Pilot-to-Pilot Mentorship

by Kristopher Olson

Every single day 100,00 airliners takeoff and land around the world. One of the most exciting aspects of my life is that I get to pilot one of those 100,000 flights. What is even more exciting is those airliners need pilots now more than ever. Over the next 20 years over 790,000 jobs will appear globally, with 212,000 in the United States alone. The shortage of pilots in the world is not due to the shortage of smart, talented people, it’s a shortage of self-confidence. The journey to the flight deck is long, costly and challenging but for the hundreds of thousands of individuals who decide to pursue the career, the reward is well worth the risk.

Over eight years ago I sat down to take my first (of many) CATS tests at Ocala Aviation Services in Ocala, Florida. I didn’t believe I could actually make it all the way to the “big” airlines, but I studied hard and I was as ready for the test as ever. After a two-hour multiple-choice test which resulted in a passing score, my parents paid for a “discovery flight”, a half hour introductory to aviation flight around the local area. That was the beginning of my aviation journey. I was fifteen years old and I had no clue how fast things would change. In less than a decade I would go from zero hours to sitting in an Airbus A-320. What I thought was impossible is my current reality. It could be yours too.

That test was 2011. Fast forward five years (to 2016), and three regional airline pilots coalesce around the idea of a pilot-to-pilot mentorship organization. Marc Cervantes, John Hackworth and Vesselin Slaveykov formed Professional Pilots of Tomorrow (PPOT), and registered it as a 501(c)3 in New York State. The reason they formulated PPOT was to help individuals like me. You see, the airline industry has a “problem”. There are hundreds of thousand piloting jobs – airline pilots, charter pilots, flight instructors and test pilots - opening up around the world. The “solution” is the millions of qualified people who could be airline pilots if they pursued it. The question then becomes how do you let pilots know what jobs exist and connect those pilots to the jobs?

From the get-go, PPOT was geared to helping aspiring pilots through confidential, insightful and unbiased mentorship. While PPOT doesn’t offer any jobs or favors with for-profit organizations, PPOT does offer free resources, most significantly in the form of your own personal pilot-mentor. Every mentor is a pilot, who has stood in your shoes at some point, and can guide you through the certification process, offer advice on career moves or just share in the joys of flying. Just because learning to fly is a long road doesn’t mean it has to be a lonely one.

To start the process, individuals would register as either a ‘mentee’ (aspiring pilots) or ‘mentors’ (current professional pilots) at https://www.theppot.org. If registered as a mentee, a mentor will be assigned, with the goal to reach out in a handful of days. Mentors are typically assigned based off of long-term aspirations. These mentors are always just a phone call or text message away.

Beyond receiving your own mentor, mentees have access to a variety of useful resources, such as an airline comparison chart, through PPOT’s website.

The website lists PPOT’s Low-Time-Networking Program partners and an outline of the program. This program, along with others facilitated by the organization are designed to help pilots connect and network, with the ultimate goal of finding employment in the industry that works best for every pilots’ individual circumstance. The website also acts as a repository for jobs that “low time” pilots can apply for, helping pilots make the tough transition from student to professional pilot. This resource is especially useful for individuals who do not want to pursue the flight instructor route.

Regarding social media, PPOT currently utilizes Facebook (via two pages, one public and one member-only group), Instagram and LinkedIn. Historically, social media has been used to disseminate information about the University Mentorship Program (UMP), scholarships, career fairs and airline hiring information. The Facebook members-only group is a way for individuals

to pose questions directly to the entire PPOT network. With hundreds of mentors, representing nearly every regional, major and many charter organizations in the U.S., this is a powerful tool for those looking for career guidance.

As the organization continues to grow more resources are being provided to members. If you look to the sky and dream of being a pilot, sign up as a mentee. Mentees come from many backgrounds; some are high school students, some own businesses and currently fly for fun, but regardless of your experience our mentors can help guide you through the process, set expectations and help you takeoff on your journey.

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