In South Florida, local organizations are moving beyond naming the problem to actively building a local and diverse workforce pipeline. Captain Barrington Irving \u2014 the first Black man to fly solo around the world and founder of the Barrington Irving Technical Training School (BITTS) \u2014 identifies two primary hurdles.<\/p>\n
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American Airlines Hangar at Miami International Airport.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(Miami International Airport)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have so many people retiring, and while we are doing better at getting more minorities involved, the bigger challenge is gaining greater attention to the opportunities that are out there and strengthening recruitment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Root causes<\/p>\n
Industry leaders say the shortage stems from structural failures decades in the making.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe air traffic control system has never fully recovered from the 1981 strike,\u201d said Dr. Vena Symonette-Johnson, professor of aviation and safety at Florida Memorial University (FMU) and an alumna who has worked in the industry since 1989, referencing the Reagan-era mass firings.<\/a><\/p>\n FMU staff and alumni in front of the Cessna 172S aircraft with Garmin G1000 cockpits.\u00a0<\/p>\n (Courtesy of FMU Aviation and Safety Department)<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the shortage in pilots has a lot to do with funding,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n More recently, a 43-day federal government shutdown forced 13,000 air traffic controllers to work without pay, leading to burnout and mass sick calls. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed these staffing gaps caused hundreds of daily delays. Mandatory retirement rules have compounded the issue: pilots must retire at 65, and air traffic controllers at 56, with some being eligible earlier based on service years. During the shutdown,CNBC<\/a>reported that retirement rates spiked to 15\u201320 controllers per day, up from the usual four.<\/p>\n Prior to that, the COVID-19 pandemic had already accelerated the crisis. Captain Clayton James, an American Airlines pilot and director of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) Miami ACE Academy, noted that mandatory retirements collided with hiring freezes.<\/p>\n Clayton James, American Airlines pilot and OBAP Miami ACE Academy director.<\/p>\n (Courtesy of OBAP)<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of companies decided to make cuts for their survival. There was no hiring during COVID, but people were still continuing to get older,\u201d James said. \u201cWhat companies are doing now are trying to catch up from that period.\u201d<\/p>\n Training across the entire system<\/p>\n Located adjacent to Opa-locka Executive Airport, FMU offers majors in Aviation Management, Air Traffic Control, and Professional Flight. But Symonette-Johnson says cost remains the primary barrier for aspiring pilots.<\/p>\n \u201cWe graduate about 20 to 25 students per year, and roughly 90% are placed in aviation roles.” -Dr. Vena Symonette-Johnson, FMU<\/p>\n (Amelia Orjuela Da Silva for The Miami Times)<\/p>\n \u201cStudents need money to fly because it’s very expensive. When you get a college degree, that doesn\u2019t account for the flight time. Students need to build hours to fly for an airline, and all those licenses have to be paid for,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n In the U.S., flight training in a basic aircraft like a Cessna 172 can cost<\/a>$150\u2013$200 per hour, with total licensing costs ranging from $8,000 to over $100,000.<\/p>\n To mitigate these barriers, Symonette-Johnson said FMU provides flight training through a partnership with Wayman Aviation Academy and allows students to use university-owned aircraft \u2014 Cessna 172s with Garmin G1000-type cockpits \u2014 at discounted rates. The university\u2019s Air Traffic Control program includes a control tower and simulator lab designed to mirror FAA operations.\u00a0<\/p>\n (L\/R) FMU professor Dr. Vena Symonette-Johnson, aviation student Paladre Johnson, and FMU alumna Gabriella Deza, who is now a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter pilot.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n (Amelia Orjuela Da Silva for The Miami Times)<\/p>\n The department is also pursuing FAA Part 141 certification,<\/a> which would reduce the flight hours required for airline eligibility from 1,500 to 1,000, an adjustment Symonette-Johnson said makes a difference both \u201cfinancially and psychologically.\u201d<\/p>\n Unlike many other countries, the U.S. offers limited public subsidies for training. FMU offsets this through a partnership with University of Miami\u2019s Air Force ROTC. Through this program, students can commission as Air Force officers, and those selected for pilot roles receive fully funded military flight training after graduation. A previous version allowed students to participate for two years and choose whether to commission, a flexibility Symonette-Johnson says significantly expanded access.<\/p>\n FMU Blacks In Aviation Museum.<\/p>\n (Amelia Orjuela Da Silva for The Miami Times)<\/p>\n \u201cI myself was one of those people who were blessed to be on that program, and as a result, the industry saw a lot more pilots,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Additional support in the form of mentorship and scholarships comes from partners like American Airlines, Spirit Airlines,\u00a0Miami International Airport, Fort Lauderdale\u2013Hollywood International Airport, and nonprofits like OBAP.<\/p>\n \u201cWe graduate about 20 to 25 students per year, and roughly 90% are placed in aviation roles,\u201d Symonette-Johnson said.<\/p>\n FMU alumna Gabriella Deza, now a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter pilot, said gaps are also felt in the military, leading to restructured training programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re looking at different programs \u2014 maybe working with the army, shortening our training program, so that when we have people who are interested in helicopters, they start out in helicopters from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n For Paladre Johnson, a current aviation student and intern at Miami International Airport, representation matters.<\/p>\n \u201cAttending an HBCU with access to an aviation program is rare,\u201d he said. \u201cWalking the stage knowing you\u2019re part of such a small percentage of people \u2014 it\u2019s impactful.\u201d<\/p>\n The missing middle<\/p>\n While pilots dominate the headlines, the system also relies heavily on maintenance and repair operations (MRO) and fixed-base operations (FBO). This is where\u00a0BITTS<\/a> focuses its efforts.<\/p>\n First cohort of graduates at BITTS.\u00a0<\/p>\n (Courtesy of BITTS)<\/p>\n \u201cI think so many kids are so focused on a career that they don’t pay attention to the actual industry,\u201d Irving said. \u201cHow does money flow in and out? The different positions, the different ways in which you can grow.\u201d<\/p>\n Irving views BITTS as the capstone of a pipeline that includes his nonprofit, Experience Aviation<\/a>, and his STEM curriculum,Flying Classroom<\/a>. Unlike traditional pathways, BITTS focuses on speed and workforce readiness. Programs run 12 to 16 weeks, providing hands-on technical training and micro-credentials, with the option to pursue further education later.<\/p>\n \u201cA big challenge with aviation is the actual journey,\u201d Irving said. \u201cIt\u2019s not as straightforward as law school or medical school. You\u2019re talking about careers and jobs that most people have never heard of. Navigating our industry can be a challenge, and BITTS helps with that.\u201d<\/p>\n BITTS partners with United Way Miami<\/a>, which provides funding and wraparound services such as stipends, transportation assistance, and r\u00e9sum\u00e9 training. For 25-year-old student Deion Kingcade, the program offers stability often missing in minority communities. Black Americans made up just 3.6% of pilots and flight engineers in 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBecause of the cost and having lack of experience, you have to go through a program that\u2019s partnered with aviation,\u201d he said. \u201cThis right here is a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n The program boasts graduation rates in the high 80s to low 90s, with alumni landing jobs at Miami International Airport and private aviation hubs. Some alumni, including Tremaine Johnson, have returned as instructors.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like this school and training is huge for people that don’t know too much about the industry and want to dive in,\u201d he said. \u201cI was in class, and we learned in depth about marshaling as a skill to signal the planes to make left and right turns and how to park them.\u201d<\/p>\n Irving believes long-term success requires restoring dignity to skilled trades.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first time someone should be able to use a tool shouldn\u2019t be when they\u2019re in high school or college,\u201d he said. “We\u2019ve abandoned embracing the idea that there is dignity in skilled trades. Yes, you work hard, might be outside in the sun or in the cold, but we need individuals to do those things.\u201d<\/p>\n Starting the pipeline earlier\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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