Airline-Backed Flight Academy Expands STEM and Pilot-Training Capacity in the Midwest USA

Indiana, USA – Republic Airways’ LIFT Academy is expanding its training presence within Carmel’s Meridian Corridor, where a portion of the academy’s commercial pilot-training programme is delivered alongside the airline’s headquarters and full-motion simulator centre. Founded in 2018 to strengthen Republic’s long-term pilot pipeline, LIFT Academy now trains hundreds of aspiring airline pilots across Indiana, Texas and South Carolina.

• LIFT Academy students train on Diamond Aircraft platforms, including the DA40, DA42 and DA20, supported by a curriculum combining flight training, on-site simulators, and classroom/online instruction.

• Carmel serves as a major hub for Part 121 instruction and initial first-officer qualification, with Republic operating eight full-motion simulators (FFS) and ten advanced stationary simulators at its training centre.

• The full LIFT pathway takes close to two years to complete, after which graduates earn commercial pilot certifications and continue into operational roles ranging from academy instructor positions to Republic-affiliated flying such as Cape Air.

• Republic Airways reports that more than 200 LIFT Academy graduates are now employed as pilots within the airline.

• The academy was founded in response to rising retirements and national STEM-talent shortages, with the goal of creating accessible and structured airline-pathway training aligned with Republic’s operational standards.

• LIFT Academy additionally offers a Department of Labor-registered Aviation Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship, providing a defined pipeline into Republic’s maintenance workforce, as well as dispatcher training and multiple operational-career pathways located at the Carmel campus.

Source: LIFT Academy