About the Mesa Pilot Development Program

"Learn to fly with us, then fly for us"

Mesa Air Group and San Juan College together offer a unique approach to becoming an airline pilot. The Aviation Degree Program was established in 1989 for the sole purpose of grooming First Officers for the company. In this way, Mesa can train pilots to its standards. The airline knows who the pilots are and the quality of training they have received. The program ensures Mesa that their new pilots have already been trained in the complex aircraft they will be flying.

Designed as an ab initio (from the beginning) program, this training takes pilots from no time or very low time through their private, instrument, commercial, and multi-engine ratings, first officer training, and Part 121 checkride in less than two years! You will obtain your certificates and ratings in addition to receiving 40 hours in a state-of-the-art jet flight training device that is designed to prepare you for the flight line, typically in a CRJ200/700/900.

The school also offers a transition program (PACE) for pilots who have at least 250 hours total flight time and have their instrument and at least a commercial single-engine certificate.

Both the ab initio and PACE programs typically average 90+% placement success with Mesa Airlines.

As a Part 141 school, the SJC/Mesa program meets rigid FAA guidelines for its pilot training curriculum. All training is geared to meet Mesa Airlines’ hiring standards. You will be qualified to pass your Part 121 checkride by graduation. Upon completion of the program, successful graduates go through the Mesa hiring process. Those who are hired then go directly into the right seat as First Officers. Average flight time at the point of hire is 230-250 total flight hours! Our graduates tell us that typical upgrade time from First Officer to Captain is 36 months! Graduates typically start on the flight line in CRJ200/700/900 but could also go to a Beech 1900D turbo prop or the Dash-8. Today, our former students are flying the 1900D, the Dash 8/200 series, and the Canadair RJs!

The Training Location

Farmington is located in northwestern New Mexico, in the "Four Corners" area where the borders of Colorado, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico meet. San Juan County is marked by fertile river valleys surrounded by high desert, rolling plateaus, mesas, and mountain ranges to the north, east, and west. Just 50 miles south of Durango, Colorado, Farmington offers spectacular scenery and convenient access to numerous recreational and cultural activities, including national parks, monuments, lakes, rivers, and numerous hiking and bike trails. Three major Colorado ski resorts - Purgatory, Telluride and Wolf Creek - are within an easy drive for a day or weekend of skiing. Albuquerque and Santa Fe are three to four hours away by car and less than an hour by air.

Training Environment

The area’s mild southwestern climate provides pilots with excellent flight conditions year-round. Averaging 273 sunny days a year, the area receives only about 7.5 inches of rain and 12.3 inches of snow annually. The annual average temperature is 51.6o. Monthly average temperatures range from 28.6o in January to 74.1o in July with mild easterly and westerly prevailing winds. Students can normally expect good flying weather at least 300 days a year.

Four Corners Regional Airport has regularly scheduled commuter service from Albuquerque, Denver, and Phoenix. Located on a mesa overlooking downtown Farmington at an elevation of 5,500 feet, the airport’s control tower and uncongested Class D airspace provide a safe environment for student pilots. The proximity to Albuquerque, Denver, Phoenix, and Salt Lake makes these cities frequent destinations for training flights.

San Juan College

Accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools as a degree-granting institution, San Juan College offers 54 associates degree programs plus certificates in a dozen disciplines. In addition to its relationship with Mesa Airlines, Inc., the college has academic and vocational training programs with Toyota, General Motors, BHP World Minerals, and Intel. The college serves over 14,000 students a year through it many divisions and ranks fifth in enrollment among New Mexico’s twenty-three public institutions of higher education. Located on a 600 acre campus in northeastern Farmington, the college was founded as a branch of New Mexico State University in 1956 and has been independent since 1982.