Auburn University’s Business Aviation Showcase

What career can I have in aviation? This is the biggest question troubling many young, bright individuals at the start of 2020. We’ve all heard it before: ‘this is the best time to enter the profession of aviation’. There are thousands upon thousands of different pathways, both flying and non-flying, that are becoming available to young professionals considering a career in this exciting industry and Auburn University’s Aviation Program is coming to the rescue.

While Auburn has joined forces with Delta Air Lines and many other Regional partners, they are also opening the door for careers in the Business Aviation sect of the industry. In November 2019, Auburn University’s Aviation Center was the first collegiate program to host an event promoting solely business aviation to its students. This first of its kind event was rallied together by alumni and other industry leaders who saw that business aviation as a whole is often overlooked and underrated amongst today’s professionals. $220 million worth of aircraft descended upon the ‘Loveliest Village on the Plains’ for the 2-day showcase to be opened for static display. Over 100 business aviation professionals of all backgrounds travelled to Auburn to share their knowledge and

experiences with the students. These industry leaders represented companies such as Cox Enterprises, The Home Depot, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, AirMed, Textron Aviation, and many, many more.

Along with the astounding number of static aircraft on display, the event also included a networking fair, a speaker panel, a Women in Business Aviation luncheon, and various class speakers. It seems like a very busy schedule for a two-day event (and it was), but the overall goal was simply to make students aware of the opportunities they previously did not know existed. These opportunities range anywhere from dispatcher to chief pilot to salesman to marketing specialist. As stated by attendee and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Vice President of Education Jo Damato, “I fell accidentally into business aviation,’ and because of events like this, that will soon be replaced with, ‘I intentionally planned a career in business aviation.’’

Bill Hutto, Auburn Aviation Center Director, was very pleased with the event saying that “this is a unique opportunity for our students to engage and connect directly with the operators of major flight departments and bizav companies.”

Aviation is a special industry because it is filled with people who are truly passionate about their work and it could not be more evident in the turnout of this event. For many Auburn alumni, this was their first time returning to the “Plains” in over two decades and they chose to spend it giving back to the next generation. Over the years, Auburn Aviation Alumni have played a major role in the revitalization of the flight school and have assisted in its growth from 90 students in 2012 to upwards of 500 in 2020. The aviation programs have countless alumni across

the world that have a desire to give of their time and experience to help students, but with limited avenues to do so. The 2020 Auburn Business Aviation Conference is the perfect solution to increase aviation alumni engagement and to strengthen the network of graduates.

The team that organized the 2019 Business Aviation Day expects this year to be even bigger and with the help of organizations like NBAA, it’s sure to be a success. For more information on Business Aviation Conference, please contact Will Leveille at will.leveille@auburn.edu