Student Opportunities

LAS stands for Lambda Alpha Sigma and is commonly known as LeTourneau Aviation Society. It is a brotherhood of pilots and other aviation professionals who seek to glorify God with the opportunities and resources He has given them.

Over 250 alumni are a part of the society, and it was established in 1963. It is a residential fraternity with the sole purpose of promoting the name of Jesus Christ through encouraging members in spiritual growth, personal growth, and academic excellence.

LUMA stands for LeTourneau University Mission Aviation and offers opportunities for students to connect with one another for friendship and support as they pursue the goal of flying for mission aviation.

LUMA offers opportunities for students to connect with mission organizations through events while encouraging contact with missionaries around the world.

LUMA provides opportunities for students to be involved in local missions and service projects as they prepare to go overseas.

Are you interested in joining LUMA?

Contact LUMA faculty advisor Mr. Scott Channon at ScottChannon@letu.edu

If you are a top aviation and aeronautical science student, you could be a member of LETU's "Sting" Precision Flight Team. This group of students competes against students from other college aviation programs in the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) competitions.

The National Intercollegiate Flying Association is a group of different universities, colleges and clubs all over the United States. They are advancing aviation education and safety while providing competition on the collegiate level. NIFA is sponsored by over thirty aviation companies nationwide. It's a great experience if you are thinking about a career in the aviation industry.

Interested in joining the STING Precision Flight Team?

Contact staff advisor Phil Roberts at philliproberts@letu.edu. 

The Air Race Classic is an annual all women's air race approximately 2,400 miles in length. The competition objective is to fly the "perfect cross country". Each aircraft is given a "handicap" ground speed. The contestants who beat their personal handicap by the largest margin win. LeTourneau University's female students who compete in this race want to showcase who we are as a University and what we fly. They fly the Air Race Classic with the intent of bringing honor to Christ.

Women's Aviation Society is made up of women from the College of Aviation and female aviation enthusiasts from LeTourneau University. The purpose of the club is to provide fellowship, friendship, and support to each other and provide networking opportunities to connect with other women working in the aviation industry. Our goal is to sponsor female students to attend the annual Women in Aviation conference and host other events for female aviation students.

We seek to build friendships and encourage each other to mature as godly women. Members of WAS strive to create lifelong friendships that we may lean on as we pursue God's plan in each of our lives. Contact faculty sponsor Laura Laster (lauralaster@letu.edu) to learn more.

The following organizations provide some great information about aviation:

• Academy of Model Aeronautics
• Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
• Aviation Accreditation Board International
• Aviation Technician Education Council
• East Texas Flight Instructors Association
• Experimental Aircraft Association
• Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
• National Air Transportation Association
• National Business Aviation Association
• NIFA (National Intercollegiate Flying Association)
• Professional Aviation Mechanics Association
• University Aviation Association
• Women in Aviation, International

LETU Endowed Scholarships

We're thrilled that the aviation community and the family of LETU alumni have allowed us to manage a selection of endowed scholarships specifically to benefit LETU aviation students.

LETU Scholarship Details

Other Organizations

A wide variety of aviation-related companies and organizations also offer assistance to students pursuing an aviation degree. We've attempted to build a directory of resources to help your financial aid search.

Aviation Scholarship Directory

LETU has built partnerships with Envoy Airlines, PSA Airlines, and SkyWest Airlines to provide selected flight students with a clear path to employment with one of these airlines after graduation.

Participants must fulfill certain requirements for eligibility and continued participation in these programs. 

The airline industry features amazing benefits and excellent pay to professional pilots. Envoy and PSA's first officers start earning approximately $58,000 during their first year of employment!  SkyWest airlines also offers competitive pay and excellent work environments for flight crew members. LeTourneau University and these airlines have partnered and are proud to offer various airline hiring programs to professional flight students. These programs provide a clear pathway for students interested in working as an airline pilot. To be eligible for these agreements, you must have completed all flight training beyond the Private Pilot certificate at LeTourneau University.

Pilot Cadet Program - Envoy

LeTourneau University (LETU) and Envoy have partnered and are proud to offer the Envoy Pilot Cadet Program to LETU professional flight students. This program provides a clear career pathway for students interested in working as an airline pilot.

Students meeting the program requirements can be accepted into the Pilot Cadet Program as soon as they receive their private pilot certificate. As graduates, program participants work for Envoy as LETU flight instructors. This allows the participant to enjoy employee benefits, including travel privileges, at Envoy while gaining the flight time and experience needed to work as an airline pilot.

Program Benefits:

• Work as a flight instructor for LeTourneau University or another Envoy partner school to build flight experience while an Envoy employee
• Receive initial hire date and benefits through Envoy while flight instructing
• Travel privileges available on American Airlines and Envoy

Pilot Cadet Program - PSA Airlines

LeTourneau University (LETU) and PSA Airlines have partnered and are proud to offer the PSA Pilot Cadet Program to LETU professional flight students. This program provides a clear career pathway for students interested in working as an airline pilot.

Students meeting the program requirements can be accepted into the Pilot Cadet Program as soon as they receive their private pilot certificate. As graduates, program participants work for PSA as LETU flight instructors. This allows the participant to enjoy employee benefits, including travel privileges, at PSA while gaining the flight time and experience needed to work as an airline pilot.

Program Benefits:

• Work as a flight instructor for LeTourneau University or another Envoy partner school to build flight experience while a PSA Airlines employee
• Receive initial hire date and benefits through PSA while flight instructing
• Travel privileges available on American Airlines and PSA

Pilot Cadet Program - SkyWest Airlines

LeTourneau University and SkyWest Airlines have partnered to provide a direct pathway for selected LETU professional flight students to find employment with SkyWest Airlines after graduation. This partnership with SkyWest Airlines provides LETU students a direct path to pursue their aviation careers.

Program Benefits:

• Attend SkyWest Airlines orientation in Denver or Salt Lake City after completing flight instructor certificate
• Work as a flight instructor for LeTourneau University or another SkyWest Airlines partner school to build flight experience
• Receive initial hire date from SkyWest Airlines at orientation
• Build relationships and enjoy open communication with SkyWest pilots and employees through SkyWest Pilot Cadet mentoring program
• After accruing flight experience and meeting all program requirements, complete a final interview for an opportunity to be a first officer at SkyWest Airlines

Restricted ATP Certification

Graduates of LETU's professional flight programs are eligible to apply for a restricted-privileges Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate. This credential can be granted to an individual with as few as 1,000 hours of flight time and allows them to serve as an airline co-pilot until they obtain the 1,500 hours required for an unrestricted ATP certification.

Program Benefits:

• Reduced amount of flight experience required before being eligible for hire at an airline

An internship will give you the experience you need to be competitive after graduation. You will work with people who have been in the aviation industry for years--it's a great way to figure out if this is the job for you. Plus, you find out what that career really involves.

Co-ops provide a more immersive work experience but often require taking a semester off of school. A co-op experience is a great way to supplement your education while earning college credits and gaining valuable career experience.

Internships

LETU's Inspections Lab requires 60 hours of internship time (all concentrations excluding Professional Flight and Military Aviation). Students must spend at least 60 hours performing and observing maintenance on U. S. registered aircraft.

However, any aeronautical science student can benefit from completing an internship. You may choose to work for a company at your home airport or for one of the following:

Here are some great internship options:

• Kingdom Air Corps
  LETU alum Dwayne King offers an internship at his ranch in Alaska. This program is for students who want to learn about mountain flying and missionary maintenance. Interns also organize a Bible camp north of the Arctic Circle for Alaskan native children in local villages. This internship lasts approximately two months during the summer.
• Dynamic Aviation
  Located in Bridgewater, Virginia, interns work as aircraft technicians to gain experience with aircraft maintenance.
• Duncan Aviation
  Located in both Lincoln, Nebraska, and Kalamazoo, Michigan, interns work as aircraft technicians. (Serious on the job training!)
• East Texas Regional Airport
  If you are looking for something closer to school, LETU students are hired part-time to help at the LETU hangar. Students wash the planes and help inspect and maintain the university aircraft.
• JAARS
  Every year, students from the School of Aeronautical Science take a trip to the JAARS center in Waxhaw, North Carolina. There, they help repair and perform maintenance on missionary aircraft. Students raise funds to cover travel costs and are able to spend spring break serving others while gaining mission aviation experience. Have fun and share God's word with others!
• LeTourneau University
  Each semester, four licensed pilot interns serve as dispatchers at the LETU flight hangar. They dispatch flights, review pilots' preparedness and monitor the weather. They act as a safety person for outgoing flights and refuel the university aircraft.

Co-op

An aviation co-op experience is a great way to earn college credit and gain aviation industry experience. Students typically work a semester and summer. For more information, visit Career Services.

• Cessna Aircraft
  Spend a summer in Wichita, Kansas, at Cessna assisting other engineers and aviators. Work on projects side-by-side with Cessna employees - no sweeping floors here.
• Rockwell Collins
  Interns gain experience as aircraft systems engineers while at Rockwell Collins' headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They work alongside the systems engineers to set up the specification for the aviation installations and avionics design packages.
  "I can't think of one person who interned with Rockwell Collins who didn't have a job offer- a very good job offer."
  - Mr. Fortier, Aeronautical Science, Associate Professor
• Vision Trip
  Students in the mission aviation concentration are required to take a 2-3 week "vision trip" as well as a summer-long internship with a mission aviation organization

The list of companies and organizations that hire LETU grads reads like a Who's Who of the aviation industry. Check out this list to see where you might find LETU alums in the cockpit, on the ground crew, or in the office.

LeTourneau University has been producing aviation professionals for more than 50 years, and our alumni work for countless aviation companies and organizations around the world as pilots, aviation maintenance technicians, air traffic controllers, systems engineers and more.

Professionals in the industry highly regard our graduates' preparation and professionalism, and consistently seek to hire them. LETU is also served by an advisory committee, which is made up of industry experts and leaders with a wealth of experiences and connections.

An aviation degree can take you anywhere, but we are often able to help our graduates land exactly where they want through our relationships within the industry. Every year, representatives from top-tier aviation corporations visit the Abbott Aviation Center, as well as attend the university career fair.

We also work with our alumni to maintain strong ties with them as they progress in their careers. LETU means more than a degree - it means a highly respected faith-based education that tells aviation employers that you are a well-trained, trustworthy professional filled with potential.

A few companies & organizations that have hired LETU aviation grads: