‘NOT A BETTER TIME TO GET INTO AVIATION’

ENROLLMENT UP AT MANY AVIATION COLLEGES

December 11, 2017 By David Tulis

Enrollment at aviation colleges and universities is on the rise, and the trend signals the beginning of a long-awaited boost in the number of young people pursuing aviation careers, according to educators at major aviation institutions and industry professionals.

They noted that lucrative careers in medicine, law, or business had previously drained potential pilots, mechanics, and others from their roll books before recent improvements in financial compensation and job guarantees made aviation more attractive to young people.

“And then, maybe you’d get a job as a regional airline pilot and maybe eventually you would go to a major airline.” He added that the national demand for more commercial airline pilots, a pay increase, and a quicker return on investment were “contributing factors” to the enrollment increase.

Envoy Air Senior Vice President for Air Operations Dee Temples told a November gathering of aviation educators that there was “no better time to become a pilot.” The largest regional carrier for American Airlines provides pilots with a pathway to a major airline job.

Other regional air carriers and some aviation schools are linked to similar pilot pathways at major air carriers including Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and more.

The college enrollment increase has already led to economic growth and additional aviation jobs.

“We experienced significantly increased enrollments beginning in 2013, going from less than 100 students in our academic aviation majors to more than 260 this academic year,” said Seth Young, director of the Columbus-based aviation program.

Liberty University Aeronautics Dean Jim Molloy told AOPA that the aviation program had about an 8-percent increase over 2016 in new students majoring in aeronautics at the Lynchburg, Virginia-based facility.

University of North Dakota aviation program director Ken Polovitz told AOPA the institution “absolutely” fielded a significant increase in 2017’s incoming class.

An example of new aviation opportunities for students recently surfaced when the Grand Forks-based university inked a deal with U.S

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In the City of Montreal the Academy of Aeronautics noticed a sharp increase in increase in the number of enrollment in the PROFESSIONAL PILOT PROGRAM and the percentage of girls enrolled reached 11.8% the highest for 2018. This information was cited in the Canadian Press.