Leader of the Pack

United Airlines Flight Training Center resumes growth at its Denver facility and expects training events to pick up.

United Airlines Flight Training Center (the Center) has come along way since first erected in the mid-1960s near the now closed Stapleton International Airport.

Even with the lingering after-effects of the Covid virus, inflation, supply chain and labor issues, the Center maintains its position as the largest pilot flight training center worldwide, sitting on 23 acres in the Central Park neighborhood of Denver, Colorado.

In summer 2023, the airline purchased two tracts of undeveloped agricultural land near Denver International Airport (DEN) to expand its training capabilities, as the current Center does not have capacity for additional growth.

United hired 800 new pilots and 600 flight attendants in 2024, as of June. The Center can train up to 860 pilots per-day if all 52 full-flight simulators and 34 fixed training devices are in operation, although the current daily average is lower.

“We typically have 250 training events per day, about 500 pilots,” said Capt. Miles Morgan, managing director of flight training for the Center, which is opened 24-hours a day year-round.

During the height of Covid, several airlines were forced to reduce route service and began retiring fleets. “United took a different path,” said Morgan. “Our senior leadership decided to go all in on our expansion plans for the next decade and beyond through our United Next project, which was mainly about ordering new aircraft.”

During that time, United began negotiations with training solutions provider CAE and the airline’s corporate real estate team to expand its campus. As Covid receded, the airline unveiled an additional $145 million training facility and added more simulators and flight training devices, all manufactured by CAE.

The Center’s ongoing growth is not surprising. In 2020, the Center completed a multi-year upgrade and remodeling that included a new wing with space for eight additional simulator bays. That upgrade also included more emphasis on human factors training.

The Center can train up to 860 pilots per-day if all 52 full-flight simulators (three above) and 34 fixed training devices are in operation, although the current daily average is lower. Source: United Airlines

United Airlines continues to be a leading corporate partner in Denver, investing millions of dollars in its Center and providing hundreds of new jobs. United has invested $370 million in the Center. That figure will rise with the building of the new facility near DEN.

While present news is favorable, United, like other carriers, is not immune to the recent market downturn. American Airlines reduced its pilot hiring for 2024 by 40% and Delta paused hiring as well.

“Like everyone else, we struggled to attract pilots,” said Morgan. “We will resume our pilot hiring in July 2024, after a two-month pause. “We anticipate additional hiring the rest of this year and into 2025. From a labor perspective, for our pilot group, all our flight instructors are on the pilot seniority list.”

In March, United paused new hiring due to delayed deliveries of Boeing airliners. The airline now plans to hire 10,000 new employees in 2024, as opposed to 15,000 projected earlier.

Training Leader

Hired as a first officer in 1995, Morgan comes to his job with years of experience. He’s flown various Boeing and Airbus aircraft, served as a Line Check Pilot on the Airbus A320 fleet before moving onto the Boeing 737. After more than 25 years flying the line, Morgan moved to Denver to become Line Standards Manager on the B737 fleet. He then became Senior Manager of Fleet Training – 737 positions. In October 2023, Morgan assumed his present role.

In a recent interview, CAT asked the veteran pilot about significant training aids and methodologies and important issues of the day.

“The most important advancements are related to my present position, which is the development of flight-path management tools,” he explained. “Distraction management, hand-flying and pilot monitoring skills and energy management. Those skills have come up in the last few years and will have a profound impact on how we fly our airplanes,” he added. “We are starting to see some real benefit from developing those skills.”

Morgan was candid regarding the growing popularity of Augmented, Extended and Virtual realities as training aids: “We looked very closely at these realities over the years and do a little bit in the augmented reality space. But the virtual reality environment is not right for us at this point.”

Asked why? “It’s because we’ve made huge investments in various high quality training devices. Which will affect our safety in the highest possible way. There is no substitute for sitting in an actual flight deck with all the switches (and latest technologies). Until VR and AR come up with something that improves pilot training beyond what we’ve done already, we’d rather spend our money on actual training devices.”

The Center uses CAE 600XR FTDs and 7000XR full flight, full-motion simulators with wrap-around visuals exclusively.

Morgan revealed training plans for the next 12-24 months, which revolves around flight-path management principles contained in FAA Advisory Circular 120-123.

“We’re actively looking at incorporating the lessons of that AC into our training,” he said.  The training should focus on Manual Flight Operations, Automation Management, Distraction Management, Energy Management and Pilot Monitoring,” dubbed VVM (Verbalize Verify Monitor) training. Distraction Management training centers on non-routine distractions, such flap malfunctions, high altitude and unexpected go-arounds.

United placed a conditional order for $1 billion worth of Archer’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft (above) and another $500 million in options. Source/credit: Archer/Business Wire

“We’re also taking our industry and safety data from our line flights and bringing it into our flight training to make it more effective.”

United is adding an additional day for Perception Monitor Response training for the Boeing 737 and 756 (767-400) airliners. This training involves monitoring and responding to changes in the flight regime in real time.

Additional pilot training will be added as United takes deliveries of the Airbus A321XLR long-haul airliners. The A321XLR will replace United’s older airliners, including the 757s. United has firm orders for 50 A321XLRs.

Morgan addressed the ongoing concern of pilots becoming systems managers of highly automated aircraft with less regard to polishing stick-and-rudder skills.

“We’ve gone through various cycles on how to best train pilots,” said Morgan. “At times, we gone through a cycle of training all pilots to hand fly aircraft. And then we’ve gone through a cycle that says we need to better train at automation management…. that the airplane does a better job at flying than we do. We’ve never subscribed to that philosophy. We want to make sure the pilot is technically proficient.”

To accomplish that goal, trainers and pilots must have a distinct focus on pilot monitoring, Verbalize Verified Monitor or VVM. Assuring that both the Captain and First Officer have a shared mental model when flying is vitally important, said Morgan.

The interview pivoted to the question of training prospective pilots of short-haul Electric Vertical and Takeoff (eVTOL) aircraft and regional aircraft. Several airlines, including United, American and Delta have placed conditional orders for many eVTOL aircraft.

Said Morgan, “We have not been directly involved in the training of prospective eVTOL pilots. I know Archer announced it would be responsible for pilot training.”

United placed a conditional order for $1 billion worth of Archer’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft and another $500 million in options. Archer subsidiary, Archer Air, will operate the Midnight on behalf of United. In June 2024, Archer received its Part 135 air certificate from FAA.

As for hiring and training regional airline pilots, Morgan said: “Our main goal is to attract the most qualified candidates to come to United Airlines. Right now, we’re working on our algorithm for hiring the best pilots.”

For proprietary reasons, Morgan declined to go into specifics on what constitutes the best pilots to hire. He did say the regional carriers remain a primary source for United’s pilot workforce.

“By the time pilots get through their tenure at the regionals, they’re seasoned and proficient in Part 121 airspace. They know how to fly in a crewed environment.”

Morgan offered closing thoughts on the Center’s future. “We’ve been thoughtful in how we want to grow here, safely and in a calculated method. By the time the new H building is filled out, we will have 86 training devices. It’s not the finish line. We still have to think about 2028 and 2029.”

[Editor: The Center and its training systems may be viewed here]