment for aircraft

“Commercial flight training by Republic’s LIFT Academy at Moton Field is a very appropriate use of our aviation assets. The Tuskegee Airmen would be proud to know that new generations of diverse students will learn to fly from this sacred ground just as they did.”

~ Tuskegee Mayor Tony Haygood

Tuskegee University opening flight school

The partnership with LIFT Academy is two-fold: to certify new pilots + to provide bachelor’s degrees on aviation science. The partnership includes Tuskegee University, which just got a big funding boost to begin its flight school this fall.

The partnership between LIFT and Tuskegee University is designed to encourage, recruit and educate future African American pilots with first-rate in-classroom and in-flight instruction.

“A new generation of Tuskegee airmen and women will have the training they will need to serve our country through the military or as commercial pilots. What pleases me most is the enthusiasm with which we see young students ready to step up today to become such an important part of history.”

~ Dr. Charlotte P. Morris, president of Tuskegee University

Do you want to see more good news about Tuskegee University? Read more about the HBCU receiving the single largest contribution in the school’s history.

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