For Eric Van Heel, becoming a pilot was a childhood dream come true.  

He accomplished helicopter training before flying in the U.S. Army and later transitioned to Part 121 flying. But after stepping away from flying to be more present at home, he thought his time in the flight deck was over. It wasn’t until he took his son on tours at different flight training programs when he heard a new acronym that would change his future – and renew his dream: DEC. 

“I didn’t realize there’d be an opportunity for me,” Eric said when speaking about being a Direct Entry Captain (DEC). “People kept saying ‘you should go back’, and I felt like they weren’t going to take me back since it had been some time since I’ve flown. I did my research on where I wanted to go, put in my online application [at Endeavor] on a Wednesday night at about 8:00 pm, and at about 9:00 am, I got a call for a phone interview. They did the phone interview on the spot.” 

After Eric completed an in-person interview, he was hired and scheduled to start training within three weeks. His hopes to fly again weren’t over; it had been put on pause.  

Although many airlines are hiring for the DEC position, for Eric, there was only one choice – Endeavor. “Endeavor didn’t just tell me what the culture is; the recruiting team was able to speak to it and provide examples of how it is lived out,” Eric said, who added that Endeavor’s industry-leading pay helped provide a boost of excitement, too.  

Eric started initial training in September 2022 and was immediately impressed with the program and the instructors, especially their attentiveness and commitment to each pilot’s success. “They backed me up and gave me the extra flying I wanted to ensure I was comfortable, confident, and competent,” Eric said. “I felt like I was in a good place, and they made sure that I was absolutely ready.” 

Eric is one of Endeavor’s newest pilot recruiters, helping to reach out to prospective DECs and pilots interested in joining the Endeavor team. “I’m in a unique position to speak to DECs to provide firsthand experience that it is possible you can come back,” Eric says. He said many candidates are able to relate to his story of either previously flying for the army or airlines, needing to step away, and ultimately, not knowing an option for pilots that want to get back into flying exists.  

Pilots wanting to make a return to the industry have a place at Endeavor. The tools and training are available to make a rapid return to the cockpit and enter as a Captain. Endeavor provides DECs with a great opportunity to fly in the skies again.  

“One pilot I spoke to hadn’t flown for several years, and he was apprehensive about it,” Eric explained, “but as soon as he heard my story, he was like ‘oh, that’s good!’ He must’ve thought, ‘if he could do it, maybe I can too’.” 

Do you relate to Eric’s story? It’s not too late to be a Direct Entry Captain. You could be sitting in the left seat and earn up to $150,000 in bonuses at Endeavor Air.