Or 'Where Are All The 20-Something, Co-Ed's Hanging?'

By Tom Woodward

If you hate crowds one of the places you want to avoid is College Park. Housed in a large tent sponsored by American Airlines are a number of Aviation oriented colleges offering aviation degrees of one type or another. Want to be an airport planner, developer, dispatcher or pilot then investigate the various universities around the country who are recruiting for their programs.

Just beyond, both in terms of direction and career expectations, in the next room are several recruiters for both regional and major airlines who understand that the pilot shortage is coming. Those of us in the airline business have heard this for years even though pilots lingered at the bottom of the seniority list for decades. With the finalization of the FAA's requirement for an ATP to fly for a Pt 121 carrier, the airlines though late to the show, have finally realized the need for pre-emptive recruitment, despite years of terrible loads resulting in loss of ASM, laid off employees (especially pilots), and great financial losses.

Captain Bart Roberts, Chief Pilot-Line Operations and William M. Cavitt, Vice President Engineering for American Airlines told me that American was finally willing to invest the money in future recruitment even though at this current date AA is not hiring. However Alaskan, the only other major airline represented, is hiring as well as all of the regionals in attendance. American Eagle, SkyWest, and Air Wisconsin are just a few looking for a few good men and women.

Not only is attrition and age reducing the pilot population but foreign carriers in the Middle East, Africa and Asia are paying more than domestic US airline, with some salaries above $200,000 for experienced pilots and therefore the trickle down opportunities will soon materialize.

If you are a 20 or 30 something, aspiring airline pilot you need to go see what College Park can do for you.

FMI: www.airventure.org/news/2013/130613_eiz-college-park-set-to-debut.html