Careers

Swarm intelligence, or swarm theory, refers to decentralized, self-organizing systems, such as flocks of birds, whose actions “enable relatively simple individual entities to produce complex behavior when operating with other simple entities,” says Michael Campobasso, CEO of Embedded Control Designs (ECD). The field is quickly moving from theory to practice as specialists like Campobasso seek […]

To say that Patrick Abel is ambitious would be an understatement. At a time when general aviation is trying to attract a new generation of pilots, Patrick’s story is refreshing and inspiring, if not proof to young people everywhere that this is an industry with vast, endless potential and possibilities. Currently a high school senior, […]

While we don’t have hard figures on their ranks or the number of jobs that exist, demand for aerial firefighter pilots is increasing, industry experts say. “There are opportunities, but it’s not very well-organized,” says Dean Talley, an air tanker captain and board member of the Associated Aerial Firefighters. In fact, operators “are having a […]

Today’s airborne law enforcement (ALE) pilots perform more than police work. At the California Highway Patrol (CHP), law enforcement is halfway down the list of aircrews’ seven missions, superseded by emergency response, homeland security and rural roadway patrol. “All these missions are about public service,” says Lt. Mike Sedam, commander of CHP’s Office of Air […]

No realm of piloting provides more career opportunities than government, or public service, flying. The Armed Forces, federal agencies, state aeronautics divisions and aviation departments, and county and municipal authorities employ pilots to operate what is by all accounts the world’s largest fleet of fixed- and rotor-wing aircraft and remotely piloted aerial vehicles. The numbers […]

With the first mission to bring material from the asteroid belt back to Earth underway, the longtime science-fiction staple of commercial asteroid prospecting and mining has put its “now hiring” sign out for tomorrow’s industry professionals, including those with “a solid background in orbital mechanics, asteroid astronomy, chemical engineering and patience,” says Dante Lauretta, of […]

Opportunities for advancement in aviation and aerospace aren’t only for those within the industry, says executive recruiter Rod McDermott, whose firm is searching for professionals from unrelated fields interested in aviation and ready for a career change. “We have so many people passionate about aviation who make their living doing something else, and we want […]

The salary and advancement opportunities are excellent, but what draws many FAA air traffic control specialists to their work is a passion for aviation, service and safety. “This is a career, not a job,” says Ian Lewis, a specialist at Southern California Tracon (terminal radar approach control) in San Diego. “When we walk through an […]

Young people looking for a valuable professional development experience should take a close look at the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Young Aviation Professionals program. Selected participants could be offered a 12-month long opportunity to contribute to one or more of ICAO’s strategic objectives under the watchful eye of a subject-matter expert at the organization’s headquarters […]

The pilot shortage we’ve all been told would materialize any day? It’s finally a reality. Don’t believe it? Just look at Horizon Air, which canceled hundreds of flights this summer because it couldn’t find qualified pilots to fly its Q400 turboprops. Or SkyWest, whose CEO recently warned Congress not of a looming pilot shortage but […]