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Piedmont Airlines pilot assessment

Updated October 2026 · SET STANDARD

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Piedmont, American's wholly owned ERJ-145 regional, is still recruiting FAA-certificated first officers, cadets and direct-entry captains in late 2026, selling a fast upgrade (about 18 months), a contractual flow to American and new two-class E175s from 2028, while American moderates its own 2027 growth.

Hiring FOs, cadets and DE captains; recruiting events Oct-Nov 2026; cadet intake small (Oct 2026)

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Piedmont Airlines is a wholly owned regional subsidiary of American Airlines Group, flying as American Eagle with a single-type fleet of Embraer ERJ-145 50-seat jets from Charlotte and Philadelphia. Headquartered in Salisbury, Maryland, it operates nearly 400 daily departures to more than 50 cities in the eastern United States and has been named the most reliable ERJ-145 operator worldwide (2022-2024). Its story runs from Richard A.

Key facts

Fleet	Single type: Embraer ERJ-145 (50 seats); 71 ERJ-145 in American's active regional fleet at end of 1Q26, all Piedmont-operated (Piedmont's own pages say 'over 50'); further airframes stored
Orders	45 Embraer E175 (76 seats, 12 First + 64 Main) allocated by American; first in Q1 2028, 1-2 a month over about 36 months; ERJ-145 kept into the 2030s
Bases	Crew bases CLT (largest), PHL and MDT (Harrisburg, opened 2022); HQ Salisbury, Maryland; E175 bases not yet announced
Pilots	About 840 ALPA-represented pilots (AAG 10-K, Dec 2025); ALPA cites 700-860 in 2026 as pilots flow to American
Hiring 2026	Active and continuous via airlineapps.com; no published class sizes or annual target; no HTFO bonuses currently
Entry routes	First Officer (ATP/R-ATP), Cadet Program from 500 h, AA Cadet Academy allocation, Direct Entry Captain

Entry routes and requirements

First Officer (incl. High Time First Officer)

Pilots at or near FAA ATP / R-ATP minimums (CFIs, Part 91/135 pilots, military, other regionals)

Eligible to hold an FAA ATP or Restricted ATP with multi-engine rating; ATP written (ATP-CTP) completed
1,500 h total, 50 h multi-engine and 250 h PIC, or R-ATP minimums (e.g. 750 h military, 1,000 h / 1,250 h approved degree)
FAA First Class Medical
FCC Radiotelephone Operator Permit

Piedmont Cadet Program (incl. ATP Career Track, Wayman, CAU partner pathways)

Time-building pilots (CFIs or any job) who want a guaranteed FO class seat

FAA Commercial multi-engine with instrument rating
500 h total to join (applications accepted from about 400 h); no closer than 200 h to ATP/R-ATP minimums
FAA First Class Medical
No criminal record and no FAA violations

American Airlines Cadet Academy (via wholly owned regionals)

Ab initio candidates wanting a structured path to American

No licence needed at entry; U.S. work eligibility; FAA First Class Medical
Online assessment, interviews and Admissions Flight (American's process)

Direct Entry Captain

Experienced Part 121/135 pilots

2,500 h total including 950 h qualifying Part 121/135 time (as stated by Piedmont)
ATP with multi-engine; FAA First Class Medical; FCC permit
Passport with U.S. work authorisation; high school diploma or GED

The selection process, step by step

Online application (airlineapps.com) and recruiter contactonline / phone
Application through airlineapps.com (FO, Cadet or DEC). Recruiters (flyPiedmont@aa.com) and hiring events at flight schools and expos feed the pipeline; reports describe a recruiter phone screen with 'tell me about yourself' and basic HR questions.
Invitation and interview day (Charlotte, reported)in person (reported; some cadet interviews held at flight schools)
Reported: Piedmont books travel and hotel; the day opens with a company and programme presentation, followed by document and logbook review. Some 2025 reports mention a short written test drawn from ATP-style knowledge questions.
Interview (HR + technical)in person, one-to-one or in pairs in front of two interviewers (reported)
Conversational HR portion (motivation, 'why Piedmont', training history, checkride failures, stressful situations) plus technical questions on weather (METAR/TAF, thunderstorms, icing), Jeppesen approach briefing, holding, airport diagrams and alternate requirements, and a CRM/ADM scenario.
Conditional job offer and pre-employmentadministrative / at home
Conditional job offer followed by PRIA records check, background and fingerprinting, drug test and at-home onboarding items (reported). Cadets are placed into the programme; FO hires receive a class date.
ATP-CTP (cadets / non-ATP holders) and new-hire trainingclassroom, FTD, FFS (AQP)
Cadets complete the Piedmont-paid ATP-CTP before moving to a class. New hires complete indoctrination and ERJ-145 AQP training at the American Airlines Training Center in Charlotte, then IOE on the line.

Aptitude and psychometric tests

Short written knowledge test on ATP-style questions (reported, not consistent across reports)
Technical oral questions

The interview

HR plus technical oral; panel of two interviewers, candidates seen alone or in pairs (reported)

Why Piedmont / why a wholly owned American regional
Training record and checkride failures
CRM and decision-making scenarios
Professionalism and safety culture

Typical questions to prepare

Tell me about yourself.
Why Piedmont rather than another regional?
What do you know about our company?
How does the flow to American work?
Tell me about a checkride or training event you failed.
Describe a time you disagreed with a captain or senior pilot.

The simulator assessment

Device	None in selection (reported). Training: ERJ-145 full-flight simulator
Where	American Airlines Training Center, Charlotte (training after hire)
Typical profile	Selection relies on the interview; simulator work starts in AQP new-hire training.

Language and after selection

English required (FAA English Proficient endorsement on certificates); no other language needed.

Indoctrination and ERJ-145 AQP training at the American Airlines Training Center, Charlotte; IOE; base by seniority among CLT, PHL and MDT (Harrisburg). Captain upgrade advertised in about 18 months; contractual flow to American (captains about five years).

Common reasons candidates fail

Logbook totals or dates that do not match the application
Vague or defensive answers about checkride failures or incidents
Weak approach briefing or poor Jeppesen chart knowledge
Shaky METAR/TAF decoding and thunderstorm or icing theory
Not knowing Piedmont basics: bases, fleet, E175 plan, flow

Piedmont Airlines Assessment Guide cover

Get the complete Piedmont Airlines Assessment Guide

151 pages: company history and culture, every stage of the selection, model interview answers, technical refresher, Embraer ERJ-145 · E175 (from 2028) systems and simulator assessment preparation. Updated for 2026.

Look inside the guide

Status: Preview · current to October 2026 · not on sale yet · join the waiting list

About this guide

Format: PDF (bookmarked, iPad-optimised)
Language: English
Edition: Ed 2026 · Revision 1.0
Current to: October 2026
Pages: 151
Status: Preview · not on sale yet
Licence: Personal, single user · see licence terms
Updates: Update policy to be announced before sales open
Simulator stage: Covered as reported by candidates and public sources

Independent publication. Facts in this overview are labelled “reported” when they come from candidate reports rather than official sources — see the editorial standards. Notify me about this guide · See it in the catalogue

Practice questions: company knowledge

Interview practice drawn from public sources; the answers are not an FAQ about the guide.

Who owns Piedmont Airlines?

American Airlines Group (wholly owned subsidiary)

Under which brand does Piedmont fly?

American Eagle

Where is Piedmont headquartered?

Salisbury, Maryland

Who is Piedmont's President and CEO?

Eric Morgan (CEO since late 2020)

What is Piedmont's ICAO code and call sign?

PDT, call sign 'Piedmont' (IATA PT)

What aircraft type does Piedmont operate today?

Embraer ERJ-145, 50 seats, single type

Preparation guides

Pilot Aptitude Tests: What They Measure and How to Practise Pilot Assessment Guide: How Airline Selection Works and How to Prepare Pilot Group Exercise: How to Show Real Crew Behaviour Pilot Interview Questions: How to Prepare Competency and Technical Answers Pilot Personality Questionnaire: Honesty, Consistency and Crew Fit Pilot Simulator Assessment: What to Expect and How to Prepare Pilot Technical Interview: Key Topics and How to Explain Them

Other airline assessments

Main sources

https://piedmont-airlines.com/first-officer/
https://piedmont-airlines.com/pilots/
https://piedmont-airlines.com/pilots/cadet-program/
https://piedmont-airlines.com/direct-entry-captain/
https://piedmont-airlines.com/piedmont-airlines-elevate-pilot-careers/paths-to-the-flight-deck-faqs/

SET STANDARD is an independent training publisher, not affiliated with Piedmont Airlines. Information compiled from public sources and candidate reports; always confirm with the airline’s official careers page.