A Positive Outlook for the Aviation Industry

AeroGuard Flight Training Center and Flight Path Vectors recently teamed up to hold a webinar about the aviation industry. The two companies brought together a panel of aviation experts to discuss the industry in a COVID and post-COVID world.

One key topic they touched upon was AeroGuard’s two-year training program. Let’s take a look.

Aviation Bounces Back From Crises

During the talk, speakers were asked to discuss the fact that after every national crisis the demand for pilots increases at a rate a little over 5%. One of the guest speakers, Al Timpauer explained that after each tragedy "[A]irlines started hiring new markets. New travel and the confidence in the market in the airline industry was high and the recovery was fairly brisk.”

If such a trend continues after COVID, the outlook should be a positive one.

Timpauer, Flight Path Vectors speaker and professional pilot, went on to say that each recovery was “.[A] very, very strong return for travel and profitability for the airlines and again we want that profitability because that means jobs for pilots."

Someone Needs to Fly the Planes

When airlines order planes, they naturally expect a return on the investment. Currently, there are a plethora of airplanes on backorder, even with the 5% cancellation at the beginning of the year.

Storing all these aircraft is the same as losing money to an airline. And pilots should be in demand once these aircraft are expected to takeoff to the skies.

According to Eric Noel, the Director of Pilot Development for AeroGuard, the amount of aircrafts that remain scheduled to be produced is approximately 12,000.

He continued, “So, 12,000 airplanes times 10 pilots to fly each one, that's about 120,000 pilots. It's not just about reducing costs by having more efficient aircraft, they also need to grow, so those orders will be to backfill plus add a little bit”.

In addition, a bit over 19,000 commercial airline pilot retirements are set to naturally occur over the next five years.

High Demand for Commercial Airline Pilots Coming Soon?

Given past trends in aviation, bloated backorders, and pending retirements, roughly 150,000 pilots need to enter the field soon to keep up with demand.

Taking this into consideration, Phil Green, Flight Path Vectors speaker, said “This right now is the time for you to build your resume, make yourself marketable, and do the best you can right now because that (hiring) wave is coming fairly soon”.

AeroGuard’s Solution

AeroGuard promises to help address pilot demand by training students to become commercial airline pilots in just two years. They are redoubling efforts to increase pilot turnout for their training programs during COVID via the following methods:

• Adhering to CDC guidelines

• Sanitizing airplanes after each flight

• Mandatory temperature checks before a flight

• Transparent tuition with no surprise fees

• Guaranteed interview fo First Officer position with SkyWest

Students interested in completing the 10-month Pilot Pathway Program to earn 7 FAA certifications and ratings can find out more here. After completing this streamlined process, graduates can become Certified AeroGuard Flight Instructors to work on earning the mandatory 1,500 hours of flight time to become a commercial airplane pilot.

To-date, roughly 6,000 cadets have graduated from the AeroGuard program.