Pre-launch: not hiring yet
Help launch a flight school built on airline standards.
VNAV Flight Labs is a 12-month, full-time professional pilot program launching in 2027 at Windham Airport (KIJD) in eastern Connecticut, between Boston and New York. We're building a small founding instructor team to teach airline SOPs from lesson one, in glass-cockpit aircraft, alongside an Airline Pilot & Check Airman, with full-time students who fly on a set schedule.
Join the instructor list
Not a job application. No commitment. About two minutes.
The role, as planned
LocationConnecticutWindham Airport (KIJD), between Boston and New York
StudentsFull-time12-month program, 0 hrs to Commercial + CFI/CFII
AircraftVan's RV-12iSDual Garmin G3X, plus AATD
TeamFoundingCFIs and CFIIs
StatusPre-launchNot hiring yet
Why instruct here.
Help build a modern flight school
Most instructors inherit a school's habits. Founding instructors create them: the SOPs, the standards and the way every lesson is briefed, flown and debriefed. Your fingerprints will be on how VNAV trains pilots long after you've moved on to the airlines.
Teach the way airlines train
Brief, fly, debrief. Standard callouts and checklists from the first flight. You'll teach it alongside an Airline Pilot & Check Airman, and fly better for it.
Airline interview preparation
While you instruct at VNAV, you'll get interview preparation from someone who evaluates airline pilots for a living.
Modern aircraft, structured syllabus
Glass-cockpit RV-12iS aircraft and a syllabus with defined standards, so every lesson has a plan and every instructor teaches the same way.
The program is set. The founding team shapes how it's taught.
The structure, the aircraft and the training standards are decided. Founding instructors help set the details that make a flight line run well.
Your answers below go straight into those decisions.
What founding instructors help decide
- The SOPs every VNAV instructor teaches from
- How the weekly flight schedule is built
- How instructors are paid
- How new instructors are checked out in the RV-12iS
Captain Benjamin Head
Airline Pilot & Check Airman
Founder, VNAV Flight Labs
I train and evaluate pilots for a living. The instructors I'm looking for care more about standards than about logging hours, and I'll personally talk with every instructor who wants to be part of the founding team.
Join the founding instructor list.
Here's exactly what you'll get:
- Updates as the founding instructor team comes together
- A 15-minute call with Captain Head, if you'd like one
- First notice when instructor positions open
Joining is free. It isn't a job application and doesn't commit you or us to anything. Unsubscribe anytime.
You're on the list.
We'll email you as the founding instructor team comes together and when positions open.
Questions in the meantime? [email protected]
Questions
Are you hiring now?
No. We're preparing for a 2027 launch and aren't making offers yet. The list is how we'll build the founding team and how you'll hear first when positions open.
Where is Windham Airport?
Windham Airport (KIJD) is in eastern Connecticut, between Boston and New York. It's the planned home base for the program.
Do I need RV-12 time?
No. Final minimums for instructors, including any time-in-type requirements, will depend on our insurance and will be shared before positions open.
Are part-time instructors considered?
Yes. We want to hear from full-time and part-time CFIs alike, including retired airline pilots who instruct.
What will it pay?
Compensation isn't set yet. The pay-structure questions in the form help us design it, and details will be shared before any offers are made.
Is VNAV connected to an airline?
No. VNAV Flight Labs is an independent flight training academy and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any airline.
What happens to my information?
We use it to plan the founding instructor team and send you related updates. See our Privacy Policy for details.