Published 16th October 2025
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It’s one thing to dream of flying, but turning that dream into a career is no easy feat. Especially when your dream takes you to the other side of the world. Here’s how inspiration and dedication led Republic Airways® First Officer Anisa Imtiaz…
When it comes to training, Republic Airways® Pilots have all of the material advantages you can imagine. Our state-of-the-art Training Center is designed with technology in mind and boasts eight full-motion flight simulators and eight static flight training devices. However, it’s the intangible advantages that set our training programs apart. We sat down with Republic Airways Instructor and Captain Jimmy Deneef to learn how the right experience, attitude and culture help our Pilots train and grow.
“We trade in safety,” Jimmy explains. “Our promise to our passengers and our crew is that we are operating as safely as possible.” That dedication to safety permeates every aspect of Republic Airways, and it is the absolute foundation of our training programs.
In his nearly four years with the Training Department, Jimmy has found one thing to be true: “You can’t just get through the Flight Operations Manual and the Standard Operating Procedures and stop. You need to use your own experience and take it further.”
“In the simulators, there’s a reset button,” says Jimmy. “In reality, you have one chance to do it right. So we start with the book, and then our in-house Instructors use their experience to translate that foundational knowledge into reality.”
“When everything goes as planned, our procedures allow an enjoyable flying experience,” says Jimmy. “That’s why we train for when things go wrong. That’s where the experience of our Instructors plays a key role for our Pilots.”
Jimmy understands that training can be demanding. “We work hard,” he says. “Some days we do 10-hour study sessions. If you don’t have some sort of release or the right mindset, that can really burn you out.”
That’s where the mindset comes in. “Every class I teach, I also start our days with an open-ended question,” Jimmy says. “I ask Pilots to share their happiness factor on a scale of one to ten.” He gets to know the mindset of his students as well as their background, hobbies and interests. “Each day, I want that factor to go up.”
He asks this for a very specific and important reason. Jimmy explains, “It’s an often overlooked determinant of performance. When Pilots have a strong, positive mindset and remember the passion that brought them to aviation, they learn better, they become more confident and they are able to stay relaxed in high-pressure situations.”
Pilots at Republic Airways get support from more than just the Training Department. “Success at Republic Airways isn’t a zero-sum game,” says Jimmy. “One person succeeding doesn’t mean someone else isn’t. The safer and smarter my colleagues are, the safer our business is and the better we all do.”
“No matter how hard we try, the curriculum will never cover every scenario a Pilot will face in their career,” Jimmy explains. “Though when we establish an Airline-wide support system, our collective experience helps fill those gaps. We are not competitors with each other. The whole point of having all this experience is sharing it.”
“Being an Airline Pilot is a highly technical profession, but the Standard Operating Procedures and the Flight Operations Manual are just the foundation of what we really do. Be yourself. Be a kind person. Be a good person. Have empathy for your passengers and your colleagues.”
Learn more about our dedication to training and our culture of safety and support.
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At Republic Airways, our successes are shared by our Associates. Together is the only way we fly.
