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About Laura Laster
Expertise
I can help with questions about aviation disasters, aircraft operations especially general aviation and King Air information, aviation safety, and education questions on how to get into an aviation career. I can also answer general aviation questions as I am a commercial multi-engine pilot. I cannot answer questions about flight training or MBA schools in countries other than the USA or provide advice for non-US citizens interested in flight training. I cannot answer questions advising you what school to choose. I have no experience with aeronautical engineering so I cannot answer questions relating to engineering or schooling for aeronautical engineers. PLEASE don't ask me questions about any kind of engineering because it is outside my area of expertise, and I will NOT answer your question. I also cannot help you to choose a master's program for study as I do not have a master's degree in aviation. I cannot help with MBA advice.

Experience
I have been studying aviation disasters through doing my own research and a lot of reading since I was 13 or 14 years old. I am very interested in aviation safety and also am a commercial, multi-engine pilot. I am an flight operations division manager for a company operating a large fleet of King Air aircraft (60) and so I have some business aviation experience as well as having flight instructed for one year after college. My operations manager job frequently involves coordinating international trips for aerial survey clients and hiring qualified pilots to fly aerial survey missions.

Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Science, Aeronautical Science with Flight Management Concentration: LeTourneau University (2004)

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Aerospace/Aviation - Career in Aviation

Expert: Laura Laster - 11/5/2009

Question
I want to have a career in the civil aviation industry, and I was hoping you could provide some more clarity to me about how I could go about reaching it. Currently I’m a freshman in business at pretty good university in the US. I don’t work in airplane service worker such as a pilot, flight attendant, or plane mechanic. I want to actually work with managing planes (It doesn’t matter if I’m the one selling (i.e. being a Boeing representative), buying (i.e. being an airline representative), putting up for lease (i.e. being an ILFC representative), OR leasing the plane), managing the staffing for the planes, OR even managing gate and airport operations. I love being able to do anyone of these things.
If I want to work in these fields should I be pursuing a degree in business or something else, and what should I do during college to prepare my and to give myself a better opportunity in getting one of these jobs?
Would it better to get these jobs if I got a degree in aerospace engineering and then went to get a MBA or should I get a degree in another field (and then possibly later get and MBA?)?
Thanks for your help.

Answer
Hello,
Thanks for your question. Let me preface my answer by saying that I have not been in aviation for that long (it's been 5 years since I graduated from college myself#. The way I got into my present position within aviation management is that I was hired as a pilot and then, through hard work and having an appropriate skillset, and also a good attitude, was promoted into an introductory assistant manager role. Also, my company is growing and even thriving in challenging economic times, which is a rarity in the aviation industry today. As my company continued to grow and I got more managerial experience, I was promoted again to an operational manager role.
Another piece of information you may already know about the aviation industry is that instead of there being 6 degrees of separation between people, there are only about 2 or 3 degrees of separation. Everyone knows each other very well as it's a small industry. That is why it is extremely important, throughout your career, to be a diligent, ethical, proven worker and work very well with others. It's all about who you know in aviation. When you start, you may not know anyone, but you will quickly meet others, and make those important contacts as you go along. So, remember that even when you start your first job. Even now as my company looks to hire people, it's very much based on recommendations from people within the company about who they know who would be a good fit for each position we hire.
So, now to answer your question. If you are interested in getting into the buying and selling of airplanes, that I don't have any experience in, so I can't help with that. If you want to get into the operational management at an air carrier, for example, you may want to think about getting a pilot's certificate and some flying experience. A Director of Operations with a 121 Air Carrier actually requires an Airline Transport Pilot's certificate. If you aren't interested in flying, you might think about getting your Aircraft Dispatcher's certificate. All 121 carriers have dispatchers in charge of releasing each flight and making sure the aircraft is loaded properly, reviewing the weather, and monitoring each flight as it progresses. You could move into a shift manager role, then a dispatch manager role, and have ways to progress into upper management that way. Another option may be to become an air traffic controller as I am sure the FAA is going to need more controllers for many years to come, and those who show talent for management will be moving into those types of roles.
I don't think you could go wrong by getting your MBA. I don't have an MBA but might think of getting one someday. I got into my first real job in aviation because I knew the Director of Flight Operations #he has since been promoted several times at my company). I did have the pilot's certificate and spent about a year and a half only doing flying, and I think that my career path has been somewhat unusual. All that is to say that it's all who you know, and how well you do your job that helps you succeed in aviation management, in my experience. That, and choosing the right companies to work for where they are interested in grooming people for upper management and promoting people from within.
Good luck! I'd be happy to answer further questions or clarify more if you would like.
Laura

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