Flight jobs may return eventually

Tucson, Arizona: Recent years have been good to many flight-training schools in the United States, including the National Pilot Academy, as airlines and other businesses hired pilots.
But this year, due largely to rising fuel costs and resulting cuts at the airlines, hiring has slowed.
While air carriers have trimmed back personnel as they face rising fuel costs, this may be a good time for aspiring pilots to head to school, one industry expert says
“It’s not an unusual thing to start in a down period,” said Kit Darby, president of Atlanta-based AIR Inc., a job-resource organization for pilots. That’s because by the time pilots leave school there may be an upswing in employment, he said.
So, while some students have started in such down periods, they are not alone in facing the pitfalls of a weak economy.
The International Airline Training Academy, just down the road from NPA at Ryan, was held up to scrutiny earlier this year when a group of students said the school falsely promised quick training.
In February, the group of 10 students from India told the Arizona Daily Star they were collectively owed more than $120,000 in tuition refunds from IATA, 6400 S. Aviator Lane, after choosing to end their training. The group asked the school repeatedly for refunds but to no avail.
In April, IATA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
03/08/08 Jack Gillum/Arizona Daily Star, AZ, USA