James Wynbrandt

Aircraft designers and aeronautical engineers (the distinction between the two is unimportant within the industry) use cutting-edge materials, systems and processes, along with their ingenuity, to create and improve aerial vehicles. Rob Wolz, director of project engineering for Advanced Aircraft Programs at Gulfstream Aerospace, currently overseeing the G500/600 program; Peter Sturdza, deputy chief engineer at […]

Opportunities for unmanned aircraft system (UAS) pilots are now wide-open under the new FAA small UAS (sUAS) Part 107 rule, which legalizes and regulates these air ops. Drone work in the U.S. film and TV industry has also taken flight recently under the agency’s Section 333 exemption waivers. Meanwhile, demand for experienced commercial and military […]

For many aspiring professional pilots, “becoming an airline captain is the pinnacle of a career,” says Mark Haley, chair of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Education Committee and first officer for a major airline. Small wonder. “You get a window office, you’re flying airplanes and traveling the world,” says professor Martin Rottler, chair of […]

Airport managers oversee all facility activities, from air operations to human resources and administration, in addition to ensuring compliance with TSA and FAA regulations. Jeff Price, a professor in the department of aviation and aerospace science at Colorado’s Metropolitan State University, explained the career path to running an airport. Price also heads Leading Edge Strategies, […]

U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue (SAR) pilots provide assistance to individuals in distress in maritime environments, and also perform drug interdiction and national security missions. The HH-65 Dolphin and MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters are the Coast Guard’s primary Search and Rescue platforms; fixed-wing aircraft are also utilized. Lt. Cmdrs. Mike Baird and Ron Bledsoe, both […]

Aviation Maintenance Technician Aviation maintenance technicians maintain, service, repair and overhaul airframes, power plants, avionics and aircraft instruments. Boeing projects 600,000 AMTs will be needed by the airline industry alone over the next two decades. Some 170 educational institutions offer two-year or four-year training programs qualifying graduates for FAA airframe and power-plant certification, the gateway […]

Director of Aerospace Program Management Directors of aerospace program management lead major product and project-development programs, from satellite and communications systems to aircraft and avionics platforms. They work for aircraft or engine manufacturers, or defense, telecom or other aerospace-related employers. Directors are responsible for developing budgets and timetables and ensuring programs meet both. A bachelor’s […]

Becoming a member of the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, is a dream of many current and aspiring Navy and Marine aviators. Each year, the team selects three pilots for its F/A-18 Hornets, and one Marine Corps C-130 pilot to fly Fat Albert, the team’s Hercules support aircraft. Minimum qualifications: Jet pilots […]

With education costs and career uncertainties being the two major concerns of many aspiring professional pilots, a new partnership between regional airlines, flight schools and university aviation programs addresses both issues in tandem, providing tuition assistance that comes with a guaranteed first officer job. “We’ve never had anything like this program in the industry,” says […]

Pam Choi recalls her answer, soon after graduating from the FAA Academy, when the tower chief asked what best prepared her, a former waitress, to be an air traffic controller (ATC). “I said, ‘I’m guessing ATC is very similar to waiting tables: You’re either very busy or very slow, you have to be polite and […]