Every year, the Envoy Cadet Program receives hundreds of applications from pilots of all different backgrounds. Many come from a family full of pilots or flight attendants, some are aviation enthusiasts, but only a handful come from different departments within at Envoy.

The latter applies to Cadet Instructor Pat Dennison, who got his start at Envoy as a recruiter back in 2017. While working at Envoy, Pat also served in the U.S. Army Reserve, and in April of 2019, he was deployed to the Middle East where he served for 11 months as a military intelligence officer.

(Pat Dennison on a combat mission in Syria) 

On his first flight overseas with the Army, his interest in becoming a pilot skyrocketed. The cargo bay, where he would normally spend the duration of his flight, was full, so he took the jumpseat instead.

“I must have slept 20 minutes total on that flight, because I was so fascinated with what the pilots were doing,” said Pat. “I remember thinking, ‘when this deployment is over, I have to pursue aviation.’”

Pat did just that – as soon as he returned home, he started his journey to become an Envoy Cadet.

“It only made sense to apply to the very company that birthed my interest in becoming a pilot as soon as I was qualified to,” said Pat.

(Pat returning home from his deployment)

Making dreams come true

Before becoming First Officers, Envoy Cadets first serve as Cadet Instructors. After meeting the requirements and qualifications, Cadet Instructors spend the remainder of their time in the program training student pilots.

In the world of aviation, safety is always first. This is something student pilots learn early on in their training, and must be ever-present as an instructor.

“Being an instructor has made me a much smarter, safer and proficient pilot,” said Pat. “And when I’m not teaching, the fact that I am able to use travel privileges on my days off is a huge perk.”

On top of the other great benefits of being an Envoy employee, Cadet Instructors, as well as their immediate family members, can fly for free on the American Airlines global network.

“There are thousands of people like me out there who once thought to themselves, ‘I wish I could become a pilot,’ and having the Envoy Cadet Program be the bridge between those people and their dream is unreal,” said Pat.

(Pat on his first flight ever; Pat’s first solo flight – photos provided by Pat Dennison)

To learn more about the Envoy Cadet Program, click here.