Program teaches NC teens about aviation, flying planes amid pilot shortage

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Pilot shortages have been impacting the country and the Raleigh-Durham region for years, creating challenges for flyers.

However, aviation experts in the Fayetteville area are tackling the issue by preparing the next generation of pilots to take to the skies.

The program is called the Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy. The two-day program to teach young people how to fly is funded by the North Carolina Department of Transportation Division of Aviation. Organizers say it's important to expose middle and high schoolers to career opportunities in the airline industry because many pilots have been aging out.

"This is our way to not only introduce it but to backfill that pilot shortage and those other management shortages, air traffic control shortages that our country faces today," said Deontae Watson, interim director of Fayetteville Regional Airport.

"For us, it is absolutely just exposure to see that they can realize this is obtainable," said Scot Smith, the owner of Cape Fear Aviation Flight Training. "This flight training could be your college, it could be your four-year program. Within four years, you could be ready to go to the airlines..."

The pilot shortage translates to serious problems for flyers--including flight delays and overbooking. Officials say airlines can risk booking flights without enough staff to service them. They also say it's an issue that was exacerbated by COVID when planes were down--prompting some pilots to take furloughs and early retirements.

Organizers say they hope to turn that trend around by mentoring the next crop of professionals.

"This experience can open so many people up to careers in aviation," said student Eddie Ramos of Fayetteville.