Thursday, August 24, 2017

Punta Gorda, Florida: Program hopes to combat pilot shortage



PUNTA GORDA, Florida  -  New aviation training has landed in Punta Gorda, while the United States continues to see a drop in commercial airline pilots. 

The program through Western Michigan University is located on the Florida Southwestern State College campus on Airport Road. It features a brand new flight simulator identical to the front of a commercial airplane. 

Advanced technology like this is being used to attract a new generation of commercial pilots. Boeing, a leader in the airline manufacturing industry, predicted that the United States would see a shortage of 617,000 commercial pilots by 2035. 

"There's a huge need to fill that gap, and so there's going to be a big hiring boom probably for the next 10-15 years," said Nicole Johnson, a WMU recruitment manager. 

James Parish, Charlotte County Airport Authority CEO, said the commercial airline industry is losing many pilots due to retirement. 

"The Federal government increased the pilot retirement age to 65 a few years ago. That group of pilots is about to time out," he said. 

WMU is still taking applications from anyone in Southwest Florida who is interested in taking its four-year Bachelor of Arts aviation program.

Story and video ➤ http://www.nbc-2.com

1 comment:


  1. Big hiring...huge hiring, we'll pay you pennies on the dollar for your efforts to be a commercial pilot. Step right up, don't be shy, you can do this.

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