Auburn’s aviation program takes on pilot shortage, industry demand

Hanna Fowler, a 2017 aviation management graduate and chief pilot for Flex Air, never considered a career in aviation as a young girl, even though both of her parents are pilots. She unexpectedly decided on the career, not unlike the way she decided to attend Auburn University.

“I often joke that Auburn and Auburn Aviation chose me more than I chose them,” she said. “I remember touring the campus for the first time as a senior in high school, not really convinced I wanted to go there. But I felt this distinct grounded, homey feeling. Auburn really does become your home and will always hold that special place in your heart.”

After beginning her freshman year as a psychology major, Fowler learned about Auburn’s aviation program. Already a Cessna pilot, she took an aviation course as an elective the following semester, embraced the idea of aviation as a career and never looked back.

Unlike Fowler, many women across the nation have not pursued a career in aviation. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, of the total pilot population of 633,317 in 2018, only 46,694 were female pilots. Female pilots comprise roughly 5 percent of most U.S. airlines’ workforce populations. Although, the carriers are actively working to increase that percentage, particularly in light of an airline pilot shortage brought on by mandatory FAA retirements, post 9/11 industry restructuring and increased flight training requirements.

Industry experts, including Auburn Aviation Professor James Birdsong, who is also the coordinator for Auburn’s aviation program and a former U.S. Air Force pilot, believe that recruiting more women could be the key to reducing the pilot deficit and, at the same time, changing the landscape of the historically male-dominated profession. Philanthropic support, industry partnerships and community outreach are essential components of Auburn’s plan to address these issues.

With a 100 percent graduate employment rate and an aviation student population which includes more than 16 percent women—well above the airline industry average—Auburn is positioned to advance a model of diversity, inclusion and student success.

“The industry knows its workforce does not reflect the population of the United States, so they’re working to try to change that,” Birdsong said. “And that’s exactly what we’ve been doing at Auburn. We’re definitely trying to increase diversity, but through our academic programs, outreach efforts and professional and industry partnerships, we’re really just creating greater opportunities for our students.”

Organizations like Women in Aviation International, or WAI, assist in achieving those objectives. Founded nearly 30 years ago, WAI’s mission includes providing resources and developing more opportunities for women in all aviation career fields and interests. Some of those resources include scholarships, networking, community outreach and educational programs.

Until 2015, Auburn did not have a WAI chapter. But during her years at Auburn, Fowler did more than earn a bachelor’s degree and train to become an airline industry pilot; she also became a founding member and the first president of the War Eagle chapter of WAI.

“I think organizations like WAI are important because they offer community,” she said. “When you walk into a WAI meeting or event, you know you are walking into a room of people with similar passions and aspirations. Everyone should have that in some form or another.”

Long before women can join a community of aviation professionals, they must learn that a career in aviation is possible for them. Creating access and opportunity is a foundational component of Auburn’s land-grant mission and is interwoven into the Department of Aviation’s outreach efforts. Through events like Girls in Aviation Day, Auburn educates students in grades K-12 from rural and underserved counties throughout Alabama about the options available to them through aviation careers.

The War Eagle chapter of WAI hosted the fourth annual Girls in Aviation Day at Auburn University Regional Airport on Oct. 19. Hundreds of students from Alabama and Georgia attended the event featuring activities for all ages and genders, as well as displays from several aviation companies, regional airlines and local pilots and their personal aircraft.

“Girls in Aviation Day shows young girls that working in aviation is a real possibility for them. The event also builds our relationships with industry partners who send pilots and aircraft to inspire future women in aviation,” said Daphne Walker, Department of Aviation engagement coordinator. “Along with our students, these women currently working in aviation show young girls that there are established footsteps they can follow.”

Students in the Department of Aviation also teach basic classes on the physics of flight in elementary and middle schools in the area. “Just like with our academic programing, we’re very intentional and strategic about our outreach,” Birdsong said. “We want young girls to get excited about aviation as a possible career, and we want them to see Auburn as the place they can begin that adventure.”

Auburn’s aviation programs have grown significantly in recent years, reaching the highest enrollment to date in fall 2019 with nearly 500 students in both the professional flight and aviation management programs.

Auburn is located within the southeastern aviation corridor, which includes an Airbus plant in Alabama and a Boeing plant in South Carolina, military installations in Alabama and the panhandle of Florida and one of the largest international airports in the world in Atlanta. This location, in addition to industry demand, creates boundless growth potential for Auburn’s aviation programs.

Philanthropic support from individuals and industry partners has already led to increased resources like the Delta Air Lines Aviation Education building and will be crucial in providing needed resources to accommodate the growing aviation program.

“We are already talking about adding additional programs like air traffic control and degree minors such as aviation wildlife management that address industry problems such as bird strikes, but all of that is still in the early discussion phase,” Birdsong said. “What I know for certain is that industry demand is not lessening, and Auburn’s aviation programs are only going to continue to grow to address it.”

Growing Auburn’s aviation programs will create many opportunities for students from all backgrounds, many of whom will be women who one day enter the aviation industry to blaze their own trails and create pathways for others, much like Hanna Fowler.

“The best advice I can offer to anyone in the beginning stages of their education and career is work hard and seize the opportunities that come your way as a result,” she said. “You’ll end up exactly where you are supposed to be.”