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Developing Economic Opportunity with Aviation/Aerospace in the Caribbean

By Kathryn B. Creedy

A little noticed trend is happening in America as state and local economic and workforce development officials identify aviation and aerospace as a key economic drivers. In response they are quickly developing the workforce these future employers will need.

So, it was absolutely no surprise I learned the same was happening in the Caribbean where Captain Alicia Hackshaw, a flight operations inspector for the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority, is urging governments to develop Free Trade Zones (FTZ) and Special Economic Zones (SEZ) to attract aviation and aerospace trainers and manufacturers. She hails from Trinidad and Tobago, a small island just off the coast of South America.

“I saw the global demand for pilots, technicians, engineers, and rotorcraft operators continuing to rise, and realized the Caribbean was sitting on untapped potential,” Hackshaw explained of her grand vision to transform the Caribbean economy.

Diversifying the Economy

Hackshaw’s ambitions are not far off the mark given efforts over the last 20 years in Florida to diversify its tourist-based economy. Florida pairs its highly educated workforce and its life-in-paradise vibe to attract and retain both businesses and provide jobs for its workforce.

Once reliant on tourism and launches from Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Space Force station, the state was devastated by the shutdown of the Shuttle program. Since then, it has been extremely successful and now has a robust multi-disciplinary economy that includes, financial services, banking, higher education, health, research and development, manufacturing and aerospace and aviation. Orlando is now the center for simulation technology in various industries and Florida’s universities partner with aviation and aerospace companies and other industries to produce cutting edge research and development.

Efforts on the Space Coast alone turned the area into a manufacturing hub with the likes of Embraer Executive Jets, Blue Origin, SpaceX and ULA, complimenting operations by the big defense and aerospace primes – Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Collins Aerospace, GE Aerospace and Boeing. Dassault is opening a maintenance and service center in Melbourne.

For me, perhaps the poster child of this type of economic activity is deep in coal country – West Virginia, which identified aviation/aerospace as a key economic driver even though it only had a small footprint in the industry. It launched an aviation program at Marshall University and partnered with airports to develop both pilot and aviation maintenance training. Community colleges now have aviation in the curricula.

Pratt & Whitney Canada’s Bridgeport, WV, MRO facility. Credit: Pratt & Whitney

Its efforts paid off. Pratt & Whitney picked Bridgeport, WV, for its assembly and test center for Pratt & Whiney Canada engines for the U.S. Department of Defense. The service center overhauls and repairs turboprop and turbofan engines and components manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Canada. It is now a Center of Excellence for corporate turbofan and turboprop engines. When you consider that aviation maintenance technicians are paid $65,000 in their first year and can make $120,000+ after five years it is little wonder states are zeroing in on maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO).

Ohio, Michigan, Colorado, Pennsylvania and others have all developed aviation/aerospace education programs to begin to build a high school to career pipeline for manufacturers, MROs, airlines and business aviation companies. Recently, Michigan launched the Michigan Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Initiative, designed to scale Michigan’s AAM capabilities, ensure safe and efficient integration of these technologies across public and private sectors, and position its workforce and manufacturers as national assets to attract business. Ohio, already heavily geared toward aviation, space and defense, did something similar a few years ago and bagged a Joby manufacturing facility.

The point is clear — investing in education and the workforce — works.

Brain Drain

Aviation maintenance students at the Aviation High School in Queens, NY. Credit: Kathryn B. Creedy

In conversations at CaribAvia 2025, it was clear the region suffers from the same brain drain experienced in so many “remote” places as youngsters seek their fortunes and future lives in Europe, the US and Canada.

“We’re exporting our future,” Hackshaw, who is also on the board of the Trinidad and Tobago Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (TTTIPA), explained. “Many students from the Caribbean go abroad for education, some as early as secondary school. For aviation, training abroad can cost USD$100,000 – USD$150,000. Even non-aviation programs cost USD$25,000 – USD$40,000 per year. Institutions like Trinidad’s University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) and Guyana’s technician school prove we can train our people here. We just need to support and expand those models instead of subsidizing other countries’ economies with our talent.”

Creating an indigenous training and manufacturing capacity is what energizes Hackshaw.

In tallying the current aviation footprint in the region, Hackshaw noted the aviation sector contributes $2.5 billion (1.4%) to GDP in the Caribbean region including $1.3 billion from airlines, airports and ground services; $0.7 billion indirect through the aviation sector’s supply chain; and $0.6 billion contributed by employee spending in local economies. The sector supports 1.6 million jobs directly and indirectly, spanning airlines, airports, ground services, tourism, training, and logistics sectors, all of which driving regional economic growth.

“We already have wins to build on such as the UTT which offers programs like the Certificate in Aviation Technology and the BSc in Aeronautical and Airworthiness Engineering (AAE),” the former helicopter pilot for Bristow Helicopters told Future Aviation/Aerospace Workforce News. “UTT even provides a direct hiring stream into Caribbean Airlines, which is a great advantage. There’s also Guyana’s tech school, Suriname’s growth, Punta Cana’s new MRO hub.

“Another exciting enabler is the rise of Special Economic Zones (SEZs),” she continued. “These zones attract investors by offering fiscal incentives, simplified regulatory processes, and targeted infrastructure. Trinidad and Tobago recently passed SEZ legislation, and aviation should absolutely be prioritized within that framework. Now we need a cohesive strategy and public-private alignment to make aviation a pillar of regional development. I’m committed to helping any Caribbean government develop their aviation sector—through roadmaps, PPP structuring, training strategies or manufacturing pilot programs. We already have the raw materials: smart students, committed professionals, quiet success stories. Now we need to build the system that allows those pieces to fly—literally and figuratively. “

Hackshaw wants governments to adopt the public-private partnership (PPP) model where government creates the framework, and industry and education deliver solutions.

“We need scalable, sustainable infrastructure…and PPPs are how we get there,” she told CaribAvia 2025 participants. “This effort was entirely led by industry, and by people like me who couldn’t wait for policy to catch up with reality. I saw the global demand for pilots, technicians, engineers, and rotorcraft operators continuing to rise, and realized the Caribbean was sitting on untapped potential. We can’t wait for government to lead. We need to build from within, then invite government to join the journey.”

Industry Led Effort

Her ace in the whole is the fact that industry is helping her lead the charge. Hackshaw developed a Caribbean Aviation Roadmap, a strategy for regional aviation growth starting with flight training, maintenance education, and expanding into aviation and aerospace manufacturing, helicopter operations, and drone systems. The contribution of developing training organizations would have a triple impact on the economy by creating jobs and skill development, attracting international trainees and driving local employment, global partnerships and investments.

CaribAvia Themes Offer Many Economic Development Ideas

The idea has been core to CaribAvia since its founding. In recent years speakers from around the world indicated the Caribbean could be instrumental in its own economic development by identifying the training and manufacturing needs and developing programs in response. Given the competition between the different Caribbean states, the effort requires a Carib-wide effort to identify islands that would specialize in development of workforce education programs for each of the disciplines – maintenance, drone, advanced air mobility, pilot training, aviation maintenance training – divvying them up amongst the islands so everyone can benefit.

As for manufacturing, Hackshaw pointed to the projected growth of both MRO and manufacturing with North America the largest component. The numbers in the global industry put the $1-2 billion economic contribution of aviation in the Caribbean provides a peek at what could be in the region.

The global aerospace manufacturing market was valued at USD$412 billion in 2023 and is expected to surpass $550 billion by 2030, driven by rising demand in commercial, military, and general aviation sectors. The goal is to attract high-tech foreign direct investment while diversifying beyond the economically sensative tourism model.

She also pointed to the growing aviation manufacturing and MRO sectors in Puerto Rico and Morocco as well as the impressive impact of Mexico’s aviation manufacturing industry, saying aerospace is a top export sector for countries like Canada, Mexico, and Morocco. Beyond the tourism jobs created by airline service in the Caribbean, the region could follow Mexico where aviation/aerospace supports 60,000 jobs in Mexico and contributes significantly to economic growth and technological advancement. Turning to the impact of attracting manufacturing companies, she noted they offered high-paying jobs and STEM growth, adding the sector provides wages 2 to 4 times above regional averages and promotes STEM education, fostering a skilled workforce and suggested its free-trade zones could be an advantage in the age of tariffs.

Developing, Not Exploiting, Human Capital

“It’s all about human capital development,” she said, pointing to the number one problem across the aviation/aerospace ecosystem. “The groundwork includes feasibility studies, policy alignment, and investment planning—all geared toward positioning the Caribbean as a hub for aviation human capital development.”

In providing the framework for the Caribbean Aviation Roadmap, governments would be doing more to lift residents out of the minimum wage jobs characterized by tourism and adapting to the high-tech future of most businesses.

“It’s no longer just an aviation issue—it’s an economic development issue,” said Hackshaw. The government is now beginning to lean in more, recognizing aviation as a strategic industry that can drive diversification beyond oil and gas. While Trinidad and Tobago for me is the launchpad, the vision is unapologetically Caribbean. We can’t afford to think in silos anymore. The region needs an integrated aviation and aerospace strategy that trains talent, supports business, and keeps our best and brightest from emigrating.”

Hackshaw also touched upon another CaribAvia theme — improving regional connectivity especially with the advent of advanced air mobility, ideally suited for fast, convenient island hopping.

“My vision is a Caribbean Aviation and Aerospace Corridor, a cooperative model where each country contributes its strengths,” Hackshaw explained. “Trinidad may specialize in flight and maintenance training; Barbados in logistics; Antigua in certification; Guyana and Suriname in advanced UAV systems or manufacturing. It’s a federation model rooted in shared purpose and mutual benefit.”

FL Technic’s New MRO facility in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The company opened the facility to be closer to customers. Credit: FL Technics

Hackshaw cited the new aircraft maintenance center in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, built by Lithuania-based FL Technics US$50 million project that includes a logistics hub and aviation training academy. The idea is to provide service closer to its customer base. The goal is creating jobs, retaining talent, and boosting the national economy.

In addition, she pointed to Guyana’s Art Williams & Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School, already producing high-quality aviation technicians, directly supporting Guyana’s growing aviation and energy needs. While she did not mention aerospace, it cannot be missed that the European Space Agency developed a seasoned and lucrative Spaceport in French Guiana. She concluded by saying Suriname’s booming economy is opening up real opportunities for regional air support, logistics, and helicopter operations.

Ariane 5 Liftoff. Credit: ESA Trevor Mahlmann

“These are real models from which we can learn and expand on together,” she said turning to her home country. “Trinidad and Tobago is at a pivotal moment in its economy and I am envisioning a new era in its aviation development story. The country needs to make deliberate moves to revamp and expand its aviation training infrastructure with a vision that’s both national and regional in scope. I would like to work with interested parties to establish a comprehensive aviation and aerospace education and training ecosystem—from flight training and aircraft maintenance to aviation management and even entry-level exposure for secondary school students. The idea is to create a pipeline of skilled professionals who are trained locally and ready for both regional and international markets.”

Hackshaw estimated the funding needed to develop a flight training academy would be between $8 and $12 million while a maintenance school would require $4 to $10 million. However, for an aviation manufacturing incubator hub for UAVs, rotorcraft parts and interior kits, the cost would be between $2 and $4 million.

“These are small investments with big returns – especially through a PPP model, where government and industry share responsibility and reward,” she explained. “You don’t have to build a Boeing plant to enter aerospace, you can start with components, support systems, and regional needs.”

Pathway to Prosperity

Hackshaw is also intent on developing aviation STEM academies and certified training organizations with partnerships with global leaders in aerospace training.

Her vision is in its infancy although she has already engaged aviation educators, private investors, diaspora professionals, international flight schools, and regulators who see the long-term value.

“To truly scale, we need governments to come to the table through structured PPPs,” she said. “I’ve seen strong interest from many individuals, but only Antigua’s Aviation Minister has taken tangible steps to engage. I’m hopeful that more governments will follow the examples set by Guyana, Suriname, and the Dominican Republic, who are already investing in real infrastructure. We need people and organizations who see the Caribbean as more than a vacation destination, and who understand that aviation is a pathway to prosperity. We want partners who understand that this is not a charity case – it’s a smart investment in a region with young talent, favorable geography, and untapped potential.

“We are looking for those who can offer technical expertise, accredited training, and mentorship pathways, and who are willing to build institutional capacity rather than just deliver a product or service,” she explained. “The region also needs partners willing to help us tell the story and advocate with us at the policy and investment level. We believe strongly in public-private partnerships as the vehicle for development. We need public leadership, but we also need private efficiency, international certification standards, and a commitment to training, hiring, and building locally and I stand ready to serve as an aviation advisor to any nation that wants to develop the aviation sector, whether through technical policy guidance, PPP structuring, or infrastructure planning. This is about building a legacy for the region.”

Barriers

The response to her efforts to spread the vision throughout the Caribbean is hopeful. “The reaction remains overwhelmingly positive, especially when people hear how this vision includes helicopters, UAVs, training, MRO and manufacturing,” said Hackshaw. “They’re not used to hearing the Caribbean in that context and when they do, they start asking the right questions. We recognize the value of the vision, and there’s a strong emotional response when they hear how aviation could unlock prosperity in the region. It’s not the idea that’s hard, it’s the execution. And that’s why we need committed partnerships and political courage.”

She sees many barriers not the least of which is the insulated outlook of regional governments.

“That’s the elephant in the room, isn’t it,” she asked. “Fragmentation has been the region’s Achilles’ heel. But I believe the aviation sector offers a unique opportunity to turn that around. It’s in every country’s interest to collaborate – no one island can do it alone. Aviation infrastructure is too expensive and talent too mobile.

She also raised the prospect of a single Caribbean sky, one of the main goals of the annual CaribAvia conference.

“I would love to advocate for aviation to be prioritized under the CARICOM Single Market & Economy (CSME) framework,” she said. “Regionalism often sounds great in speeches, but in aviation, where cross-border thinking is essential, it’s been lacking. Regional governments have not yet taken a lead on aviation or aerospace development so we will have to do it ourselves. I’m working hard on forming a network of professionals, educators, and investors who are willing to build across borders, led by the private sector.”

Captain Hackshaw knows every long journey starts with the first step and may take time. But it will be worth the effort to prevent the brain drain now occurring and build a more robust economic future in the region.

DEN, University of Colorado-DEN Offer Exec-MBA to Produce Aviation Leaders of the Future

In the first-of-its-kind program, developed in partnership with Denver International Airport, University of Colorado Denver, draws on world-class faculty to deliver experiential courses tailored for aviation executives.

Designed for mid-career aviation professionals. No undergraduate degree required but must have 15- to 20-years’ experience. Scholarships are available.

By Kathryn B. Creedy

Denver International Airport (Photo Courtesy of DEN)

Aviation career professionals are facing two key challenges in their quest to rise through the ranks. First is the need to have an edge, to stand out from the crowd. The second is to have an ecosystem-wide approach to management. Both are being delivered by the University of Colorado Denver in a unique learning space at the Denver International Airport’s Center for Equity and Excellence in Aviation (CEEA).

Kicking off in January 2026, the Executive MBA in Aviation is the world’s first degree for leaders and aspiring executives that spans the entire aviation ecosystem; an ecosystem at the cutting edge that will include commercial space and advanced air mobility along with significant changes in how airports, airlines and air traffic control are run.

For the Executive MBA in Aviation the partners are targeting mid-career aviation professionals offering them the opportunity to learn from a curriculum shaped by such aviation leaders as Oscar Munoz, former CEO of United Airlines, Matt Cornelius, EVP at Airports Council International, Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, who runs St. Louis Airport, among many other aviation experts.

What is interesting is the industry’s reaction to the development of such an academic program, striking a nerve in what might be missing in aviation leaders today.

“We have veteran professionals approaching us asking how they can help,” Program Director David Chandler told Future Aviation/Aerospace Workforce News. “That positive enthusiasm and talent illustrates the value of what we are building. The people in our first cohort will also be instrumental in building the program, illustrating what we are doing and providing the foundation on which we will build.”

DEN is a good choice given it is the largest single largest economic driver in the Rocky Mountain region and the fact it is the 6^th busiest airport in the world. It is also a central location for the students the partners hope to attract from throughout the nation.

Training Industry Leaders

Chandler was careful to define what the new MBA is not. “The Executive MBA in Aviation is designed to replace the way the MBA is taught,” he said. “Fifty years ago, the MBA was for mid-career professionals who wanted to excel in their careers. Today, it is often geared toward people in their twenties who have hardly begun their careers, while corporate training programs are focused on producing better corporate employees. In contrast, this Executive MBA in Aviation is designed to train industry leaders – mid-career professionals who have logged a lot of experience and who want to stretch beyond their function and organizational silos to gain a picture of the entire aviation ecosystem and how it fits together. That is the difference. A well rounded executive needs to embrace as many of these opportunities as they can to advance. The Executive MBA in Aviation takes you outside of the corporate culture and introduces you to people all over the ecosystem. We then weave in a heavy dose of leadership and strategy which is what you need at the senior level of organizations.

Artist Rendering of DEN’s CEEA (Photo Courtesy of DEN)

“We are trying to produce leaders of the future,” Chandler continued, “with the skills necessary to lead under conditions of ambiguity. We need to address those intangible leadership skills companies are telling us they want employees to have, including the ability to function across disciplines. With our faculty we are focusing on what is needed but not often taught. Skills like the ability to motivate others, comfort with ambiguity and counterintuitive thinking. That is what will build the leadership of tomorrow.

Chandler explained the interdisciplinary approach. “The key ingredient to this coursework is students wanting to learn across disciplines, a more challenging learning experience. However, it increases empathy and respect for other’s opinion and experiences. Students will see the aviation world from multiple perspectives that involve different skills.”

Executive MBA in Aviation

The new program comes as education itself is changing. Given the technological advances driving workforce upheavals, employers can no longer rely on degrees alone. Future careers will be peppered with continuing education requirements to become certificated or credentialed or to upskill, reskill and adapt to new technologies. Many educators see a future made up of stackable credentials for the future workforce. The generational workforce shortages are driving future employees to seek companies who will offer them to upward mobility and education they will require over decades. And, companies must compete for these employees because our workforce shortages are tied more to the birth rate than demographics.

Students will have four, week-long residencies in Washington, D.C. and at major airports around the globe to experience firsthand how different hubs operate, innovate, and drive regional economic growth. The five-day experience will be at major international airports at Munich with the other two domestic airports currently being finalized. (Photo Courtesy of David Chandler, University of Colorado Denver)

It also comes at a time when many companies from tech giants like Google and Apple to airlines like Delta are no longer requiring degrees at all, leveraging the technological expertise many young people have mastered just as they have grown up with gaming and other advances. A profound change has occurred as parents and students question the value of a college degree given the six-figure costs and the student debt that inevitably follows. Instead, they are opting for skills training, which, in aviation is designed to prepare them for jobs in manufacturing, piloting, aviation maintenance for flight dispatch.

But for executives looking for the next step, this new Executive MBA in Aviation provides an interdisciplinary approach now favored for rising leaders.

Offering a one-of-a-kind learning environment, the university said it puts “students behind the scenes as aviation’s future unfolds through real-time operations and decisions at scale.” The CU Denver Business School will deliver an 18-month hybrid cohort program to enable students to pursue their degree, without career interruption. The Executive MBA in Aviation delivers all the foundational knowledge of a traditional MBA, while immersing students in the interconnected elements that drive aviation: from stakeholder partnerships and strategic communications to regulatory compliance and revenue management.

Photo Credit: Lee Ssangmyeong Courtesy of Unsplash

“In business, you want to be early, smart, and lucky,” said Munoz, who is a member of the program’s advisory board and is also teaching a course in the capstone term entitled Future of Aviation. “To be a part of the very first aviation MBA of its kind in the world – just as we are witnessing a revolution in the aviation industry, much of which is taking place right here in Denver – is the best way to be the earliest, smartest, and therefore luckiest professionals in this exciting frontier moment.”

The Faculty

“These are not ivory tower academics,” Chandler explained, “they are industry professionals, experts in aviation who have come on board saying we need this program. We purposely focused on identifying faculty who understand exactly what the industry needs. CU Denver then provides the administrative support a well-run academic program needs.

“Students will be learning from the top leaders in the field, and they will be exposed to other perspectives besides their own because the future workforce must work across disciplines to be innovative and successful,” he continued. “When you reach the top of your function, you tend to be siloed focusing only on your own area of expertise whether it is finance, operations, economics or marketing. Each role has its own perspective, but the value of the program is learning about the perspectives of all the other functional areas in an organization. To this all-discipline approach, students bring their expertise and their insights within a cohort that draws from the entire aviation ecosystem. That produces a much more valuable classroom conversation. In fact, the more variety of experience we have across the cohort, the better, because students will gain insights into other aspects of aviation and airport disciplines and offer the insights gained from their own experience to group projects.”

Chandler described the experience as enabling mid-career professionals to take the next career step in leadership, no matter what their discipline. This is especially important in breaking the current corporate practices of focusing only on revenue-producing executives to elevate to leadership roles.

“The more unique your pathway in aviation, the more value you add to program,” said Chandler. “It also fosters a culture of learning and respect. We want to source students domestically and internationally, all of whom can gain value from studying for this degree. Initially, we anticipate the most interest from domestic professionals but the goal of the program is to attract students from airports and airlines around the world.

Chandler noted the program was not designed just to meet airport needs. “It is a program that serves the aviation workforce ecosystem as a whole,” he said. “We want students from airports, logistics, insurance, airlines – really the entire supply chain in aviation. We are holding it at an airport for the convenience for those attending nationally and beyond.”

Unique Learning Environment

Artists Rendering of DEN’s Center for Equity and Excellence in Aviation (CEEA).

The use of the airport’s CEEA complements the mission of the facility which is designed to address three things needed in aviation workforce strategies including a Business & Development Training Academy, A Career Pathways Program and a Research and Innovation Program.

The vision behind CEEA is making education and research a key airport mission. Airports are like cities and having such programs enhances the experience for students and airport employees.

The Training Academy gives small businesses the information and skills needed to submit proposals and win contracts with DEN in the areas of construction, professional services, goods and services and concessions. The three primary goals of the Training Academy are to create, educate and cultivate an environment where small businesses can grow and connect with other businesses, DEN staff, and industry groups.

Meanwhile, The Career Pathways program offers graduates points of entry, creating an aviation talent pipeline. Career Pathways is a key component of the Center of Equity and Excellence in Aviation mission from engaging, educating and providing opportunities for youth as well as through training and leadership development to all employees. In addition to exposing youth to aviation and aerospace careers, it is also targeted at airport employee career advancement.

The Research and Innovation Lab is designed to be a safe place for learning and trying new things for participants of all ages. The vision of the Research and Innovation program is to be a leading hub of innovation and excellence, driving transformative solutions that shape the future of aviation and airport operations. The lab will provide programming and a network of innovation. In building this lab, DEN was intentional about how it builds equity into the infrastructure of the programming whether it is working with underrepresented students and or growing small businesses test concepts in a real-world airport environment.

Program Components

Generous scholarships are available for eligible candidates, designed to encourage early applications. The degree lasts 18 months, and is divided into eight terms, each containing two courses and lasting for seven weeks. The hybrid approach includes both in-person, online classes, and asynchronous content delivery, to accommodate the schedules of busy managers and executives.

Students will have four, week-long residencies in Washington, D.C. and at major airports around the globe to experience firsthand how different hubs operate, innovate, and drive regional economic growth. The five-day experience will be at major international airports including a partnership with Munich Airport Academy with the other two domestic airports currently being finalized. Given general aviation’s importance to the aviation ecosystem, program orientation will feature a visit to the general aviation airport in Centennial, CO. The fourth residency will be hosted by Georgetown University focusing on the regulatory, ethics, laws and rules in aviation.

Today, aviation and aerospace are struggling with workforce shortages and talent development while universities are struggling to maintain relevance and employees struggle to stand above the fray. This is, perhaps, one unique way to address those issues and could be a model for future professional development in the industries.

Denver Internationall Airport (DEN) (Photo Courtesy of DEN)

Aviation Training: What Experts Need — Part II

By Kathryn B. Creedy

Part I: Overhauling Aviation Training For Better Results

The World Airline Training Summit offered up a sea change in aviation training – one that openly called for complete overhaul to produce better, more competent aviation personnel — pilots, aviation maintenance technicians and cabin crew — but instill in them a leadership that makes a difference in culture. Proposals streamline processes both in schools and at regulators for greater efficiency and safety.

Source: PTC proprietary images, PTC Vuforia technology

“It’s a pretty awesome time in the training industry,” FAA’s Manager Training and Certification Group General Aviation & Commercial Everette Rochon, told WATS 2025 attendees. “The world is dedicating the smartest minds to modernize training. It’s exciting to see FAA embracing change. About 20-30% of flight training is done under 141. What I’m asking is how can we use technology and AI solutions to do more with less. It is about breaking down barriers from management that says we don’t have the resources.”

The idea is to keep training costs at least neutral with the advent of expensive high-tech solutions, since airlines and regulators are loath to increase what they view as a cost center not an investment in safety. This a welcome change since previous changes to pilot training and requirements, were successfully designed to impose higher costs on regionals to close the cost gap with major airlines since unions erroneously contended regional pilots took mainline jobs post deregulation.

We are now at a point where many regional routes, according to Boyd International Group, would be better served by 737s, E190s and A220s than with E175s. Boyd International argues this is driving the abandonment of many points that would be better served by regional aircraft currently deployed elsewhere. Delta has already started switching out mainline for regional aircraft.

The movement is prompted by growing concerns among pilots and aviation training experts that personnel quality and safety are being compromised. In this year’s aviation safety report, Flight Safety Foundation warned against complacency.

“Aviation’s safety net is fraying at the edges,” said Foundation President and CEO Dr. Hassan Shahidi, echoing Captain Philip Adrian CEO at Multi Pilot Simulations (MPS) and the chair of the European Aircrew Training Policy Group (ATPG). Adrian, the Aircraft Manufacturers Training Association and others called for a complete overhaul in aviation training during this year’s WATS 2025. “It’s time for the entire industry to double down on compliance, discipline, and proactive risk management to restore public confidence and protect lives. We cannot allow complacency to creep into operations. Safety standards have evolved for a reason, and adherence to them isn’t optional — it’s essential. Compliance alone does not guarantee safety, but without it, safety cannot be achieved.”

FAA/Flight School Relationship

NFTA Vice President Government Affairs Jeff Wolf provided a vision of what future school/FAA interactions could be. The goal, said Wolf, is to identify the regulatory barriers and inefficiencies in certification preventing part 61 pilot schools from applying for 141. Modernization would also explore how part 141 schools can maximize future training demands and reveal why so few 141 schools have examining authority. Industry and regulators are examining whether such authority could be part of the initial school certification as well as its certification for continued operation, something the University Aviation Association has been pushing for some time.

The same is true for alleviating the burden on Flight Standards District Offices (FSDOs). Noting how resource intensive school oversight is, NFTA is calling for less reliance on auditing paper records in favor of the digitization, explained Wolf. It would also use AI to capture negative safety trends and identify problem schools.

“FSDOs will gain efficiency to do more with less through technology integration,” he said. “Standardization is the key to such efficiency since every school is now treated differently. That way FSDOs can focus attention where it needs to be – on the outliers. A dedicated communications portal offers a centralized digital platform enabling streamlined interactions between flight schools and FAA. We need to streamline 141 applications and certification, and we are developing a tool kit for that.”

Rochon agreed. “The objective is to provide the safest training environment in the world using structured courses and advanced training delivery to produce better pilots,” he explained. “Better aeronautical decision making reduces the GA fatal accident rates and fosters the gathering and sharing of data within the flight training industry. It also involves incorporating innovation and technology including both aircraft and learning tech. Training would include Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) and the use both virtual and mixed reality simulation. It would also encourage innovation with an efficient and effective regulatory structure including working with ICAO requirements for incorporating quality assurance.”

But NFTA and FAA may be thinking too small since international aviation training experts view the valuable technology and CBTA used in flight schools would have an equal impact on other training organizations such as aviation maintenance schools as well as the Aviation Technical Education Council, Aeronautical Repair Station Association and Aircraft Electronics Association. One speaker at WATS 2025 even called for aviation maintenance simulators. Enlarging the effort to streamline the process of all aviation training organizations would vastly improve safety, oversight and the efficiency of aviation rulemaking changes since they are all adopting the same technologies to modernize training.

Holly Woodruff Lyons, president of HWL Aerospace Policy, noted the lack of simulator time in training along with the failure of gaining such authority in the last FAA reauthorization, despite wide-spread agreement simulators are a major safety tool.

“Limitations on sim time are part of the regulation but there is no law preventing FAA from changing regulation,” she noted. “This is a totally different avenue to pursue rather than waiting for a new reauthorization. It’s an opportunity to go to the FAA and convince them we need to look at the regulation. Sim manufacturers are prepared but the cost will be passed on to the student. However, there are grants to offset the cost of acquiring simulators with flight schools moving in that direction.”

Sim time is controversial with pilot unions, but training experts disagree. Incorporating advanced training techniques into general aviation training is critical added Joe Scolia, vice president of Sierra Charlie Aviation. Industry leaders have advocated this for years. NFTA Vice President Laura Benson Jones, who is also founder of Flight Club 502, agreed saying good pilot training and quality are based on what happens at the foundational level. She also advocated for giving trainees simulator time before aircraft flight training even as she noted union contentions that you can’t learn anything except in the aircraft.

“Simulators are only four to five percent of training,” said Collins. “Sims allows us to achieve procedures and competency without having to go to the airplane. But we must get understanding from regulators this is what we need to build better pilots.”

The FAA/NFTA Modernization effort is the subject of public hybrid meetings to hammer out recommendations for overhauling current training rules as well as established flight instructor standardization and objective assessments.

The Promise of Technology

Speakers heavily stressed technology – AI and extended reality – in not just shortening training but to producing more competent aviation personnel. The promise opens a brave new world with world aviation training leaders speaking at WATS 2025 indicating Competency-Based Training and Assessment has moved beyond the flight deck to training for cabin crews and aviation maintenance technicians.

But, with the support of the Aircraft Manufacturer Flight Training Association (AMFTA) and European Aircrew Training Policy Group (ATPG), both promoting CBTA, the National Flight Training Alliance and the FAA may have a fighting chance to effect change.

Meta’s Director of North America Commercial Sales, Reality Lab, Ade Ajayi said immersive training provides better results. “Studies show 40% of users view VR training as giving them more confidence,” he reported. “The immersive experience leads to higher levels of knowledge retention especially for training modules that are inherently dangerous. Extended reality results in a 52% cost reduction; 59% faster completion; 36% better engagement; and 40% better retention.”

Those results are especially true for Gen Z and Alpha who expect AI and XR in their training since this is how they group up.

VR/AR Association COO John Cunningham agreed with Ajayi. “Immersive tech is so powerful because humans tend to remember what we say or do and immersive tech is the closest to reality,” he reported. “What people don’t realize is how embedded VR training already is across industry while aviation companies represents 3% of the entire enterprise XR market. Extended reality will have a 30% CAGR which makes it one of the fastest growth areas in aviation.”

Using technology will also improve training as data informs a complete picture of what is happening in minute detail during training, said Dre Fournier, vice president of business development for HTX Labs. “It helps us understand why the individual is hesitating and, with hand or eye tracking, we really start to put together a picture on that individual to tailor training to them. Without that the likelihood of failure is higher, proficiency is slower and there are higher error rates.”

Overhauling training also requires getting the insurance industry, now married to outdated training and regulations, on board.

Pilot Supply

Changing training to provide higher quality pilots and other aviation personnel also addresses acute workforce shortages because training is not only faster but better. In fact, the US Air Force, in 2017, changed its training to produce better pilots in a shorter time so we know it can and is being done for highly sophisticated military aircraft. We should not question its use in the civil arena.

“It leads to better qualified candidates which has a huge impact on safety,” Scolia told delegates. “Absolutely safety starts on day one. If you have a poor foundation that carries all the way through the career.”

There is no question rising concerns about training quality are valid nor is the need for changes. Consequently, the value of tech, coupled with the overhaul of aviation training for all aviation personnel, is not in doubt. The world is speaking with one voice on the troubling condition of current training and the need for reform. At WATS 2024, it was still a promise but at WATS 2025 it was clear the political will to make changes as well as the maturity of new technology reveals or real results to enable regulators seeking modernization of century-old practices to get something done…in the name of safety.

Analysis: Overhauling Aviation Training: The Global Push for New Standards — Part I

An international movement gathers momentum to overhaul aviation training in favor of creating global standards, shedding prescriptive practices and devices and ending scattershot international regulatory standards.

By Kathryn B. Creedy

A decade ago, I called for pilot training reform in a series for Forbes Online, reform that ensured higher quality and better trained pilots. But I did not know what that would look like until, shortly thereafter, I covered a pilot training conference at the Royal Aeronautical Society and the World Airline Training Summit (WATS). They offered fetching glimpses of technologies, philosophies and processes to train pilots faster for greater competency and more leadership.

Since then, the WATS conference built on this knowledge as technology matured, updating us annually on its promise for improving pilot quality. But there was always an undercurrent of frustration questioning why, despite the evidence supporting what must be done to improve safety, it can’t be done. Politics was always the answer

“Pilot unions will never let it happen in America,” said one commenter at WATS 2024. “They have a stranglehold on that issue.”

But given the power behind the movement on display at WATS 2025, that may be changing as several major initiatives come together at once. Those forces include international efforts by the Aircraft Manufacturer Flight Training Association (AMFTA) and European Aircrew Training Policy Group (ATPG) as well as the National Flight Training Alliance and the FAA in the US, and promote Competency Based Training and Assessment (CBTA), citing the measurable improvement it drives.

WATS 2025 was a tidal change. With one voice, proponents called for an overhaul of training philosophy and regulations – using safety as the goal rather than mere compliance.

Indeed, there was an aura of impatience and restlessness delivering a not-so-subtle admonition to lead, move or get out of the way.

Outcome-Based Training

Keynoter Captain Philip Adrian, CEO at Multi Pilot Simulations (MPS) and the chair of the ATPG, set the pace for most of what followed during the three-day conference. He made the case for why we need an overhaul, while other speakers provided concrete examples of how it is working and its impact on quality and retention, covered in Part II.

Adrian called on attendees to initiate aviation’s own Moon Shot. Invoking the words of President John F. Kennedy, he took direct aim at the US 1500-hour rule echoing so many ALPA members. Even ALPA members tell me the rule was less about safety than creating a pilot shortage which would ultimately drive pilot pay up by 40% with the latest contracts. Well, mission accomplished, boys, and now let’s focus on safety.

Adrian defined the risk of ignoring the collective training wisdom on display at WATS 2025.

“We are currently fooling ourselves into thinking that training always equals learning, and that hours are a good indication of quality,” Adrian, echoing the National Transportation Safety Board conclusions a decade and a half ago. “The ease of auditing has brought us to a point where quality and safety are no longer the primary goal of training, but compliance is. Current regulations were new and modern several generations ago but are not fit for purpose in this modern age. Input driven regulations, specifying hours, devices and many other restrictions, provide industry with little to no flexibility. The ability to innovate with new tools is restricted.”

He’s not alone and, significantly, in the US, the National Flight Training Alliance is pushing for rules giving flight schools the flexibility and regulations they need. NFTA noted the only one not well represented in previous rounds of reform was the flight training industry.

“With this approach,” Adrian continued, “we are led to believe that safety is guaranteed through the hours in a logbook. The 1500-hour rule is an example of this. Let me be clear: I am not against this because it is too high, and I am not against it because it is too low. I am against it because it is absolutely meaningless! In the end, quality and safety is what we should be striving for, rather than hours or training provided. As I have stated before, regulatory or other issues should not stand in the way of achieving the best possible outcome, even if it is through completely different ways.”

With that, he called for outcome-based training based on global, rather than local standards that now rely more on prescriptive regulations than in building better, safer aviation personnel.

Not Invented Here

The move is controversial with opposition from unions in the US which have opposed both the Multi-Crew Pilot License (MPL) and Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA), as bad despite its wide-spread adoption by the rest of the world. Proof of its value is the fact it is now making its way from the flight deck to cabin and maintenance bay. Many pilots say the reason for the opposition is because it wasn’t invented here.

So, the manufacturer and flight school community are teaming to urge change. Perhaps the combination of proponents will finally be able to break through union influence on Congress and actually make it a reality. To date, the wisdom of the National Transportation Safety Board and the findings of Flight Safety Foundation studies have not been enough, despite the fact they question an hours-based requirement and uncovered the fact unstructured flying to build hours costs the professionalism and discipline NTSB says is so important to aviation safety.

I’ve long argued ALPA’s obstinance is standing is the way of better training to produce higher quality, safer pilots. I expect the new movement to have an impact since it pushes a tougher, data-driven training program based on objective data not subjective opinions of flight instructors. Suddenly the union mantra that any changes “reduce standards,” becomes rather hollow in the face of such collective expertise in aviation training.

Adrian perhaps said it best. “The innovative change being sought by training professionals requires new thinking, new people and the need to come up with new solutions rather than repeating the old problems,” Adrian said. “Innovative solutions do not necessarily equal technology or technological innovations. A simple review of current regulations and training programs alike offer many improvement possibilities as a simple first step.”

The Players

Both industry and regulators are openly receptive to the challenge, none more so than the new partnership alliance of Boeing, Airbus, Comac and Embraer, designed to drive faster change to aviation training.

Embraer’s Head of Flight Crew Training and AMFTA Director Captain Alexandre Toribio, said the association has more credibility and a greater urgency because it is speaking with one voice to both airlines and regulators on establishing CBTA as the gold standard, something already done by Boeing and CAE.

Boeing Director Training Solutions Mark Albert agreed. “As manufacturers, we are responsible for innovation and advocacy for aviation training,” he said. “It makes sense in the cycle of ideation, airline by airline, national aviation authority by national aviation authority to unify the recommendations and documentation. We may be competitors but not when it comes to safety. It is our responsibility to identify the issues important for all of us and to work in harmonization on what works and move countries in the same direction.”

AMFTA’s efforts include making multi-crew cooperation a key part of pilot training before granting a type rating. Already underway from the organization are initiatives including CBTA guidance, instructor standardization, new grading policies and agreement on theoretical knowledge. Airbus Head of Flight Training Worldwide and AMFTA Director Captain Stéphan Labrucherie noted all the manufacturers are leveraging their strong relationships with IATA, ICAO and other regulators and using their collective knowledge to work with customers on improved training.

“What we can do,” said Comac Chief Engineer of Aircraft Operational Safety Jin Yibin, “is discuss our insights and recommendations openly, based on our common issues. With that we can approach the national authority and give them the entire picture of what manufacturers are concerned about.”

Pilot Quality Questioned

In the US, the spate of accidents at the beginning of 2025 brought the issue to the forefront, even as it politicized aviation safety by focusing mostly on air traffic control shortages and diversity, equity and inclusion. The midair between an army helicopter and a regional jet at Washington National Airport, killing 67, was followed in quick succession by two general aviation accidents capped off by the landing accident of an Endeavor Air regional jet in Toronto.

What senior pilots and other safety experts have been muttering over LinkedIn for years was suddenly in full view, prompting an urgency and concern the quality of pilots being delivered to the flight deck lacked the experience drilling holes in the sky was supposed to offer. They question first officer abilities and training but also the rapidity, forced by the pilot shortage, through which they rise from regional FO to mainline FO. One airline noted that a regional FO became a regional captain and was set to go to the majors within eight months, calling into question whether such fast-paced advancement was wise.

Meanwhile, political divides fostered a flight deck culture threatening crew resource management. In a landmark study for her PhD, Captain Kimberly Perkins revealed the importance of understanding the impact of bias in creating psychological safety on the flight deck as a critical element in reducing risk. She provided 1600 airline pilots with specialized training designed to enhance psychological safety and improve Crew Resource Management (CRM) and Threat and Error Management (TEM). They overwhelmingly agreed that psychological safety was crucial for enhancing safety, demonstrating a significant 260% increase in the number of pilots recognizing psychological safety as “extremely important” for aviation safety.

Need Data to Prove the Case

“While we have these conversations about pilot quality, much of it is second and third hand information,” said NFTA CEO Lee Collins, who was instrumental in forging the 1500-hour rule. “If there were stronger relations between airlines and regionals, we would have a better measuring stick to guide that change.”

The problem with that, however, is the fact that mainlines own most of the regionals, excepting two major players – SkyWest and Republic Airways – meaning the training relationships should be pretty tight. Instead, more reports indicate questionable activities at Delta, specifically that the pilot aboard the Endeavor aircraft at Toronto failed training as a Delta FO before being sent back as a captain; ironic since we are supposed to have a single level of safety. I questioned at the time, whether this was an actual failure or whether the pilot was never tested but sent back as a regional captain to avoid the requirements of the Pilot Records Database. The regional ownership component certainly calls into question whether major carriers take a wholistic approach to safety.

It is too soon to know, and we must await the conclusions of the NTSB and the Canadian Transportation Safety Board.

“These accidents present an opportunity for the safety boards to key up conversations based on data from the two crashes at Washington National and Toronto,” said Collins.

NFTA

The role of NFTA is important since it is taking the lead on modernizing training regulations by partnering with the FAA.

“NFTA’s mission is to provide direction and focus for the industry,” explained Collins, adding the timing was ripe with the need for requirements to accommodate powered lift and improved general aviation training. “Every sector had a voice in the pilot training debate except the flight training industry. Our role is advocacy for improvement. Our students have a certain way they want to learn, and training devices they want to use. That all embraces high technology, so we are reaching out to flight training providers and all businesses with a tangential relation to training to support changes. What is encouraging is the fact we received such a warm reception from both regulators and legislators who agree we need modernization. We need an infrastructure meeting the requirements of the flight training industry which needs flexibility as its number one requirement. We need to look at where industry is now and what we need for the future; to look at what’s going wrong and fix that. We need more part 61s to move to part 141. We need to alleviate the burden on Flight Standards District Offices and digitize oversight and a data-driven approach to flight training.”

Easier said than done, but Adrian implored attendees: “Let’s do the right thing, put safety ahead of everything else and devise a future where training is seen as an existential need rather than a cost of doing business,” he said. “Let’s not look at what was always done, but what NEEDS to be done to guarantee a better future. Let’s not look at easy and cheap, but right and needed! We need new ideas and people to carry them. We need to make aviation safer, better, more equitable, more inclusive, and future proof. Let’s show courage, step up and accept this challenge with our eyes wide open and set ourselves a target to overhaul aviation training before the end of this decade, not because it is easy, but because it is hard!”

Part II: Helping trainers and FAA do more with less

Opinion: Concrete Steps for WAI and Members to Change the Culture — Part Two

Editor’s Note: This editorial is my own personal opinion based on 40 years covering the aviation industry. It is second in a series in response to the #WAI2025 session on what male allies can do to support women.

Part One — Opinion: Male Ally Discussion Very Disturbing with No Mention of Safety

Kathryn B. Creedy

There are two schools of thought when it comes to changing the aviation/aerospace culture. If we just get the story out there, things will change. There are thousands of stories including high-profile celebrities like Gretchen Carlson and the #MeToo Movement and little has changed.

The other school thinks if we get more women in executive management, things will change. We have thousands of women in the C-Suite and the culture has not changed. So, let’s look at what WAI does.

WAI has been in the forefront of quantifying the problem. It did a study years ago reporting that women were fascinated by aviation and aerospace and wanted to take on the challenges of our industry but were turned off by the male dominance. Given the nearly 5000 attendees and #WAI2025, all the women in space documentaries and the thousands of women executives in aviation, aerospace and defense, it is clear many have braved that dominance and pursued aviation and aerospace careers anyway…at a high cost for many.

The Women in Aviation Advisory Board released a report three years ago citing culture as the number one problem in recruiting and retaining women. The permanent Bessie Coleman Women in Advisory Committee was supposed to launch this year after the Federal Aviation Administration called for applications to serve on the board and find ways to put its many recommendations into practice. I applied despite my problem with the descriptions of its job which repeated the work already done by WIAAB. It said nothing nothing about implementing its recommendations.

Well, we all know what happened to that initiative on January 20 despite the fact it was mandated by Congress. But it reconfirms that Congress loves to order studies about major problems to make it look as if it is doing something when it really has no intention of doing so. It’s called kick the can down the road until the issue goes away. It is exactly how minorities are treated when they rock the boat – pat them on the head and tell them the big men will handle it.

The other treatment is bullying, threatening, demeaning and marginalization. Just look at what is happening to Sarah McBride, the nation’s highest ranking openly transgender elected official and the first openly transgender member of the United States Congres. Her “colleagues”, including women, can’t even behave with respect, discipline and professionalism and continue to misgender her and block her from the ladies room. It’s all petty and childish but that is what we are facing.

Sensitive Topic

I completely understand the treatment of women in the workforce is a touchy issue, and that WAI CEO Lynda Coffman and WAI must tread lightly given its sponsors are the aviation and aerospace industry corporates whose culture is the problem. But I’ve long thought that if WAI were to wield its power toward changing the culture it would be successful because it would scare them. My theory is, as Lynda said, they are trying to scare us, so let’s scare them.

I know there are board members and members who agree. But I also know it would be risky. I know members have dropped their membership because, as they have explained to me, it is too geared toward pilots but, more importantly they tell me, it is from frustration that WAI does nothing about the toxic culture.

Pilots

As far as too focused on pilots, I’ll tell you a little secret. Everything in aviation is focused on pilots who drink the kool aid they’re some kind of god. Well, if you know your Greek mythology, the gods were pretty damn egotistical and petty and liked to use humans for games. Sound familiar?

But WAI is fully aware of its soft spot so I don’t agree with the criticism. First of all, I’ve seen the move on the conference stage to include other careers and the WAI Career Guide for kids is the best in the biz. It’s Girls in Aviation Day is a model touching over 30,000 girls worldwide.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington youth and RTX employees celebrate the national launch of a new, first-of-its-kind DIY STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curriculum, rolling out across all Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide by the end of 2023. The program, made possible by RTX and in collaboration with Northwestern University, empowers youth to explore STEM learning in an impactful and culturally relevant way, guided by their own curiosity, problem solving and team work on Wednesday, July 26, 2023 in Washington. (Joy Asico/AP Images for BGCA)

And it’s tough to change the culture, although if you want a blueprint on how, read Melinda Gates A Moment of Lift; How Empowering Women Changes the World which shows us even religiously or traditionally based intractable cultures can be changed with hard work…and courage.

WAI’s Role

It is clear WAI has rightly seen its role as helping women and minorities navigate the culture. At its conference, there are many panels addressing resilience against the adversity women face on the job. One of its greatest assets is Lane Wallace who writes for Aviation for Women about how to bridge the culture gaps in our industry and teach men what needs to happen to make the change. She often has popular workshops at WAI. The best nugget I’ve ever heard from her is what male allies can do. When someone makes a stupid comment about a woman (or a minority), colleagues can immediately respond with “Knock it off, you are hurting the team.” That’s a powerful message telling the perpetrator his views and comments are not only unacceptable but counterproductive.

Sexual Harassment: Where to Go and What to Do

L-R: Captain Jenny Beatty, Kathy Yodice, Michelle Halleran, Kandy Bernskoetter at #WAI2024 panelists for **Sexual Harassment: Where to Go and What to Do**

Last year, to my surprise, there was an entire panel led by Kathleen Yodice, Esq and WAI board member. She was joined by Kandy Bernskoetter, a Fed Ex 767 captain, Embry Riddle Professor Michelle Halleran, director of diversity initiatives, and Captain Jenny Beatty, an American Airlines captain, who has been working this issue for decades and has some of the best assets to be used in the fight against discrimination, sexual harassment and assault. What astounded me was the panel was scheduled for late the last afternoon, but the huge room was full showing the interest was high and demand for action was there. And many women stayed behind to speak with Beatty.

The last time such a panel was scheduled was during the #Metoo Movement. Then there was a gap of several years and last year’s panel was at the insistence of a board member.

However sensitive this topic might be. It should be a standard part of WAI conference offerings and on its website. If you are going to teach women to be resilient, you must teach them what they need to know about the cultlure.

But there is one more thing we must think about if we are frustrated at WAI’s seeming inaction and our lack of power. I think it is doing what it can now but might do more, but it will need our help.

Every year, WAI has at least one panel telling women how to navigate the work/life balance of an aviation, pilot or aviation maintenance career. It is a must attend in my book and I continue to learn how both men and women take on the task of supporting both family and job.

My favorite story is a female captain whose husband, also a pilot, decided to take on home front responsibilities in favor of seeing her rise through the ranks. This is critically important. Many women pilots, in order to have a better schedule to accommodate work/life balance, opt for the seniority on a lesser paying aircraft which hurts women financially, throughout their career and into retirement.

Member Action

The bottom line, it is up to members to change the discussion. If we want WAI to go out on a limb, we must support its mission. That’s a big if, because I think, all things considered, they do a hell of a lot to help women in aviation and aerospace worldwide and we risk those initiatives if we take this mission on.

Call to Action

Are we willing to replace the money lost if a sponsor bails? Are we willing to shout that bailout from the rooftops, so they become known for their lack of support for women and minorities? All the companies talk a good game about supporting women but it is rare the words are followed by concrete actions.

#WAI2025 was not just a feel-good conference, energizing us to cope with the next year. It was a call to action and we must answer that call.

One of the problems is “someone else itis” in which we expect someone else to do the heavy lifting, especially the government. That does not work. It’s up to us. However, in the words of both Coffman and Emily Calandrelli at the opening session of #WAI2025, no one is going to fight for us. We must make it happen ourselves.

To change the culture, we must take Lynda’s message about being bold back to our companies and insist on change knowing full well the reaction of the company and HR will be when someone rocks the boat – particularly this boat. We’ll be facing retaliation at the least and firing at the most. But if we get those stories out there, companies might be shamed into changing the culture. I’ll get the story out there and I’m good at it.

What We Can Do

A less confrontational approach would take the Women in Aviation Advisory Board report and carve out doable initiatives and make sure as many recommendations as possible get done. Do we really need government to guide us? Hell no. Do we want this government to guide us, especially now? Oh, double hell no!

As I said in my analysis of WIAAB report, I’ve been around too long and seen too many reports shelved to know if we want change, we must do it ourselves. It’s been three years and even the democrats gave it a low priority calling for applications at the last minute of the administration. Now, I don’t trust this administration to do what we need.

To hell with government, to hell with corporations who are now rolling back DEI and shooting themselves in the foot. If we would take the recommendations and make them happen, we would be taking the first step on a long road but at least the change would be launched. Why are we waiting?

Another great tool is the training program developed by Dr. Kimberly Perkins to address the negative culture problem. She targets pilots for now but wants to see it adopted for everyone. By tackling bias through her multifaceted strategy, she believes we can boost overall safety, foster more effective communication, mutual respect, and psychological safety as essential elements of a high-performing flight crew.

Conclusion

Disturbingly, I watched the standing ovation after the male ally session on which I wrote my Part One critique of ALPA. I know nothing about the other two speakers during the male ally discussion, I assume they meant what they said and are genuinely interested in improving the lot of women and minorities in aviation and aerospace. I also know too many male allies/champions who are very vocal about supporting us when push comes to shove to doubt their sincerity.

But I do know ALPA. It is not among those genuinely trying to help women and minorities. Would there be an OBAP if ALPA delivered that role? Ditto for all the other minority pilot organizations. ALPA is a political animal blowing with the wind playing politics with safety… again, especially these days, which made ALPA President Jason Ambrosi’s comments during the session that much more disgusting.

Latina Pilots in Aviation at last year’s celebration.

This culture is not unique to aviation. It is SOP across Corporate America and HR quickly becomes the enemy protecting the corporation despite corporate policies and laws against sexual harassment, assault and discrimination.

At next year’s conference WAI should invite Greg Principato and Tony Kern to the panel, two of the most vocal allies in the industry. The question should not be about what male allies can do to help women but shining a light on why the culture is this way. Hold them up as role models by asking what specific actions or policy changes have they made to ensure a cultural change? What have they done to get other males on board? What are the metrics of those changes? What are their recommendations for working with men to change the culture? Because we are not going to do it with ALPA.

Frankly, I don’t think men know how they can help. When I asked SoFly, the Miami WAI Chapter what it meant by the male ally it introduced last year, the gentelmen said he was just there to literally do the heavy lifting. That’s wonderful…but that’s not all we need so we must define a male ally by describing the actions we expect to see.

Rites of passage and modern masculinity

Woman are being asked to solve a problem they did not create. So, we need to partner with men to eliminate hierarchical thinking, as Melinda Gates says, and that is now what WAI is doing by working with all the other aviation minority groups to develop a strategy to fight back.

One of my pet peeves about advocacy groups is silos which are counterproductive. Silos are designed to protect revenues and these organizations, whether they fight for civil liberties or minorities in aviation, should be joining together. That’s why the move to work with OBAP, Sisters of the Skies, National Gay Pilots Association, Professional Asian Pilots Association, the 99s, Professional Women Controllers, Women at NASA, Women in the Military and others is such a game changer. But ALPA was in the list Lynda mentioned and it will try to control the conversation. We cannot be led by ALPA. We must lead ALPA. Read Part One to see how they manipulate the system.

But don’t forget the other aviation organizations including International Aerospace Womens Association, Female Aviators Sticking Together, Association of Women in Aviation Maintenance, Women in Corporate Aviation, Women in Drones, Whirly Girls, Black Women in Aviation or the Black Aviators Network.

Be Bold! Take Collective Action

Lynda called on us to be bold and join in collective action against the tide rushing over Washington. We need all those groups and their members to be included if we want to effect change in diversity, equity and inclusion.

The culture has always been with us but, as Lynda pointed out, adversity breeds opportunities. Working collectively and being bold could make the difference, especially in changing culture.

Actions speak louder than words. It is not only the actions of males in play here. It is the collective action minorities take against what is happening. That means us.

If we want WAI to fight the fight, we must fight with it.

Opinion: Male Ally Discussion Very Disturbing with No Mention of Safety – Part One

Editor’s Note: This editorial is my own personal opinion based on 40 years covering the aviation industry.

By Kathryn B. Creedy

As I sat in the Friday afternoon discussion of male allies at the Women in Aviation International conference, I grew angrier and angrier. Sure, they were saying all the right things. They were telling us what we wanted to hear, that it is everyone’s responsibility to stand up for and witness for women by knocking down those who make anti-DEI comments about women and minorities or question their qualifications. All good. But not enough.

I was absolutely shocked no one related the way minorities and women are treated in aviation/aerospace to safety. I understand. A lot of women and minorities don’t get the safety implications of our culture.

People, it is all about safety! Safety on the job, safety on the flight deck which translates to the safety of passengers and, most importantly, psychological safety. How many dozens of accidents have happened because the personality of the captain sets a culture of intimidation that silences first officers who might otherwise save the aircraft? Crew Resource Management has been forgotten in these dangerous times. I’ve written on this safety aspect of DEI many times but want to say, at least, one of the WAI panelists – Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, was being (let me be kind) disingenuous.

I’m sure you will agree with ALPA’s public comments which I will quote below. I do. But you won’t agree with the ALPA’s actions behind those sweet words. I know nothing about the other two speakers during the male ally discussion, I assume they meant what they said and are genuinely interested in improving the lot of women and minorities in aviation and aerospace. I also know too many male allies/champions who are very vocal about supporting us when push comes to shove to doubt their sincerity. It’s ALPA with which I have a problem.

Disclaimer

WAI is NOT responsible for this editorial. This editorial is based on my knowing the women who have been marginalized or misrepresented by the union. ALPA’s lack of support for women over the decades is part of its own decision making so if it is pissed at this editorial, it needs to look in the mirror. If ALPA is true to form, it will withdraw support from the organization in retaliation for this editorial and I will have proved my point. Think about that. An independent journalist, who is a mere member of the organization, who, in exercising her First Amendment Rights and calls it like it is to warn women about ALPA’s two faces, might get WAI in trouble. Ambrosi, is a big boy, he decided to take the stage. He is representing ALPA’s long history against women.

We are at the precipice of a slippery slope and at the beginning of the conference CEO Lynda Coffman urged us to gather collectively to fight what is happening in society today. Not only are minority rights at stake but democracy itself. I hope you’ll watch her opening address because it is refreshing to hear a leader say these words out loud.

I was surprised to find many in the audience disapproved of her speech which I lauded on LinkedIn.

ALPA’s Retaliation

ALPA has gone after me before. I even offered them a chance to read one of the first articles I wrote on the 1500-hour rule before I submitted it. They refused to let me use their quotes but that wasn’t part of the deal so I used them anyway. They called my editors at Forbes and elsewhere to get me fired or kill the article. Now they just ghost me. I refuse to stop and continue to act because it is the right thing to do and there are too damn many people not doing the right thing these days. As a good journalist I’ve tried to get them to participate in my articles but they ghosted me every time so I stopped asking. Their choice.

I’ve been called anti-union when I was raised pro-union and was active in unionizing the FAA. Is this editorial vengeance for all that? Hell, no. I saw the same marginalization to regional pilots over the last 40 years as ALPA fought what it called “outsourcing” of jobs, so I know this is a pattern that needs calling out. I’ve also watched ALPA play politics with safety to the serious detriment of safety.

If ALPA comes after WAI, or me, it is nothing less than the bullying we need to fight. Rock the boat and there will be consequences. Is that really how we should partner?

Lynda urged us to be bold against the anti-DEI onslaught. This is me being bold.

I wanted to shout from the audience: “Ambrosi, actions speak louder than words.” But I decided to be a good little girl.

Quotable Quotes

Let’s look at what Ambrosi said.

He noted the world is now filled with people who want to say what they want to say, whenever they want to say it, reflecting the comments against pilots made after the American Eagle crash in Washington, DC, and again after the Delta Connection crash in Toronto.

“These comments are demeaning to the entire profession,” he said, invoking his daughter, saying he wanted to see her reach any opportunity she desires. “Silence is complicity. We must be assertive in letting people know how you feel about these comments. If we get everyone out there to do this, we can change the culture. We must show that we are a family and emphasize that, in aviation, every pilot meets the exact same training and standards and there are no shortcuts. For anyone to say our pilots are not qualified is unacceptable. We need to create more opportunities for everyone. We must counter the abuses and say we have resources out there. We need to be proactive and not let it just happen.”

Sounds good, right? I wholeheartedly agree.

Tell that to all the male pilots who cue the mike to say to women pilots: Another empty kitchen.

But let’s look at the ALPA’s actions:

Women at ALPA, including those in the executive ranks, have been asking for work-rule changes that would benefit both genders for decades and have been stymied so ALPA’s attitude toward women predates Ambrosi. I know too many women of ALPA working on changes to work rules to accommodate the modern work-life balance for both men and women who have tried to work within the system only to be told the “system” was not for them.

Why do you think ALPA has lost so many dynamic women over the years who have quit doing ALPA work? Because they were not being supported and their budgets were cut. Many MECs have already dismantled their DEI programs. Is that the action of an ally?

Meanwhile, while women pilots continued to struggle, flight attendants fought against misogynistic airline policies way back in the 1970s and won despite being condemed by their unions. (Read the Great Stewardess Rebellion to get the details.) Why are women pilots still having to fight? That is not an accident. It is by design.

Blind Spot

I wrote a two-part article about the changes for which women pilots have been fighting. I’ve also frankly discussed the work-rule issue with one of ALPA’s leaders who defended ALPA’s actions saying women only made up 6% of pilots insinuating majority rules. Message received: we’ll take your money, but we won’t represent you.

ALPA finally did a survey and reported male pilots wanted the same work-rule changes. Duh!

This ALPA exec ran up to me at the World Airline Training Summit several years ago excitedly telling me the results. He thought I’d be impressed.

“So, Paul, you are telling me now the men are pushing for the same thing that women have been asking for decades, ALPA is going to act?”

“No, Kathryn,” he said. “It’s not like that.”

“Paul, it is exactly like that,” I said walking away shaking my head at his ignorance. Clearly, ALPA is not being inclusive, or it wouldn’t be so. Damned. Ignorant.

Union Representation

ALPA is supposed to represent its members in any disputes, but I’ve seen too many pilots of both genders, betrayed by ALPA, which, when a someone rocks the boat, joins with management to circle the wagons to isolate and gaslight the victim using their dues to help management fight them in court. Don’t believe me? Ask Karlene Pettit who not only won her case against Delta but counsels both male and female pilots on how to navigate the law.

I’ve seen too many women pilots who were sexually assaulted, and the airlines and unions circled the wagons to protect the perpetrator. One woman was sexually assaulted on the flight deck, in flight, but the airline isolated the first officer (saying “we’ve never had a problem with this captain,” insinuating it was she who had the problem. Meanwhile, he was a well known sexual predator). The airline immediately began protecting him, retaliating against the victim. The manager at her base conspired to ensure that all her pilot colleagues turned against her, calling on them to attack her publicly on social media by sending an all-base email against her. They poured it on. That’s called stalking, boys, and it is illegal. These are people she must fly with and what do you think that does to Crew Resource Management or psychological safety?

A flight attendant was assaulted on a trip because she refused to go out with a first officer, who, mid-flight, sauntered back to the cabin to ask her out and for an alcoholic beverage. Does he assault all women who refuse to defy the FARs against drinking and flying? The airline knows all about this incident. Have they grounded him? Not to my knowledge.

But more important are questions prompted by this event. Have other FAs, afraid of his status or his reputation, acceded to his wishes and let him drink and fly? Tell me that is not about safety.

And Delta is still going after Pettit after she questioned the training of the pilots in the Toronto crash. She is not alone. More and more pilots are questioning pilot training and the rapidity of pilots rising through the ranks owing to the pilot shortage. My question is whether Delta and others are trying to skirt the requirements of the Pilot Records Database by letting pilots they know will fail opt to go back to the regionals as a captain. But WE HAVE A SINGLE LEVEL OF SAFETY! Well, we might. Let’s be clear, Delta owns its regionals. Here’s the blog it objected to.

If you want a blow-by-blow account of how Delta gaslit and grounded boat rocker Karlene Pettit in a case all about the safety issues she observed as a captain, read Karlene’s book Air 21 Delta’s Debacle, lessons learned in her triumphant seven-year battle against the airline. It gives you the tools to protect your career.

Oh, about that quote. Members wanted ALPA to make a statement supporting the pilots in the Toronto crash.

Unlike ALPA-Canada, ALPA-US didn’t follow suit to publicly support the pilots until after a call by members to do so. When ALPA-US finally posted, I noted it was reversing 40 years of attacking regional pilot quality, adding it was refreshing to hear ALPA actually support regional pilots even as I wondered if it was because he works for Delta.

These stories are well-known in the industry. It is an open secret that the old-boy’s network, boys-will-be-boys toxic culture is jeopardizing safety and lots of pilots are saying so, even ALPA members. Consequently, listening to Ambrosi made me want to vomit. I got angry instead.

Good Character

There’s also another issue to be considered, that of the regulator. Airlines and pilots know full well they are required by law to be of good moral character. So, given the actions of airlines and unions we should be asking why the regulators don’t enforce the requirement about being of good moral character. Because the problem is just about women? Not, really, it is also about other minorities in the same culture.

Both regulators and companies not only let these crimes slide, they protect the perpetrators. That is not what real male allies do.

That is why it is of paramount importance to stress this is a safety issue and while they may say safety is their north star, letting these crimes continue and protecting the perpetrators says they don’t really mean it. Even if the pilot tilting at a big corporation wins, they lose if they sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) which keeps the crime, and the company’s role in it, secret. I say join Gretchen Carlson, who won her sexual harassment case against Fox News, in her move to ban NDAs.

It’s About Safety

Changing the culture is not just a nice thing to do for women or minorities. It is a safety issue. Full Stop.

It is also about the women and minorities who follow us into the industry.

Dr. Kimberly Perkins completed her study revealing the importance of understanding the impact of bias and creating psychological safety on the flight deck as a critical element of reducing risk and crucial for enhancing safety.

The most important way to eliminate bias is what Tachelle Lawson advises in her book Black is NOT a Credential: The Corporate Scam of DEI. She advises taking DEI out of HR and placing it squarely on the shoulders of the CEO. She points out that it is the CEO who is responsible for charting the company’s strategic course and since DEI is a strategic initiative designed to boost the bottom line, it is squarely on his or her shoulders. That goes for Ambrosi, too. Her definition of how we should conduct ourselves is pretty much the same as the National Transportation Safety Board which reports again and again that professionalism and discipline are key to aviation safety. Lawson also adds respect to the equation. Respect, discipline and professionalism would set a new cultural tone. It is that simple.

So, I’ll test Ambrosi’s word. “Silence is complicity,” he said. “We must be assertive in letting people know how we feel about these comments.”

This is how I feel.

Prove I’m wrong, Jason. The point is men still think they don’t have to take us into consideration and the current political climate proves it. Men think lip service checks the box.

This is not about being politically correct.

It’s about safety.

Part Two: What is WAI’s Role in Women’s Rights?

Where Are All the Female Bill Nyes?

WAI2025 Keynote Speaker Emily Calandrelli Hollywood hasn’t caught up to women’s interest in science.

By Kathryn B. Creedy

As I listened to Emily Calandrelli at Women in Aviation International Conference opening session, I got mad. Here is young woman focused completely on “supersizing” the impact of #aviation #STEM #STEAM education and Hollywood doesn’t see her value.

Calandrelli, AKA The Space Gal on social media platforms, said Hollywood sees women as a risk. “We scare them,” she said.

The Space Gal & Pink Overalls

One of the stories she told about trying to break into the big leagues to get her programming to television was maddening.

But first, did I mention she is an aerospace engineer with a degree from MIT? She’s also an astronaut and science communicator. She also achieved something else amazing – the first solo female science show host in the US with Exploration Outer Space while she was visibly pregnant! Little girls wanted to emulate her so much, they wore her signature pink overalls stuffed with pillows. As if that weren’t enough, she is an author of children’s books based on her tv show. So, she has the chops.

She grew up wondering where all the female Bill Nyes where.

Turns out Hollywood sees women as too big a risk. They are an afterthought, she indicated. The men in Hollywood say there was no market for science programming with a woman host because the demographic is all men, and they don’t want to watch a woman. Tell that to PBS’s NOVA and NATURE where women are everything from narrators to mission scientists. One of the best shows I watched on PBS was Picture a Scientist on women’s struggle to become the top in their field.

But, when it comes to children’s show, they are very comfortable with women hosts.

I thought, yeah, the “Mom” role. God these guys are really neanderthals but that might be unfair to neanderthals.

It is absolutely shortsighted since I spend my 90% my tv time watching science documentaries on geology, nature, climate change and space exploration. I revel in the space science shows because of the number of smart, powerful women who play important engineering, design and mission roles and earn coverage by the documentarians because they are so critical to the mission. The message they send is not only they are there, but they are important contributors and their male colleagues respect what they do. Space exploration is clearly a team sport, and they are just regular parts of the team.

It is absolutely incredible to me, as a science consumer, that in the 21^st Century that a business would actually leave 50% of the market out of their programming. Could there be a better poster child for why diversity is good for the bottom line. Women are responsible for as much as 85% of spending decisions.

A Pretty Face

I chuckled when she turned an old myth about women – the brainless, dumb woman, who is only good as window dressing – on its head. Remember men used to say women are hired for their looks, not brains, especially in television. It looks as if that still applies and they won’t even take brainy women. Well, she was told that for a woman to be hired as a co-host she’d need to be an astronaut. “Was the male host an astronaut,” she asked.

No, she said, and I thought, yeah, the male co-host was the pretty face. But just think about that. The male had been reduced to nothing but window dressing, a role women have been in for millennia.

Calandrelli aired an old commercial for the Discovery Channel used to attract viewers. All the hosts were male. Worse, the most recent commercial is exactly the same!

“Science TV has become testosterone TV,” she reported. “Meanwhile, 30% of scientists and engineers are women. Of the 133 television shows out there, only 1% are hosted or led by women. What would that look like if 50% of science shows were hosted by women?

“If you want to change the story, you need to change the storyteller.”

She was eventually rewarded with a Netflix series Emily’s Wonder Lab, but it only ran a year because networks were moving to cartoons “despite the fact that Emily’s Wonder Lap was in the top 16% of all tv shows and movies on the platform worldwide.”

It’s all about costs but if you take all the salaries of all the hosts it’s $14 million, she reported. “That could have created nine more seasons Emily’s Wonder Lab which moved to the top 13% besting Grey’s Anatomy. It ran in 190 countries in local languages. But here’s the impact. You know when a kid chooses science for their birthday theme, that is revolutionary.”

“DEI is not just a nice thing to have,” she told the nearly 5000 attendees. “It’s good for the bottom line. Women are not a small demographic they are 50% of the population.

After the cancellation, she pivoted, as any ambitious woman does, wanting to reduce the stereotype of what scientists looks like. “There’s value in representation,” she said. “But the value for those who are not represented is that it completely changes the way they see friends and female role models in their lives. Role models in life takes real people, not cartoons.

She trademarked her catch phrase – stay curious and keep exploring – and took all the experiments done in her tv show and turned them into children’s books which climbed to Number One on the New York Times Best Seller List. Now tell me women are not bankable!

What’s next for Emily is taking the money she made from her books to re-invest in herself and her mission which is creating her own show – Emily’s Science Lab – on You Tube. Within six months she booked 150,000 subscribers.

“If we want representation, we are going to have to create it ourselves,” Callendrelli said. “No one is going to do it for us. Nobody will help us because we are seen as a financial risk. Today it’s worse because they are now afraid they’ll get in trouble because of the anti-DEI movement. The lack of women in STEM is everyone’s problem. Not having diversity comes at a high cost in money and lives.” She described how most drug studies are done on men and the impact on women is ‘inferred.’ Even crash test dummies are based on men which resulted in more injuries for women.

“This is not just a recruitment problem it is an attrition problem,” she said. “Women in STEM is no silver bullet. But it is an incredibly powerful tool society is actively choosing not to use!”

Yeah, perfect example. I stopped paying attention when my doctor talked about BMI when I read a study showing it was done in the 1940s, on men alone.

Calandrelli is exactly the role model we need.

Economic and Workforce Development Drive Aviation Education Nationwide

Pennsylvania latest state to target aviation and aerospace careers for both economic and workforce development.

By Kathryn B. Creedy

A quiet revolution is underway across America, one that is developing K-Career pipelines for aspiring aviation and aerospace personnel. The revolution is driven by state and local government economic and workforce development officials partnering with local career and technical education (CTE), aviation education organizations and nonprofit STEM education programs to deliver curriculum to students. The goal is to leverage these burgeoning career-and-technical-education programs to ensure students are workforce ready when they graduate from high school.

Aerium Board Chair Dr. Larry Nulton (left) congratulates GJCTC Executive Director John Augustine during the January 23 check presentation session.

Pennsylvania, like other states, wants to develop aviation hubs to serve the workforce needs of the growing uncrewed, airline and business aviation industries. The Pennsylvania program is driven by Aerium, a philanthropic 501(c)(3) organization established to be a catalyst for change in the aviation sector, focusing on education, workforce development, and creating career opportunities for students in Pennsylvania.

Aerium began as an initiative in the Southern Alleghenies region, uniting aerospace businesses, postsecondary institutions, elected officials, and economic and workforce development leaders to develop an ecosystem of innovation and workforce advancement. During its first statewide summits in 2023 and 2024, feedback from hundreds of key stakeholder attendees – educators, students, parents, business, higher education, government, and military – made it clear that Aerium’s success in the Johnstown area needed to be replicated in regions statewide to help meet the unprecedented aviation job demand and grow Pennsylvania’s aerospace economic footprint. It also provided a model for future industry workforce development; one that starts when kids begin exploring careers, which, according to school counselors, starts in kindergarten, and guides them through to their careers.

What’s Happening in Johnstown and Lehigh Valley

As part of its mission to drive workforce development and prepare students for careers in aviation and drone technology, Aerium donated $50,000 to the Greater Johnstown Career and Technical Center (CTC) and provided its aviation program with new equipment, training and scholarship funds. The donation represents a significant investment in regional students and toward the larger statewide goal of transforming the aviation education pipeline in Pennsylvania. The official check presentation took place on January 23 at GJCTC, when state and local leaders, educators, and students gathered to celebrate the launch of this public-private partnership committed to ensuring student achievement in career and technical education and to leading students and graduates to high-skill, high-wage employment.

Aerium donated $50,000 to the Greater Johnstown Career and Technical Center (CTC) and provided its aviation program with new equipment, training and scholarship funds.

“Today’s investment is about much more than equipment—it’s about laying the groundwork for Pennsylvania’s future as a national leader in aviation and drone technology,” said Aerium Chair Dr. Larry J. Nulton, the guiding force behind the initiative. “By providing students with access to cutting-edge tools and industry-relevant training, we’re not just preparing them for careers—we’re fostering innovation and economic growth for our state.”

Also on hand was Aerium Executive Director Glenn Ponas, who joined the company from this post at the AOPA Foundation’s High School STEM Curriculum, perhaps the most successful aviation career-and-technical-education program in the country. Ponas cited the importance of providing resources such as drones, flight simulators and curriculum but also of fostering career pathways for the future and addressing critical workforce gaps in emerging industries.

Aerium Executive Director Glenn Ponas explains how the GJCTC can play a role in the “hub-and-spoke” model for aviation education in Pennsylvania

“Pennsylvania is diverse in geographic location types, with large rural, urban, and suburban populations,” said Ponas. “So, it’s critically important that Pennsylvania develop a ‘hub-and- spoke’ approach to aviation education that can support diverse regional needs. In the hub model, career and technology centers act as regional ‘hubs’ for accelerated learning with access to advanced technologies and pathways to direct job entry and postsecondary education. Sending schools and districts act as local ‘spokes’ that implement programs that motivate and academically prepare students for success at the regional CTC hubs.”

Aligning with the regional hub-and-spoke model, Aerium’s investment in GJCTC pays dividends to the six school districts – Westmont Hilltop, Conemaugh Township Area, Ferndale, Forest Hills, Richland, and Windber – who can opt to create their own aviation pathway preparation programs to prepare students to attend GJCTC.

The launch concluded with a demonstration of the new equipment in GJCTC’s state-of-the-art simulation lab. Students and educators showcased how the tools will be used to accelerate career preparation, including drone operations, simulator-based flight hours and readiness for FAA knowledge exams.

The GJCTC event is the first of several Aerium donation events across the state. Aerium supports multiple high school aviation programs through its role as an Educational Improvement Organization in the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program. And it continues to work closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Career and Technical Centers across the state to revolutionize aviation CTE education. Recent successes include the statewide adoption of aviation Classification of Instructional Program Codes, Standard Occupation Classification Codes, High Priority Occupation Designation, and reasonable and rigorous teacher CTE certification standards for aviation programs.

“Today’s investment is about much more than equipment—it’s about laying the groundwork for Pennsylvania’s future as a national leader in aviation and drone technology,” said Aerium Chair Dr. Larry J. Nulton

In the Lehigh Valley, economic and workforce development offices, airports and educators created an aviation maintenance education hub by partnering with Aviation Institute of Maintenance.

“Just introducing teachers and students to the airport and the opportunities available for aviation careers was eye opening,” said Velocity R CEO Mark Cronin who headed up the development. “They had no idea these opportunities existed. They had no idea what training was needed to work at an airport, an airline or a maintenance repair and overhaul facility. The introduction to aviation we provided created an entirely new vision for the future of the workforce.”

The program teamed with Commonwealth Airways CEO Jon Potter, which is underwriting the airframe and powerplant instruction as well as planning to hire graduates.

Nationwide Trend

Aerium’s program leverages two national trends – the shift to career and technical education instead of college and state officials identifying aviation and aerospace as growth industries already experiencing workforce shortages.

I first noticed this trend in 2021 when I saw West Virginia developing pilot and aviation maintenance programs with Marshall University and local airports incorporating both pilot and aviation maintenance training. Recently, it expanded its program with satellite pilot training at Greenbrier Airport. Prior to these initiatives, the headlines for the state were about the economic misery as we shifted away from coal and the brain drain as students went out of state for college and never returned. West Virginia was an early adopter of aviation and aerospace development as a gateway to economic development.

Since then, teams in Colorado, Oklahoma, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Washington and Texas have gathered to create regional networks to provide the educational opportunities the industry needs. The Florida Atlantic Workforce Alliance (FAWA) gathered public schools, community colleges and the state’s CareerSource branches in the counties to expand the impact to include such resources as nonprofit STEM education organizations as well as space programs such as the DOD’s Spacebase Academy, a nationwide STEM education program for fifth graders.

One of the greatest needs is determining what workforce needs are as companies from every industry complain about the readiness of the workforce they hire. That was exactly the FAWA focus – aligning efforts to ensure the workforce pipeline meets talent demands in aviation/aerospace, Advanced Manufacturing and IT/Cybersecurity across the region. It invited employers/CEOs, educators, economic development professionals, and community stakeholders to develop the new workforce development initiative.

The lynchpin for changing education was to determine the training businesses along the Atlantic Coast needed so educators could develop the programs for the ultimate workforce readiness. The initiative developed a website for parents and students to explore careers in the focus areas including the pathways and education or training needed to join the workforce. It created a clear line of site from first interest to career.

Through the program Vero Beach-based Piper Aircraft developed a workforce training program in advanced manufacturing for unskilled workers, expanding the pipeline for its aviation manufacturing. Training and Development Manager Al Guzman discussed the benefits of hiring unskilled workers and paying them while they train, saying it delivers employee loyalty and dedication.

One of the problems identified by many of these initiatives is the lack of participation by aviation and aerospace companies. The Greater Johnstown initiative has aerospace companies and airports on board as does the Lehigh Valley initiative.

While Boeing developed its own curriculum – CorePlus – in Washington State and RTX works with the Boys and Girls Clubs of North America, they are the exception not the rule. When asked why the national aviation associations don’t create pipeline partnerships, the groups say they are working on their own pipelines. But when they do combine to support educational efforts, they are powerful as exemplified by the doubling of FAA’s Workforce Development Grants in the latest FAA reauthorization legislation.

At the launch of FAWA’s website, both Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin said their solutions to workforce included upskilling and reskilling. But the vast majority of hiring, observers say, is poaching each other’s employees. This does nothing to develop a new pipeline for future employees which is what these state-wide initiatives are designed to do.

There is also a general recognition that the industry is failing to promote its careers as evidenced by how far behind it is from other industries who have longed tapped the CTE route. I covered this in an article of the American School Counselor’s Association conference. The latest Aviation Technician Education Council’s pipeline report showed we are not filling and the seats available for Airframe & Powerplant training reflecting this failure.

State and local economic and workforce development efforts are changing the game for aviation and aerospace companies. We just need those companies to help expand the K-Career pipeline to solve the industry’s workforce shortages once and for all.

Analysis: We Are Looking at DEI All Wrong

By Kathryn B. Creedy

Many think the anti-DEI activists in ascendency and wreaking havoc in Washington don’t understand diversity, equity and inclusion and are fighting against the tide of practical solutions put in place at companies to address growing workforce shortages. What is sad with the first week of the new administration is the fact that it just made hiring and the desire to work for the government, already struggling to compete against the private sector for employees, that much harder.

The original intent of DEI, which dates back to the nineteen teens, has been distorted so those opposing it really don’t understand it.

“What we mean with DEI is diversity of thought,” said Ivon Aheart who works in the Airlines for America General Counsel office but who was speaking as a private person. “A lot of the myths surrounding DEI is related to race, but it is not just about race. It is about including everyone whether they are facing ageism or whether they are women, the disabled or any other thing that makes them different. It doesn’t have a thing to do with race. It’s about including everyone and doing what is right in terms of benefits and working conditions that benefit the entire workforce.”

Aheart describes DEI as a potluck. “It’s about inviting everyone,” she explained. “It’s about inviting them to bring a dish that might not be liked by everyone, but you must make sure it has fair placement on the table. What we are actually trying to do is turn the tide on how we look at employee programs”

The conversation with Aheart was part of a webinar hosted by Dana Kirchmar’s Ellevate Executive Exchange, a monthly meeting of aviation executives who are tackling some of the industry’s most intractable problems. Recently, the Ellevate Executive Exchange meetings have been about culture, something the Congressionally mandated Women in Aviation Advisory Board identified as a key problem in attracting and retaining a diverse workforce and why that is important.”

Aheart and others on the call acknowledged aviation and aerospace are white male dominated industries. “What is happening today with the attempts to repeal DEI initiatives is designed to halt the progress we’ve made over the past 50 years,” she explained. “But when people understand how many people are actually affected by these programs, they realize their importance. We are not just talking about black and brown people. We are talking about the 60-year-old white man who is about to be laid off because of ageism. We are talking about the disabled, the neurodiverse. There are a lot of other constituencies represented by diversity, equity and inclusion.”

This tallies with recent articles from HR professionals who say they are shifting from DEI to trying to make everyone on the job feel comfortable. But that is easier said than done given the biases already existing in the workforce that we must address.

“The reality is that we don’t live in a society in which identity doesn’t matter — and people with some identities are more likely to be disadvantaged than those with others,” wrote Columnist Perry Bacon in The Washington Post. “There are numerous studies showing unconscious bias that results in employers being less likely to interview someone with a name identified with African Americans for a job. Women on average are paid less than men in part because they are less likely to be chosen for management positions. Because of historic discrimination, African and Native Americans whose families have lived in the United States for generations tend to have less wealth than their White counterparts. Transgender people and Muslims often face direct bigotry.”

My take on the anti-DEI movement is they are false prophets. They want a meritocracy but we’ve never had that. Indeed, they have never been judged on their merit. Trying to build one now is not what they intend. If they wanted a meritocracy they’d be fighting for equal opportunity which meets Aheart’s description of DEI as bringing everyone to the table and treating them fairly.

It’s Not About Race

Aheart said it is a mistake to focus on race or any single issue making an employee different, pointing out old ways of recruiting and retaining employees will no longer work as the workforce itself changes. Within the next 20 years, white men will be in the minority.

“What we are trying to say is you can hire someone different, but they bring a diversity of thought and that is important, too,” Aheart said. “What we are trying to do is change the culture to support this diversity of thought and processes because they are important to innovation and success. If you support diversity of thought that means DEI is important to you and to your business. The workforce is changing and adapting and companies must change and adapt. So, diverse employees and employee resource groups are what is changing companies internally, changing the culture. We can’t go back because the workforce and families are more multicultural today.”

While the headlines are about Meta, Amazon, Target and other corporations pulling back from DEI initiatives, there are many other companies sticking with it because it is important to them.

“It’s not about DEI but about the principles that support all employees,” Aheart said, citing Costco, Starbucks and others. “They are finding different ways to communicate that support. They are rearranging where they display LGBTQ+ information and products but retaining their commitment to inclusion.

“When Costco rolled out its position on diversity, it simply said, ‘we are doing this because it has made us more successful,” she continued. “They didn’t change what they believed. They just pointed out they were not changing the policy. ‘This is what we have always done because it works for us,’ and that was the end of the discussion.”

There is a lot of cover in saying this works for the bottom line. Costco was just reminding us that study after study – from the World Economic Forum to Harvard Business Review – shows diversity is good for the bottom line. The companies who are pulling back because of political winds are ignoring those same studies and are clearly jeopardizing their success.

What About Female Dominated Industries?

An interesting part of the discussion arose when Pro Star Aviation Director of Sales and Marketing Jeff Shaw noted that while aviation may be white male dominated today, other industries have an opposite domination. He noted teaching and nursing are very female dominated. Decades ago, administrators were men and women were the teachers. Today, women are both and dominate the workforce.

Aheart translated that to aviation where flight attendants are mostly women. “We made a concerted effort to recruit and retain male flight attendants,” she said of industry efforts to diversify the cabin environment. “We addressed the uniforms, the training. We reached out to inner cities and recruited at colleges specifically targeting men. We added additional benefits and pay so the profession was equitable for everyone not just a select group.”

She also described many of the problems associated with an industry dominated by one gender or another as an economic issue. “How do you attract more men to teaching,” she asked. “You raise the pay to get more.”

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal agreed that if we want to diversify the teaching profession we must pay more. The argument was not only to recruit men, but to help boys with male role models.

The article and Aheart’s statement, of course, is an indictment of the male dominated system itself in which “women’s” jobs are not valued as highly which is reflected in pay and why we still don’t have equal pay. Advocates call these positions female ghettos and include high-ranking and visible C-Suite executives such as HR and Communications. A true test of progress, they say, will come when women are elevated to operational and revenue producing positions.

To that end Aheart pointed to the ascendancy of Joanna Geraghty as CEO of JetBlue, noting airlines are hiring from within and Garaghty rose through the ranks, putting in the hard work to do so, and ultimately becoming CEO. In addition, American has many women executives in operational and revenue positions positions including Evita Garces, vice president line maintenance and Jessica Tyler, president-cargo and vice president operations innovation & delivery. Delta has Michelle Horn, SVP & chief strategy officer and Alicia Tillman, Chief Marketing Officer. A list of women executives in aviation, aerospace and defense can be found here.

Raising pay and benefits to attract and retain more male flight attendants sends the message and it was okay to underpay and under-benefit female flight attendants, teachers, nurses. The idea for the shift at airlines to recruiting males, however, was to benefit everyone which was successful even if it represented a back-handed complement.

Years ago, I wrote a two-part series on what women pilots were seeking in terms of equity. A point those I interviewed made was the accommodations they were requesting were not just for women pilots but would benefit male pilots, too. “It’s counterproductive to ask for special treatment, based on gender,” they told me. “We don’t want special treatment we want the same for everyone.”

How Airlines, Unions Hurt Women Pilot Recruitment & Retention – Part I

How Airlines, Unions Hurt Women Pilot Recruitment & Retention – Part II

ALPA had opposed any changes to work rules seeing it as a women’s issue while women saw it the way Aheart sees it – as a fairness issue. Similarly, in surveys men agree that the cultural bias we experience is a woman’s problem and they have no role in fixing it. But women did not form the current culture, men did. Even so, our male colleagues are telling women they are expected to solve the disconnect between treatment, pay and equity. That makes no sense.

What ALPA failed to take into consideration was the workforce was rapidly changing to put higher value on work/life balance than on pay. ALPA surveyed its members and found all pilots favored the work rule changes. Its representative ran up to me at a conference and excitedly told me about the change.

“So,” I told him, “let me get this straight. Now that men have given you permission to change the work rules women pilots have been seeking for decades, you are going to make changes?”

Photo Credit: Detroit Free Press — Michigan Reclaims Rosie the Riveter Record

While he insisted that is not how it was, it was clear ALPA was saying women pilots didn’t matter. Only male pilots mattered and now that male pilots wanted to the same accommodations, it would act. What is interesting is that work rule changes were touted in all the latest contracts but not one company or union has defined those changes.

So, we must address culture to create one that invites everyone under the tent and makes them comfortable. It is not what aviation has today but if we ignore the politics and restore the true meaning of DEI – diversity of thought and experience – we will be better for it. Still, we cannot ignore the imbalances Perry Bacon pointed out in The Washington Post because they exist because of the culture and business practices that have been in place for centuries.

—30—

DEI Cannot Fail

By Kathryn B. Creedy

I was honored to give the commencement address for the 99th Squadron and, as we recover from the election, I believe we must realize DEI cannot fail. Too much is on our side. I hope you’ll spread the message far and wide.

Key Takeaways:
Here’s what we need to know today, right now. Diversity, equity ad inclusion are important to nearly 80% of Americans. You cannot turn back that tide.

You must also know, right now, today, the fact remains study after study shows diversity – reflecting society in your workforce and culture – is key to company success. Selfishly, at the very least, it is for our own good. Socially, it is the right thing to do.

If those who oppose Affirmative Action really cared about being judged on merit, they would be fighting tooth an nail for Equal Opportunity. They are working to make their companies and our country to fail.

Recently, I was given the honor of addressing the commencement of the 99^th Squadron, a group of 11 kids graduating from its youth ground school; kids who will go on to make a difference the aviation/aerospace industry simply by their presence. The commencement honored Flight Officer Daniel Keel, who at 102, is a veteran of Tuskegee Airmen, 477th Bombardment Group (45-G-TE), who was guest of honor.

The Daniel Keel Cohort of the 99th Squadron. The class include one girl — Ava Hernandez — front row right.

It was the fifth cohort to for the youth ground school program at the 99th Squadron which has touched the lives of 42 since lauching in 2020.

As we recover from the national election, I thought my commencement message should be spread beyond my small community here on the Space Coast of Florida.

That message is DEI will not fail simply because demographics and society are on our side and the workforce is where we will make a difference.

As I looked out on the small class, a miniscule drop in a vast ocean of what must be accomplished, it gave me hope for the future because I know it will have a mighty impact. This class, and others like it, is the leading edge of change that has long been overdue in this industry.

I’ve become an expert on workforce issues in the last decade, having reported on the workforce shortages and the challenges for corporate America why we have failed to populate our companies and production lines after 30 years of investment and trying. I’ve also covered the shift from college to trade schools and the changes to higher education demanded by industry. Finally, there is the impact of millennials, Gen Z and, now, Alpha, in the workplace and the shift to a more inclusive industry. We are decidedly not there yet but these young people will be part of it.

The generations that came along since the millennials get a bad rap for what they don’t know about how to be on the job but I don’t buy it. What I hear from employers about the lack of discipline in Gen Z and beyond, I see as their failure in training. I see what I call “Millennials +” as forcing change – changes to the work rules, changes in diversity, changes in society – that we have long needed, and which have been beyond our grasp since I entered the workforce.

The Daniel Keel Cohort with members of the previous four cohorts.

At the commencement, I spoke about navigating a future that has become oh so much more controversial than it was even a decade ago. I also played the race card – talking about diversity, equity and inclusion as it should be discussed because I expect it to shadow us for a long time.

Many Hands

99^th Squadron is not alone in its efforts to diversify aviation and offer opportunities to folks who don’t think about piloting or other STEM careers. The many, many programs that aim to change our culture is what excites me about the future. Former American CEO Doug Parker formed Breaking Down Barriers in Dallas to engage with underrepresented communities to let them explore aviation opportunities. Students must pay any help they get forward by going back into their schools and community to help others to follow a path to aviation. Among the many similar organizations are Avion Aerostar Institute in Chicago and Infinity Aero Club in Tampa. There is also Fly for the Culture, Fly Compton, Tuskegee Next and Tuskegee University’s new aviation program, the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals and Black Pilots of America, who are leading the charge. Don’t forget Sisters of the Skies and Female Aviators Sticking Together among the many organizations representing women.

99th Squadron Leader Ramone Hemphill with Tuskegee Airman Daniel Keel and his daughter

These organizations and many others are not waiting for government because we now it is too dysfunctional. They have their own agency which keeps them focused on their mission of providing opportunities for underrepresented youth.

In short, their young charges are part of a movement just as it is a movement for women and minorities at the dawn of Affirmative Action. But because we are tilting at an entrenched culture, we must have a toolkit to help us fight the good fight.

The Culture

The Congressionally mandated Women in Aviation Advisory Board cited culture as the number one problem for attracting and retaining women in aviation. And, if it true for women, it is also true for other minorities because it is the same culture.

I came to this speech after 40 years as an aviation journalist at the leading edge of the massive influx of women in the workforce. So, my reflections are the experience of a woman who faced the same culture these young people do, a culture of white male dominance. It is sad, but true, that dominance now how power. If you have an appreciation for history, you know the story line that women were given the vote, that women were given their place in the workforce, management ranks and the C-Suite.

And here’s my first lesson.

We were not given anything. We earned it.

The ceremony was attended by local Tuskegee Airmen and others working to bring underrepresnted communities into aviation and aerospace.

Programs such as the 99^th Squadron only revealed the possibility of a future these youngsters may not have otherwise thought of. When they took that first step with the squadron, they earned their place in aviation. And they’ll keep on earning it with every rung up the ladder.

Talking Nasty

My speech also covered the nasty neanderthals I’ve met along the way – the ones who shout, argue, put people down and fight for the status quo. A lot of them are pilots. Know this, I told graduates, they are small, pathetic, insecure little people who don’t have any confidence they deserve to be where they are, and they’ll try to take it out on you. In fact, their actions actually constitute a huge threat to improving aviation safety because they reject the basic tenants of crew resource management.

Yes, this isn’t some feel-good movement. This is about aviation safety. Full stop.

I’ve faced a lot of them in my career and, of course, my first reaction was, what is wrong with me. It – whatever it was – was my fault. But if we remember they are tiny, pathetic and insecure it will help us know that it’s them not us. That’s important to know. When we face such adversity, question everything. Is it them not you? If there is truth in what they say, learn from it. If not, know you will follow your own path…and succeed. There’s a lot of grit to be gained from adversity.

Diversity

Here’s what we need to know today, right now. Diversity and inclusion are important to nearly 80% of Americans. You cannot turn back that tide.

Genesis Santana and Laura Pentoja, aviation maintenance graduates of Aviation High School, Queens, NY

You know the stats. About 6% of pilots are women. Blacks make up, what 3.4%? The record is more dismal of AMTs. As for the C-Suite, women only account for 15% but what is it if you don’t count the female ghettos of human resources and public/government/communications relations?

But really it is not just about pilots. It’s about the entire aviation/aerospace workforce whether they sit in front of a computer or behind a wrench.

Giving DEI a Bad Name

DEI has been recast as bad by those who want to keep the status quo in the name of “fairness” to be judged on their “merit.” They think Affirmative Action is unfair and got the Supreme Court to agree. Never mind the unfairness of the last 500 years. That doesn’t count to them.

I reject the rebranding of DEI as bad, out of hand and proudly use diversity, equity and inclusion when discussing changing the culture and the workplace. The mission does not need rebranding, as HR professionals suggest as they pull back from their promises to the Black Lives Matter movement, to satisfy a tiny fraction of people who think Affirmative Action is unfair.

You must also know, right now, today, the fact remains study after study shows diversity – reflecting society in your workforce and culture – is key to company success. Selfishly, at the very least, it is for our own good. Socially, it is the right thing to do.

So, turn that argument about fairness from those who oppose Affirmative Action on its head and you’ll understand how laughable it really is. People who fight diversity are saying they don’t want their company or country to succeed.

When I see pushback on DEI, I double down. I challenge opponents to really describe how unfair affirmative action is. They won’t or, as I suspect, they can’t. If they really wanted to talk about fairness and merit, they would be fighting tooth and nail for equal opportunity. Only when we have equal opportunity can they be judged on merit. Otherwise, they are just continuing to ride on the advantages of being white and male. That’s not being judged on merit at all. This is not a zero-sum game. Affording equal opportunity does not mean someone else loses. It means we will get better, lead more enriched lives, and be more successful.

We are not asking for special treatment. Special treatment is, in fact, counterproductive for the cause. We are asking for equal treatment and there is nothing wrong with that because that’s what those who oppose us say they want. Well, let’s give it to them by demanding equal opportunity.

Demographics Are in Our Favor

Here’s where demographics come in. The reality is that we do not have enough white males to go around anymore and we cannot automate our way through our workforce shortages. We MUST widen the aperture of our pipeline to include those who never thought of aviation as a career option if they thought about aviation at all. Otherwise, this industry will fail. This was my second lesson.

These young people are critically important to the success of aviation and aerospace.

The pilot shortage coupled with the pandemic taught us one thing. Airlines cannot grow without a workforce to support its operations whether that workforce is on the flight deck, the maintenance bay or the C-Suite. So, increasing the pilot population is critical to the growth of the industry and those who don’t want to see change don’t want to see their companies or our country succeed. Simple as that. That’s the big picture.

Without these young people, and those like them, we fail.

Luxury of a Well-Lived Career

I post a lot on LinkedIn and I hope you’ll follow me because I have the luxury to say what others can’t. For my readers, I call it lurk and learn. A lot my posts are on aviation’s culture and building the aviation/aerospace workforce and I must be doing something right because I’ve organically a following of thousands and I constantly get notifications say my posts reach in the tens of thousands. I started by fighting the 1500-hour rule which was specifically designed to create a pilot shortage and was, in fact, counterproductive to safety but that’s another story. I’d get a lot of pilots attacking me because I was challenging the union line.

But they were shooting the messenger because I was using arguments against the rule put forth by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Flight Safety Foundation, the Royal Aeronautical Society and indeed other senior pilots who knew the 1500-hour rule was specifically to cause a pilot shortage. In other words, I did my homework, and I did not listen to unions or airlines because I was suspicious of their agendas.

So, when I was attacked personally, I knew they didn’t really care about safety, and I said so. When they refused to engage intellectually, argue on the merits of the issue, I developed a comeback that has helped me navigate this world because our society and our politics.

“I know I’m dealing with a towering intellect when all you can do is personally attack me rather than debating me on the facts.” I’ve found it pretty useful. It shut a lot of them up, but it converted a lot more because they actually cared about aviation safety and realized they were listening to safety experts through my loudspeaker.

Mae Jemison, first African American woman to travel in space, 1992

Perhaps you are not at a place where you can actually say it out loud, but even if you only say it to yourself it helps to put their comments into context with reality.

Aviation/Aerospace: A Great Career on the Cusp of Being Made Better

As I said, these young people are the hope for the future. With them, and their Millennial + counterparts, they will be pushing the boundaries of workforce policies to recognize workers are not cogs in a wheel but humans whose personal life success must equal that of what they contribute to a company. They will be forming a much healthier work-life environment.

I ended my speech with concrete advice on the road to success including the importance of networking and the fact they are already full-fledged members of the aviation industry by taking that first step to take their wings. I also discussed building bridges within the company and finding allies who are not afraid to speak out at neanderthal comments because they know it hurts the team. Thank you for that, Lane Wallace.

I spoke about the importance of paying it forward and, politics aside, the worst thing that has happened to society in my lifetime is the Me Generation. Never let it be all about you, I told them. It’s not how I was raised but is how society is now. As you rise through your career and in life, take every opportunity to reach back and bring someone else along. All you need is the Golden Rule.

Don’t let them isolate you, I told them. When something happens, companies and societies turn it on you – blame you, say you are the only one experiencing whatever it is. Find your tribe and examine what is happening to you within that context. Those who would stop us, start by isolating us, gaslighting us into questioning our beliefs. A tribe will help us find the truth and what it means to our circumstances.

And, I told them to have a plan B because they will have at least four furlough-inducing events during their piloting career – once a decade before 2000. Since 2000 we’ve had four – dot.com bust, 9/11, Great Recession and Covid. What’s your plan B, I asked.

So, what if you wash out. What if you lose your medical? There’s a lot beyond your control and the system is corrupt. Commercial piloting is not for everyone. My criticism of flight schools is they just let you go instead of walking you across the field and introducing you to their network of flight dispatchers, air traffic controllers or other professions. If they won’t do it, I said, you walk across the field and explore other aviation careers. Even if you start as a gate agent or ramp rat you can rise through the ranks. Just know whatever you do, there’s a place for you in aviation and thousands of careers.

I concluded with the two inspirations that have guided me my entire life.

First: You learn more from those who challenge you than all those who pat you on the back combined. Don’t take it personally. Examine it for truth. Learn from it. Evolve and be better.

I’ve faced some tough times in my career and, if I’ve learned anything, it is this:

When you have come to the edge of all the light you know and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, know one of two things will happen. There will be something solid on which to stand…or you will be taught to fly. — O.R. Melling, The Summer King.

I’ve earned my metaphorical wings and so will that.