Internships and Placement
Internships provide valuable experience applying the knowledge gained in the classroom to practical experience on-the-job. We place an emphasis on internships with companies where students will have the earliest opportunities for placement after graduation. Internships are available at dozens of companies including regional air carriers such as SkyWest Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Corporate Air, an international air freight contractor with headquarters in Billings. Internships are available with Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Netjets International, Northwest Airlines, the National Transportation Safety Board and numerous other companies and airports. We work with students to create customized internships with any company the student is interested in that is open to internships.
Our strong internship program was featured in the December 2007 issue of AOPA's Flight Training Magazine, particularly because of the work we do helping each student individually. Flight Training Magazine has a circulation of 120,000 magazines a month, and is the most widely read magazine of its type in the U.S.
Photo: A graduate of Rocky shortly after graduation.
Many internships are specifically available for Aviation Management majors, including some at local airports around Billings, the National Transportation Safety Board--Office of Aviation Safety, the Federal Aviation Administration, Denver International Airport, Wyoming Department of Transportation, Cheyenne Airport and Empire Air in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Again, customized internships for an individual student are common.
Internships may be full time for a full semester in another city, or part-time in Billings, allowing for little disruption to a student's normal schedule.
We strongly encourage students to obtain their Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) rating before graduation, and apply for a job as a paid flight instructor at Rocky's flight operations. Once hired as a CFI, the student can also earn internship credit.
In addition to positions as CFI's for Rocky, recent graduates have gained employment as CFIs at other schools, entered the military, become missionary pilots and agriculture pilots and worked for charter and cargo operators. A significant number have also entered first officer positions with regional airlines such as Skywest Airlines, Horizon Airlines, and American Eagle Airlines.
We have close relations with several companies that guarantee interviews to our graduates, including airlines and an international freight company.
Our objective is to work with graduates individually to help them define the sector of aviation they wish to enter and then help them prepare to pursue that goal. Graduates can be found in the major airlines, regional airlines, air ambulance services, corporate aviation, agriculture application, the Air Force, Navy, National Guard, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, flight schools, air freight, and charter flight operations.
Dispatcher Certification:
Rocky is one of only seven 4-year aviation programs in the U.S. that offers certification as an FAA-approved Dispatcher. At airlines, dispatchers work with pilots to execute flights, handling such tasks as weight and balance, weather, flight plans, and maintenance issues. The courses all student pilots at Rocky take qualify students to take the FAA-approved dispatcher written and practical test. With only the added work of taking the test and evaluation, students graduate with another opportunity for employment, including a part-time job at an airline while flying someplace else, and a back-up plan in case the pilot can't fly for some reason. Airlines often give preferential consideration for pilot jobs to people already working for the company.
Recent Internship Placements
SkyWest Airlines in Denver (summer internship)
Northwest Airlines in Minneapolis
U.S. Congressman's office in Washington D.C. (Aviation Management major)
Executive Jet International (Hilton Head, South Carolina)
Hillsboro Aviation (Oregon)
Empire Air (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho)
Bald Mountain Air Service in Homer, Alaska--charter sight seeing
Billings International Airport
Edwards Jet Center FBO
Northwest Airlines
Big Sky Airlines
Horizon Airlines
Alpine Air
Corporate Air
Matheson Flight Extenders (air cargo handling)
U.S. Transporation Security Administration
Civil Air Patrol
Northern Skies Aviation
Flight Instructor at Rocky
Crew Resource Management Simulator Instructor at Rocky
Professional Relationships:
Recruiting trips to Rocky / Graduates sought by companies
Though our graduates go a multitude of directions after Rocky, we have particularly strong relationships with several companies--many of which guarantee interviews to our graduates, visit our campus on recruiting trips, and continuously seek our graduates. Some of these companies include:
CitationShares Bridge Program
SkyWest Airlines
Pinacle Airlines
Mesa Airlines
American Eagle Airlines
Island Air (in Hawaii)
Corporate Air (International Cargo)
Misaba Airlines
Mountain Air Insurance Services, Hamilton, Montana
Midwest Weather, Inc.
Worldwide Flight Services (contractor for Northwest Airlines)
Bighorn Airways, Inc.
Baker Air Service
Wings Aloft, in Seattle
Landcare Aviation, Aerial Survey Pilot
Richland Aviation
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"My internship at Alaska Airlines was literally the best five months of my life.
I learned all about daily operations, got to fly to Mexico, and I have a
guaranteed job interview, which is like a gold ticket. Rocky has done a
great job preparing me for my future."
Kyle Mosher, senior
Littleton, Colorado
