US Congressional Interest: Recruit, Train and Engage Aviation Industry Talent

On the heels of the of the recent enactment of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, the US House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Aviation Subcommittee convened a hearing entitled, “Eliminating Bottlenecks: Examining Opportunities to Recruit, Retain, and Engage Aviation Talent.”

What’s important, is that while the FAA bill provided legislative direction, funding and other resources to address topics on this hearing’s agenda, the congressional body used the July 10 event to further emphasize and stake out continued, congressional-level concern and interest, and perhaps even add a bit of grit, to solve these challenges.

Workforce Shortfalls

One common theme from today’s hearing was the FAA’s continued shortfall of about 3,000 air traffic controllers. Subcommittee Chair Rep. Garret Graves (Louisiana) noted Congress took many steps in the FAA bill to help improve hiring and move the needle in the near-term. But he added, “You’re seeing a great disparity between the retirement rate of air traffic controllers and other aviation professionals, and the pace of hiring to fill those available positions,” and further action is required.

Representative Steve Cohen (Tennessee), Ranking Member also focused on industry-wide employee shortages. “Airline pilots, we need more and more. Air traffic controllers, they are way behind and got slowed up [in hiring] during the pandemic – we need to train more of those. Aviation maintenance technicians, inspectors and designated pilot examiners [DPE] – all of those areas need work.” The congressional veteran emphasized, “Shortages in these vital members of the workforce have resulted in subpar performances across the eco-system of aviation.” Cohen also highlighted the impact a shortage of DPEs on the Memphis region. “That’s a need. DPEs provide required practical tests, check rides for aspiring pilots but they are on an uneven distribution throughout the country.” The Tennessee House member then addressed several other issues – diversity and mental health. He pointed out “we also have gaps in minority hiring all through the aviation industry,” and placed down the marker, that “we need to work to make sure the workforce looks more like America – and give equal opportunities.” The ranking subcommittee member also further opened the aperture on mental health, as he included air traffic controllers in this discussion since “they are up in the tower for long hours, with the tension and stress that you get, it is not easy…That needs to be corrected.”

Several Aviation Subcommittee members and witnesses encouraged the US aviation industry to continue to diversify -- so that it more closely looks like America. Source: American Airlines

AI and More on the Minds of Witnesses

Selective comments from the hearing’s witnesses conveyed the imperative to address other specific challenges, in one case, workforce learning (training and education).

Michael Robbins, President and Chief Executive Officer, Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), one hearing witness, offered insights that can be extrapolated beyond UASs and AAMs – into other core aviation training enterprise audiences – pilots, maintainers, cabin crew, ground operations personnel and others. The executive noted, in part, there is significant, unrealized opportunity to address the pilot and skilled worker shortages by leveraging automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and autonomy. “AUVSI member companies are focused on making the most out of what technological evolutions can provide to the development of human skills,” he said and continued, “To this effect, an adequate and skilled use of automation, AI, and autonomy are undeniably tools to develop advance flight safety and operational efficiency and to support the training of the highly sought after workforce in the aviation industry.”

Another hearing witness, Joanne “Jo” Damato, Senior Vice President, Education, Training and Workforce Development, National Business Aviation Association, reiterated the demand for qualified and trained professionals in nearly every aspect of the aviation industry, especially a need for FAA-certified pilots and aircraft mechanics. The association executive then spoke to the multiple challenges that exist for these entrants to embark on an aviation career path. Of particular note, the executive declared “the biggest barrier to recruit and retain women in aviation is a culture barrier keeping women from feeling like they belong in aviation.”

Congress as a Stakeholder

While the US Congress is the holder of “the purse strings” for FAA, the vast majority of day-to-day operations, innovation, workforce actions and like activities occur outside the Washington, DC Beltway. Yet, Congress also has an oversized influence on the aviation industry, by way of legislative direction. We’ll be following and commenting on congressional actions as they pertain to workforce and other parts of the dynamic aviation ecosystem.

(Editor’s note: the July 10, 2024 Aviation subcommittee hearing with all four witnesses’ full statements and comments may be viewed  here.)