AVIATION CAREER UPDATE – August 24, 2011

By Gene Benson

The aviation industry, along with just about everyone else, is trying to figure out what the economy has in store for us. Six months ago things were looking pretty good as far as an upswing of hiring. That curve has leveled off as a result of uncertainty and increasing likelihood of a second recession. Aviation companies from major airlines to local FBOs are nervous about adding staff when they don't know where we are headed. Unfortunately, the uncertainty is largely a result of a lack of leadership in Washington and that won't change before January of 2012 at the earliest.

So that's the bad news but there is also good news. The projected shortage of aviation professionals is still there and is increasing almost daily. The existing workforce gets older and nearer to retirement by the day. Pilots have mandatory retirement but maintenance technicians and other non-flight personnel do not. The poor economy will cause some people to keep working beyond their planned retirement, but by only a few years. So even without industry growth, the jobs are coming. The big question is when.

So is this a good time to begin training? I wish I had a crystal ball to answer that question. If history repeats itself, this is probably a good time to begin if you haven't already. Hiring cycles in aviation have been notoriously short so it is important to be ready to jump into a job once the hiring begins. Waiting until hiring is booming before beginning training has not historically not worked. The hiring cycle has ended by the time training is completed.

So I guess the best advice I can give right now is to begin training if you haven't already. But I always recommend having a backup plan if things don't work out right away. I also discourage running up a huge debt for training. The jobs might not be waiting on the day you complete your training and even if a job is available, entry level jobs in aviation don't pay very well.