Student enrollment of both private and commercial pilot certifications, the report found, are up for the second year in a row.

The Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association (RACCA) analyzed the UND study, noting the students’ preferential differences. 46.2 percent of student pilots are “somewhat” to “very” unlikely to pursue a career in cargo. When prompted to comment on why, students mentioned the lower compensation associated with flying cargo, and a perceived lower quality of life, whereas commercial piloting jobs offer higher salaries and more daytime-oriented schedules.

The study also noted a shift in students’ strategies, finding that they are accumulating more flying hours while enrolled in school, causing the gap between students’ graduation and their applications for restricted airline transport pilot certificates (R-ATPs) to shrink from an average of two years to just 37 days.

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