Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Its been a tough year in the aviation world, but I am thankful for family and friends. I am also thankful for the people who read my blog. I greatly appreciate that you find it interesting enough to give it your time. Look for more new articles after the holiday.

Looking forward to Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Todays the day!

Lessons Learned

They say that “everything happens for a reason”. It’s hard to find a reason for two job losses in 14 months, but strangely a lot of good has come out of it so far. If this last year has taught me anything, it’s that you are NEVER too old to learn lessons in life and I have certainly learned mine…

I learned to be prepared for anything…I think it’s the nature of the aviation profession to be primed for all eventualities. The first thing I learned was to prepared, even in the best of times, to have anything and everything change in a heartbeat. In many ways, I have been lucky. My wife and I were saving money for a big, lavish wedding to make up for the tiny nuptials we had when we met. That money became our emergency fund when I was laid off. If it wasnt for those funds, we would have been in BIG trouble. Even though much of it is gone now, I have been fortunate enough to still be in my home and keep my lights on. In the future, I will ALWAYS make sure we have savings on hand if the job suddenly goes away. I also didnt get roped into buying “toys” (boats, cars, jet skiis, etc). Those things would have just added debt and stress to our lives and I have found that even the simplest and least expensive things can still bring you great joy.

I learned to regain my empathy for others…. When I had money, I rarely gave to the homeless (though I did donate). I was one of those who thought, “they need to get a job”, but as the old saying goes “walk a mile in their shoes.” I NOW understand how fine a line we all live between prosperity and poverty. I understand the crushing weight that comes with lack of money. How far are each of us from being one of those on the street? Frankly, its been a lot of luck and sheer determination which has kept me and my family from winding up in that state. I will NEVER look at the plight of the poor the same way again. I no longer ignore the situation of those that are “less fortunate”. I am reminded of a scene in one the versions of a Christmas Carol where Scrooge sees a man who is living under a bridge, homeless with his family. He is sad and depressed from the lack of work, but still had pride enough not to steal. He says “these are good hands, strong hands, it’s not fair there is no work.”  The scene is designed to appeal to the empathetic part of the old miser.” How many of us feel like we are in that stage now? We need to care for ALL people.  The poor are not invisible and its taken this kind of shock to my life to make that fact PERFECTLY CLEAR. As one of the ghosts say in Dickens’ novel “Mankind IS my “business”"

I learned what true friendship is… Sometimes the most amazing things can happen in the most ordinary of situations. After my first layoff, I had a job (briefly) at a flight training school in north Florida. We taught Chinese students how to fly. Some had problems with the language barrier and the different cultures that the Chinese brought. I, however, taught these men with respect and patience that they appreciated. These men quickly went from being just students to being my friends, true friends. In a world where friendship is often based on what the other person can do for you, these men just wanted to be my friend and nothing more. They respected me as a teacher and as a person. They invited me to dinner, just because. They expected NOTHING in return other than my friendship and I became a better man for knowing them. In fact, their friendship was the truest I have seen since I was a child, when we didnt expect anything from our friends other than to be there. When these men found themselves nearly trapped in their condos, unable to buy food because of financial troubles with the school. I, along with others, felt a DUTY to help these men. After all, what kind of person would let his friends starve? I KNEW if I was ever in the same situation, they would do the same for me. I would have not met these men if it wasnt for my first layoff and I became a better person for it. While the job ended, the experience will go down as one of the most memorable in my lifetime.

I learned to be a better husband… As I wrote before, aviation can take a toll on the best of relationships. I was away from the house over half the year at my first job and it can be incredibly lonely for your spouse, especially when you are new to the area and dont have a lot of contacts. It became hard on us both. Often I would come home tired, thinking only of my needs and not hers. She just wanted to go out and to be around me. I just wanted ot sit at home. This last year, being with my wife almost everyday has taught me that there are MUCH more important things then myself. The hardest job in the world is being married. It is a job the grows and evolves over a lifetime and you have to work at it everyday. I now realize that I was neglecting that part of marriage where she just wanted to talk to me, to have me listen. To not need to be with her was not healthy for our relationship. All the adversity of the last year has brought us closer together. It has reminded me how any why I love my spouse and even when I am very busy again, I will make sure to take care of HER needs as well as my own.

I learned to help others…. Another amazing experience that has come out of this trying time has been encountering people who TRULY want to help others. When I began my social media networking, I ran into a person who himself was laid off. This person started a movement called “Pink Slip Mixers” that brings job seekers and employers together in an informal environment. This person has worked tirelessly (and I mean that literally) to help others, often with money out of his own pocket. I was so impressed, that I began to volunteer for the parties (and of course network myself). I quickly learned the value of helping others and the interpersonal and professional relationships that come of it. There is pride and a good feeling that comes from watching others succeed. The ability to “pay it forward” is so needed in a world that spent so many years concerned about “me, me, me”. The movement has grown and now I am happy to not only help the jobless, as one of them myself, but help to be an advocate of those millions whose voice is lost in the employed world. People need jobs for their own self respect and each one of us has an obligation to help another who is in that kind of situation. Even after I am employed, I intend to continue to volunteer and help others, something I would have found unimaginable just over a year ago.

Finally..I learned to be a better (future) employee… There is NO DOUBT that I am not the same man who I was a year and a half ago. I now know the value of reaching out to others, of being able to reinvent myself, of having a positive attitude in everything that I do and how it is seen by all. When I started this process, I was almost completely alone in my search other than having my wife with me. Now I have the pleasure of having met dozens of people, of trying to make a change in their lives. I realize I have the ability to pull myself up and not have my job or my paycheck define who I am. I can walk into a new position with more confidence in myself than before, smarter, wiser and much more worldly then I was. I will continue to nurture my contacts and will have a much greater ability to adapt to this ever-changing world. Unemployment is a tough teacher, but maybe I needed to learn some tough lessons. I came out a stronger person, husband and pilot even through such great adversity.

Who WOULDNT want an employee like that?

Todays the Day!

 

The Aviation Spouse, The Unsung Hero of the Flying World

Sometimes we forget during our 14-16 hour duty days and 7 or more day tours that there is another side to aviation that we see only briefly. That part is the role of the aviation spouse. The wives, husbands and partners that are part of our lives and have married into this often strange world, shoulder a burden every bit as great as our own.

The aviation spouse often comes into this profession of flying with very little knowledge about the reality of being married to a pilot. It’s easy to say “we’ll manage”, but it’s not so easy when you miss holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and other special events. It’s not so easy when you dont have a set schedule and have to fly for a trip at the last-minute cancelling plans and even vacations. It’s not so easy to take care of the children, alone with all the work that entails and have your pilot spouse comes home tired as well. It’s not so easy when emergencies arise and your spouse is hundreds or thousands of miles away and really can’t do a thing about it. It’s not so easy when you have to pack or sell almost everything you own to move to another city for a flying job.  Truly the aviation spouse must be a special person in the relationship or it cannot last.

The men and women who become our partners are really are the unsung heroes of aviation. In many ways they are taking on 2/3 or more of the role of parenting in the relationship. Having a family can be especially difficult when you are away from your children and your spouse for extended periods of time. The aviation spouse MUST have a strong personality and basically be an independent person for the relationship to succeed. The aviation spouse has to be knowledgeable and resourceful, since you are often not there to make those decisions. In some ways they live a “single” life. There are times unfortunately that even best of relationships fall apart due to the stress of the aviation lifestyle and there is MANY a pilot that can attest to that.

How as pilots can we try to avoid this problem? Thats also not easy. Balancing work and life can be difficult under the best of circumstances, but short of staying single, helping your spouse or potential spouse understand the rigors of being married to a pilot is a good first step. A VERY long talk helps. I was lucky enough to marry such a spouse.

The best aviation spouse I can think of is that unique blend of independence and understanding. Flying is unlike any other profession, say the military. A good spouse has to realize that you are going to be away for long periods of time, that often the daily rhythm of life is upended by your schedule. They must be nearly saint like in their understanding of the economics of aviation. The hard low-pay starts when you both are barely scraping by, the highest highs when the money is good and then the often shocking change in lifestyle when furloughs, layoffs or the changing economy has you back on the bottom again. This world is not for everyone. Aviation for the pilot is as much about love as it is about prestige.  I think most of us can say that we have at least one relationship that has ended because we chose aviation over that person. It’s never the “easy” choice.

There is one BIG plus with the aviation spouse. When it works well it is truly one of the most rewarding things in the world. If you are lucky enough to marry this special person, you can look forward to a lifetime of love and companionship, and understanding from them that you are doing what you love and can’t imagine doing anything else. This person is excited by the possibility of adventure, even when you have to move half way across the country or even the world for a new job. This person is resourceful enough to either work or find a side business to help you both through the hard times. There is much compromise involved in this relationship, but all good relationships involve some compromise.

Our spouses, our “aviation heroes” are every bit as an important part of the flying community as we are. They are often our guide, our conscience and the first people we can lean on when times get tough. It’s not easy being married to a pilot, but I believe that I wouldnt have become the aviator and the man who I am without my spouse, my heroine, by my side.

Today is the Day!

Current and Qualified? (Unemployment 1yr 4mos)

I am asked a question lately that leaves me with a mix of pride and some frustration. Pride in that people admire the efforts I have made networking and here on the web and frustration over the fact that I have been unable to fully reach my ultimate goal. I have been asked at least twice in the last few weeks, “with everything you are doing, with the fact you are fairly articulate and can convey ideas intelligently, WHY ARE YOU STILL UNEMPLOYED?.” My response of course is “You havent hired me yet”, but I think the main reason has been the single biggest obstacle that faces me and many pilots every time we send a resume. It is 3 big words, “CURRENT AND QUALIFIED.”

Just 2 years ago, most if not all employers had a small pool of pilots to hire from. They were more than willing to hire someone off the street who did not have a type rating, send them to school, get them current and qualified and send them to work. In those heady days these companies were flush with customers and cash and at the time it was a “sellers market” for pilots. Now that situation has completely turned on its head.

The last year had created a wave of fear throughout the aviation industry. In some cases, business is down more than 50 percent and for a time it seemed like the sky was really falling. While things have stabilized, the fear and the lack of money has remained. Businesses at best are reluctant to hire, budgets are tight, and since September of last year thousands of pilots are out on the street. This created a very different business and hiring situation.

Now each open position has 300 resumes, many unemployed pilots are already typed in the aircraft these businesses own. Many are still current and in this market companies do not have or do not want to spend the money to type a new pilot when so many others are available. It is the simply the law of supply and demand and the supply is HUGE. Sometimes I think if Orville Wright himself walked into some of these places, he would be turned away because he wasnt “current and qualified”

How is it possible as pilots to overcome this enormous obstacle. I think some very logical arguments can be made that MIGHT help counter the “current and qualified” argument and in the right circumstances still land you that flying job.

1.) Training MUST be accomplished eventually, The first thing, is that even though there is a large supply of current pilots, they will eventually need training anyway. Wether it be for recurrent every 6-12 months or in-house training, these costs will still have to be borne by these companies either now or in the near future. At first glance, the initial numbers for training can be large, in the tens of thousands of dollars, but as an overall part of the budget it is quite small. If you take the example of a 2 airplane flight department with a 2 million dollar budget. The recurrent training of 2 pilots would be perhaps no more than 1 to 2 percent of the overall costs. A tiny fraction.

2.) The training schools are ready to deal- with so many pilots out of work, the large training schools are looking to make deals to get people in the door. Since September of last year, some of the bigger schools have seen large decreases in business. Though the situation is starting to turn around slowly, the amount of pilots going through initial and recurrent training is NOWHERE near what it was 2 years ago. A pilot with good relations with some or all the schools or one able to get training done as a group, has a great chance of getting a fairly good discount on his/her schooling. There is an old saying the “everything in life is negotiable” and you can negotiate with the training schools, just ask. If you can get a large enough group together, it might be possible to get as big a discount on training as some of the larger companies. This can be a selling point for a “non current” pilot as your contacts might be able to save your prospective employer  THOUSANDS of dollars in costs. These days, that kind of savings WILL get attention and shows great thinking “outside the box”

Training is ALWAYS less expensive than an accident or incident: Everyone wants to save money these days, but at what point does saving money begin to compromise safety? This is the fine line that every aviation business must face even in good times. A well-trained pilot is a safe pilot. A well-trained pilot is a knowledgeable pilot. The FAA has begun advocating and soon mandating SMS (Safety Management Systems) to prevent accidents and incidents. The insurance companies like Argus and Wyvern demand such training even before they will grant coverage. The training environment is the PERFECT place to prevent and break the accident “chain.” Scenario based training allows mistakes to be made in the safety of the simulator environment. The tens of thousands of dollars spent on this training is far less than the cost of a damaged aircraft or worse yet, the litigation that will ensue if death or serious injury should occur. While a “current and qualified” pilot saves money now, are they a good fit for your companies safety culture?  How do you know, if you havent trained them in the way you wish?  A flight department that works well as a team and places priority one on safety is worth every penny spent. As a passenger I would think I would want my pilots trained to the highest possible standards. After all, what is the price of safety for me and my family?

These difficult times have forced many in the aviation industry to completely rethink their business plans and for pilots to be far more creative in finding work. The “current and qualified” obstacle can be overcome, but it takes great patience and planning by perspective employees to show that  ”current and qualified”  accounts for much more than just the ratings on their resume.

Todays’ the Day!

Afternoon AOPA Summit Experience

Going to a a gathering like AOPA for job hunting and networking is a lot like “cold calling” you really never know if you are going to be successful, but are excited by the possibilities.  I am happy to say that I did have some success…

After the morning summit, I went upstairs to the main exhibit area at the convention center. I was pleasantly surprised by amount of exhibits. Though not as large as NBAA I felt that it was still well represented. If one thing was lacking, it was the lack of aircraft manufacturer booths at the exhibit hall. No Cessna, no Mooney, not much to see in that respect. The only manufacturer I saw on the floor was REMOS and that was mainly because they were the AOPA prize plane for the year. Hopefully next year will see more aircraft makers back in the main exhibit areas. Otherwise there was a good mix of vendors from King Schools to the Pilot Mall. At first, I didnt know if it was worth it to be at the summit for my job hunt, but pressed on anyway.

Walking into the exhibit, the first thing I noticed was the AOPA Meetup area. I am impressed by how AOPA is embracing social networking. In the meetup area was a camera to their live feed on the web and a large Twitter board with updates. They were conducting live interviews the entire day. I had a chance to talk to the staff as well as a few of my friends from Twitter who I was lucky enough to have the chance to meet. There was also an internet kiosk area to check email and to blog, though I wish I had either and I-Phone or a Blackberry for that purpose.  The exhibit hall also had a central area with a raised stage for additional events, streaming to the AOPA internet feed.. I would be nice to see NBAA embrace such forward thinking as the use of social networking at their next convention. Kudos to AOPA for moving so quickly into the social networking world to get the message out!

Wandering around the area, I talked to several vendors, but no real job leads at first. I then came across of booth of a subsidiary of a major energy company and I mentioned that their principal had two pilot openings on the West Coast. They didnt know about those openings, but after speaking for a while, the two gentlemen attending the booth were kind enough to take my business card and ask for an electronic copy of my resume. I am sure that their contacts will be invaluable and helpful in my job search and I am grateful for their help.

I had the opportunity to talk to several other vendors about their services and products. As usual, everyone was quite friendly. More than once, the small world of aviation reared its head again, as more than a few of the vendors either knew or had contacts with several mutual friends. Like Ive said before, mutual contacts are great ice breaker when you are trying to talk to people for the first time and shows just how valuable networking can be.

After spending a few hours on the exhibit floor I decided to take the shuttle bus to the static display at the airport. This resulted in one of the most surprising developments of the day, as my old saying of “talk to EVERYONE” really came in to focus..

I sat down on the bus and a slightly older gentlemen took the seat next to me. Having some time before we got to the airport we struck up a conversation and I quickly found out he was a retired pilot for major communications corporation in the southeast. He had flown down to the show in a new Cirrus aircraft he had bought and was enjoying his retirement. Of course, the conversation turned to my job hunt and as with the two gentlemen in the booth, he was kind enough to take my business card and ask for me to send him an email of my resume. I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of help that people who I barely know are willing to offer me. I am sure his assistance will be as great an asset as the others I have met. To say I was feeling better about coming to the AOPA Summit is an understatement.

The static area had a good mix of airplanes and aircraft manufacturers. The largest being Cessna with its new aircraft including the  Corvalis and the Citation Mustang. Diamond Aircraft was also well represented with its mockup of the D-Jet. Despite the down economy, there were plenty of new aircraft and models, to keep even the biggest GA fan happy. There is still quite a bit of life left in the GA world despite all the gloom and doom predictions.

Making my way back to the convention center, I was quite worn out by this point as I had been at the show for several hours. I was just about ready to leave for the day when I found out that I had won a really nice aviation calendar from the same booth that had taken my business card and asked for my resume earlier. I considered it a very happy coincidence! When I went up to the booth to pick up my prize, one of the attendants remarked that he had already talked to at least one person whose flight department has two jets in the central FL area and had forwarded my information to that individual. That really made my day and just reaffirmed that my networking efforts have been valuable.

It has been a long and exhausting week attending 2 shows in 3 days and driving over 300 miles from one end of the state to another, but I feel it has been tremendously productive. With such a high unemployment rate, especially in the pilot community, its going to be that extra effort that will eventually get me the job.

After all…Todays the Day!

Live from AOPA/ Next Generation Summit Summary

Another day at the AOPA expo has come and gone and it has been a busy morning and afternoon. I wanted to get as much done as I could in the one day had available. Quite a bit to see and do and more than I can cover in just one post, so I will focus on the morning summit first.

Since I was early, I had a good opportunity to attend the Next Gen summit meeting in the morning. It was hosted by AOPA President Craig Fuller and Chairman Bill Trimble. Their guests for the summit were: Bill Stone, Tim Taylor, and David Vos, all experts in their respective fields of next generation avionics and aircraft technology.

The discussion first centered around the implementation of Synthetic vision discussed by Mr. Stone of Garmin. He remarked how a past shuttle mission has mapped the earth to help in the implimentation of the system, though its been under development for nearly 50 years. Only now has the computing power available (and size) caught up to the technology. A quick video of the Garmin synthetic vision in action was also shown and its accuracy on the Primary Flight Display with real world terrain and obstacles.

Things then progressed to Infrared or EVS systems also known as “Free Flight”. Mr. Taylor discussed the use of the technology and how it is now available to the general aviation community in the Cirrus aircraft for low visibility operations. There was also a quick video of the EVS system in use on approach and landing  and discussion of the inevitable fusion of both EVS and Synthetic aviation systems for general aviation into one integrated package.

Mr. Taylor also discussed the use of ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance) and how it is now benefiting general aviation and airline pilots in FL and the Gulf Coast. He remarked in the next year or so “full service” ADS-B will soon be available to 2/3 of the U.S. There was also talk of what the “D” in ADS-B meant. Basically the D, stands for “dependant”. That is dependent of certain government infrastructure (Navigation guarantee).  Basically ADS-B is able to tell you and ATC where everyone else is in the airspace, plus the capability to receive information with a universal receiver like weather and other data.

Obviously of concern was how much all this new technology will cost the general aviation. It appears that there will be a choice of ADSB ”out” or ADS-B “in”. Basically for those pilots with Mode-C only transponders, they would be compliant for new future ADS-B rules as long as they have a WAAS (Wide Are Augmentation System) approved avionics, a Mode -C transponder and a data radio, which would be much less expensive than a new Mode-S transponder and universal receiver. This setup will allow the use of ADS-B “out”, telling ATC and other aircraft where you are, but not the access to the data or weather portion of the system. The use of the universal receiver would give you the ADS-B “In” option to gain the other services such as weather and data which provides valuable information to all pilots and even could be configured to use bluetooth for XM weather.

The best however, was set for last. David Vos, a flight control systems expert, talked about the use of fully integrated flight controls for manned and unmanned aircraft in the future and the ability to have a “digital parachute” or “panic button.” He cited, several incidents where pilots have become incapacitated endangering the crew and passengers and how this technology can benefit safety and augment the pilot, but NOT be a replacement for the crew. A video was shown with an unmanned fighter drone  flying autonomously (not ground controlled) where 60 percent of one of the wings was intentionally sheared off.  Instead of crashing, the integrated flight control system was able, not only to maintain full control of the aircraft, but bring the drone in for a safe landing. Quite the amazing video and a little disturbing since Im starting to think that there may come a day when we pilots might become obsolete.

Its is truly stunning how much technology in general aviation has changed just in the last 20 years and I was glad to see what is coming to the GA community in the very near future.

Live From The Show!!! AOPA Summit Experience

Hello all. Welcome to my first LIVE blog post from the AOPA Summit. Its been a productive day. Fortunately AOPA has been kind enough to have a Internet Cafe kiosk for the members to use at their leisure. Nice touch!!

Got up early this morning and had a pretty leisurely two-hour drive to the Tampa Bay convention center. I decided to wear a suit thinking that I might possibly meet my next employer. Looks like I arrived a bit overdressed, but I didnt mind.

I would up getting to the show about an hour before the exhibits open so I caught one of the early summit meetings with the President. I got to that meeting about 1/2 hour late, but managed to catch a summit meeting on next generation aviation products (I will add more about this later).

About 10:30 I came to the exhibit hall. Its a decent size though not as big as NBAA. There are plenty of vendors here selling their wares, but not a lot of swag to be had. I immediately set about networking

My time is limited here, so I will add more to my blog post later tonight. I will say that as a networking event, I came in with realistic expectations, but have been pleasantly surprised.

Things are winding down a bit now. I will add More later.

Todays the Day!

On the way to AOPA

Getting ready to head out to the AOPA Summit. I will be there all day Friday. Look for my next blog post and wrapup then.

See you there!

ERAU Expo Experience

ERAU is having its career expo today and tomorrow at the ICI center. I have just returned from the opening day and found the experience very beneficial. Heres what I found.

I arrived about 1/2 hour early. The parking lot was already full and I managed to grab what seemed like the last space available. Surprisingly, there wasnt a line outside or around the block, but that doesnt mean that it was by any means slow. ERAU does a really good job of managing these career expos and had everything set up and ready to go. I signed in quickly, got my name tag and waited for the expo to start with the rest of the crowd waiting inside.

Having a chance to sit down, I talked to several other perspective candidates. Some were recent graduates, while others (fewer) were alumni. Overall there was a good mix of people from curious students in flip-flops (!?). To more professionally dressed candidates in dark suits and ties. I did see a few older people like myself. It seems the candidates ran the gamut from engineering to management and business to a few pilots like myself. Fortunately, that could also be said of the exhibitors who represented a good mix of businesses. The exhibitors, of which there were several dozen, were arranged in neat rows that made it easy to get around and the school was nice enough to have a professionally printed brochure about each employer and more importantly a floor plan which made it easy to target specific companies to speak with.

Upon entering, I walked around a bit to see what kind of openings might be available. Some noticeable trends included engineering, maintenance and especially UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) work. There were at least 3 companies involved in the production and implementation of UAVs for both civilian and military purposes and several job opportunities existed for all types of aviation related fields including flight operations. The UAV business is definitely a growth industry (if not booming) and a bright spot in what has been a rather dark year. I did see several candidates speaking with these companies.

As for me, I first set about seeking out two employers specifically. One is a major manufacturer in the United States and I have applied to them for years. I had the opportunity to speak to one of the pilots and quickly realized that we had corresponded several years ago. We had a thorough and VERY pleasant conversation and I look forward to speaking with this person again in the very near future.

I also had the opportunity to speak with one of the pilots at a major airline as well. In the small world of aviation, he knew one of the people I had worked with when I flight instructed.  Also a pleasant conversation and it was great to be able to meet a mutual friend. That is why it is so important to talk to EVERYONE. Your contact or their contact could be the ice breaker that makes you stand out. In aviation this is never so true.

Since the crowd was not huge, I had the opportunity to speak to other employers about their openings. Although some did not have a specific opening in my field. Each one of them was very friendly and helpful. I talked to a few of them about my Social Networking work and some seemed impressed. I think for employers, Social Networking as a hiring tool is going to be extremely important in the future. As usual there was the customary SWAG that you could pick up at the show. From candy to bags to pens that had little wings on them, there was no shortage of stuff to be had. I grabbed a few freebies.

I also managed to walk around the back of the Expo to the “interview” area. ERAU set up several private areas in the back so that employers could spot interview candidates. I was disappointed that I did not see anyone in these booths, but it did not mean these companies werent hiring as many of them now want you to put your resume online first.

As I said the overall experience was very positive. I made some good contacts and even generated a couple of leads. Considering the how difficult the job market is these days, it was good to see REAL employers with REAL openings at a job “fair” and not just schools or people wanting to ”sell” you something. If you are an ERAU student or alumni and havent attended one of these events, I highly recommend that you do so.

Todays the Day.

ERAU Career Expo and AOPA Summit

Im quite busy the next few days. I am attending the ERAU Career Expo at the ICI Center here in Daytona Beach. This is a good place to network and maybe find your next new job. I think the count is over 50 companies attending. I believe it is open to the public, so if you are looking for aviation work this is place. It will be tomorrow (11/4/2009) and 11/5 starting at 10am. Look for a post about my experiences there soon.

In addition, I am attending the AOPA Summit in Tampa. Due to budgetary constraints. I am only able to attend the summit on Friday, but look for a pretty extensive blog post about the event.

Stay Tuned!