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PSA Airlines pilot assessment

Updated October 2026 · SET STANDARD

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PSA Airlines is still recruiting FAA-certificated First Officers, Direct Entry Captains and cadets for its 151-jet CRJ fleet in 2026, selling a guaranteed seniority flow to American, but regional hiring has cooled and flow times have lengthened.

Open applications for FOs, experienced FOs, DECs and cadets; pace moderated by a regional slowdown (Oct 2026)

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PSA Airlines is a wholly owned regional subsidiary of American Airlines Group, flying an all-CRJ fleet of 151 jets as American Eagle from its home hub at Charlotte. Since March 2026 its headquarters has been in Charlotte, North Carolina, after almost four decades in Dayton, Ohio, which remains a crew and maintenance base. Its story runs from a one-aircraft commuter in Pennsylvania (Vee Neal Airlines) through Jetstream International, Piedmont, USAir and US Airways Express to today's role as one of American's three wholly owned regionals.

Key facts

Fleet	151 Bombardier/MHI RJ jets: 91 CRJ-900 (76 seats) and 60 CRJ-700 (65 seats), PSA fleet page July 2026
Orders	None of its own; 14 extra CRJ-900s bought by American and dry-leased to PSA from late 2024
Bases	5 crew bases: Charlotte (CLT), Dayton (DAY), Washington National (DCA), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Philadelphia (PHL); HQ Charlotte since 2026
Pilots	About 2,000 pilots (1,845 ALPA-represented); contract amendable 1 April 2028
Hiring 2026	Careers pages open for all routes; ATP lists PSA hires in Aug-Sep 2026; no official class size or annual target published
Entry routes	Cadet Program (from PPL), ATP/R-ATP First Officer, Experienced FO, Direct Entry Captain, American Cadet Academy offer

Entry routes and requirements

PSA Cadet Program (from Private Pilot)

Student pilots at partner colleges, universities and flight schools (e.g. ATP Flight School Career Track, Oklahoma State, Kansas State Polytechnic, Florida Tech, CalAero, Dynasty Aviation) who want a structured path to a PSA First Officer seat

FAA Private Pilot certificate
FAA First Class Medical
Legal authorisation to work in the U.S.
Enrolled with a PSA partner school and committed to reaching ATP or R-ATP minimums

First Officer (ATP / R-ATP)

Pilots at or near ATP or restricted ATP minimums (CFIs, corporate, military, Part 135)

FAA ATP or R-ATP eligibility (1,500 h; 1,250 / 1,000 / 750 h via qualifying degree or military route)
ATP-CTP completed
25 h multi-engine in an actual aircraft (simulator time not counted)
FAA First Class Medical not expiring in the first 2 months of employment

Experienced First Officer (121/135 PIC)

Pilots with substantial turbine or Part 121/135 experience

ATP certificate and First Class Medical
2,500 h total, 500 h multi-engine turbine
500 h Part 121 time or PIC/SIC experience as listed by PSA
FCC permit, passport, U.S. work authorisation

Direct Entry Captain (DEC)

Current or former Part 121/135 captains meeting 121.436

ATP certificate, First Class Medical
2,500 h total including 500 h multi-engine turbine
500 h PIC or 1,000 h SIC, and 121.436 qualifying experience
FCC permit, passport, U.S. work authorisation

American Airlines Cadet Academy link

Ab initio candidates who choose American's Cadet Academy

Cadet Academy eligibility (U.S. work authorisation, First Class Medical, Admissions Flight)

The selection process, step by step

Online application / Pilot Talent Networkonline
Electronic application through the PSA careers site (iCIMS); recruiters also hire at events such as job fairs and AirVenture. Candidates may apply within about a month of meeting minimums.
Records and document verificationonline and on interview day
Review of certificates, logbook, training records (PRIA), checkride history and background questions before the interview.
Interview (HR and technical)virtual or in person (reported)
One session combining HR/behavioural questions and a technical portion built around a flight scenario: weather decoding, alternates, Jeppesen charts, SIDs/STARs and climb-via, approach briefing, emergencies. Cadets are additionally screened with an aptitude assessment.
Conditional offer, background and drug testadministrative
Conditional offer, fingerprint-based criminal history records check, pre-employment drug test and class date assignment.
New-hire training (CL-65 type rating)classroom and simulator, Charlotte
Indoctrination, systems, procedures training, oral knowledge validation, maneuvers validation and LOFT/LOE in the CRJ simulator under AQP, then IOE on the line.

Aptitude and psychometric tests

aptitude assessment for cadets (per PSA, format not published)
technical knowledge in interview (reported)

The interview

Combined HR and technical interview with recruiters/pilots, virtual or in person (reported)

Why PSA and the flow to American
Safety and CRM
Past mistakes and checkride history
Customer care and reliability
Commuting and reserve readiness

Typical questions to prepare

Why PSA Airlines?
Why not Envoy or Piedmont?
Tell us about yourself.
Tell me about a time you made a mistake.
Have you ever failed a checkride?
Describe a disagreement with a captain or instructor.

The simulator assessment

Device	No simulator evaluation reported in FO selection; CRJ-700/900 (CL-65) full-flight simulator in type-rating training
Where	PSA training in Charlotte, North Carolina (reported)
Typical profile	No simulator evaluation is reported for FO hiring. Training sims (maneuvers validation, LOFT, LOE) take place in Charlotte.

Language and after selection

English: read, write, speak and understand (FAA certificates carry the English proficiency endorsement).

CL-65 type rating and indoctrination in Charlotte (about 2.5-3 months, reported), IOE, then line flying as FO on CRJ-700/900 from CLT, DAY, DCA, DFW or PHL (new hires reported to start in DAY and bid out). Captain upgrade by seniority; captain-rate pay after 750 h of 121.436-qualifying time.

Common reasons candidates fail

Hours or records in the application that do not match the logbook or PRIA
Not disclosing or not owning a past checkride failure or violation
Weak METAR/TAF decoding or alternate rules in the technical scenario
Unfamiliarity with Jeppesen chart symbology, climb-via SIDs or approach minima
A 'Why PSA?' that only talks about getting to American

Get the complete PSA Airlines Assessment Guide

158 pages: company history and culture, every stage of the selection, model interview answers, technical refresher, Bombardier CRJ-900 · CRJ-700 systems and a simulator chapter for preparation where a sim stage applies (no simulator stage is consistently reported in PSA Airlines selection). 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: 158
Status: Preview · not on sale yet
Licence: Personal, single user · see licence terms
Updates: Update policy to be announced before sales open
Simulator stage: Not consistently reported for this selection (see above)

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 PSA Airlines?

American Airlines Group (wholly owned regional)

Under which brand does PSA fly?

American Eagle

What is PSA's ICAO code and callsign?

JIA, callsign 'Blue Streak' (IATA OH)

Where is PSA headquartered in 2026?

Charlotte, North Carolina (grand opening 19 March 2026)

Where was PSA headquartered before?

Dayton, Ohio, which stays a crew and maintenance base

How many aircraft does PSA operate?

151: 91 CRJ-900 and 60 CRJ-700 (July 2026)

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://psaairlines.com/pilots/
https://www.psaairlines.com/direct-entry-captain
https://psaairlines.com/fleet/
https://psaairlines.com/what-is-a-cadet-program/
https://atpflightschool.com/airlines/psa-career-track/

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