Professional Pilot, October 2017

members to become passionate advocates themselves How do we accomplish this Just substitute the words Texas Jet employee for Texas Jet customer in the 6 principles I listed here Dan Wolfe AVP GM Captain Nationwide Aviation Business Center The survival of the business aviation talent pool depends on industry leadership mentoring Over the past 2 years business and corporate aviation have been hit on all fronts from the ongoing ATC privatization issue to the chronic slow growth in business aviation to seeing our highly trained pilot and mechanic talent being targeted for service in the airlines As we push through the pilot and mechanic shortage crisis it is important to continue to focus our efforts on educating young people on the value of business aviation As NBAAs Business Aviation Management Committee BAMC Professional Development Subcommittee chairman I have been working diligently with committee colleagues and my flight department to address the issue The Professional Development Subcommittee focuses primarily on scholarships internships and mentoring As a group we facilitate the BAMC Leadership Conference scholarship by raising funds and scoring applicants This scholarship provides financial support for motivated individuals to attend the annual NBAA Leadership Conference Participation in this conference is important because it provides both business aviation professionals and up and coming hopefuls the motivation and tools they need to play a strategic role in our industry In addition to educating prospective leaders we must inform the business aviation community So alongside industry professionals we put together The NBAA Internship and Career Guide with step by step instructions on how to lay the foundation for a sustainable business aviation internship program Internship programs are crucial to widening the aperture on the sheer number of young people we can reach from just a few rising stars at a conference to an industry wide effort Here we have the ability to educate young professionals assist them in developing a career path and allow them to network with industry professionals Its a win win for everyone as we can bring value to the company through hard work and sharp knowledge At Nationwide we have had our Maintenance and Flight Operations Internship Program for several years and the benefits are remarkable for both the student and our company We have hired 2 pilots that have participated in a formal business aviation internship program The knowledge skill and most importantly the passion that they bring to the table is astounding However the most important responsibility within our committee is mentoring I along with many of my staff members have personally mentored students from most of the universities within the state of Ohio Additionally Ive been a guest speaker in their classes from time to time During these visits I can quickly pick out those that show a strong passion for business aviation It is important 26 PROFESSIONAL PILOT October 2017 NBAA COO Steve Brown hosts Careers in Business Aviation Day at NBAA 2016 For more info go to www nbaa org prodev yopro or tweet NBAAYoPro to promote Young Professionals in Business Aviation to take these aspiring students under our wing and allow them to feed their passion Today many aviation focused universities have aligned themselves with regional airlines through fully established bridge programs These allow their students to join the company as soon as they hit the airlines minimum requirements The energy around airline hiring due to the lack of experienced aviators has almost closed down business aviation as an option in young aviators minds As we see an increasing trend of pilots being pulled to the regionals and majors it is important to stay true to our passion for business aviation and share it with others Ad hoc efforts are no longer enough we need a broader and more organized approach where we can all contribute As a leader in business aviation it is time for you to take the reins and become a mentor We have to inspire support and develop our future industry leaders in a more thoughtful way Mentoring students at the elementary level will introduce young folks to aviation as a whole As they move into middle and high school the education piece can begin to be more oriented towards business aviation And its important to energize them by showing what we do bring them out to our hangars industry nights and conferences Guide support and develop them with opportunities such as scholarships internships and networking with industry leaders Encourage them to respond to these opportunities all along the way If there ever was a need for leadership within business aviation the time is now Effective business aviation leaders already know what a great industry we have But part of our responsibility is making sure we leave it better than we found it The old adage that you should always be training your replacement could never be more true for business aviation So please take a moment to visit NBAAs websites for the numerous tools it has made available to its members BAMC is available to members for any questions that they may have regarding internship programs and scholarships as well as many other topics pertaining to business aviation Please feel free to contact us at internships@ nbaa org with questions Join me business aviation leaders and do your part I hope to see you February 26 28 2018 at NBAAs Leadership Conference in San Diego CA