Now is the time to restructure and learn

Set your business up for success

Getting back up isn’t easy, but to paraphrase the famous Theodore Roosevelt quote, like life, nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Many aviation-related businesses have been forced to restructure to survive, and right now it may feel like training to run a race without knowing the distance.

David Cattin, owner of Cirrus Aviation, a 26-year-old flight school in Sarasota, Florida, said he believes “the key to survival, is not only to fight for today, but to be ready to win tomorrow.” Cattin is the owner of a small business that survived the aviation pains associated with the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 economic crisis when many other small aviation businesses did not. Cattin advises to continue advertising, marketing, and modernizing. “The arrival of new technology, such as new airplanes and flight simulators, will win tomorrow,” explains Cattin.

Set yourself up for success

Have you gotten rid of all the things that make you personally unhappy and embraced the things you are most passionate about?

Cattin recently told a remarkable story: “I’ve had six walk-ins over the past few weeks, people from the local area that always wanted to fly. In all my years I can tell you that this almost never happens.” The coronavirus pandemic helped push these individuals over the line. They knew deep down they wanted to be in the air and now there they were, in the lobby of a flight school taking the next step.

Brian Neff, chief pilot of Kent State University in Ohio, echoes this sentiment of fighting for and using the day, saying, “Our goal has been to not view this time as time lost, but time to get ahead.” For those young pilots already out there, Neff said he believes the airline world will become more competitive compared to the previous five to 10 years and recommends using this time that we are away from our normal routines to "challenge ourselves and make us more marketable when hiring resumes. This is a great opportunity to add a tailwheel endorsement, learn to fly a glider, earn a Part 65 dispatcher’s certificate, or pursue a master’s degree in something that interests you. Even if you do not think it will directly correlate to your dream job, the experiences you create by forcing yourself out of your comfort zone could become a differentiator on a job interview someday.”

Who knows what that might look like? Several months ago, I didn’t envision writing an article about a global pandemic. However, like life, aviation is rapidly evolving. The coronavirus pandemic creates many opportunities for younger pilots, as Neff explains, to gain experience slowly before the full recovery, and for those not yet flying, to start. Who knows, you might be flying unmanned aircraft in a few years. Before long, we might see customers getting private pilot certificates in order to move to the more commercial part of that industry.

In short, this pandemic has been a teacher, a real pain-in-the-butt teacher, but a teacher nonetheless. We’ve learned a lot about our spouses, our friends, our employers, and our jobs. However, probably most importantly, we’ve learned a lot about ourselves. For me, it has helped reinforce one of my life slogans: There is no better time than the present. So, whether you want to learn to fly, get a seaplane rating, or mentor a student—whatever it may be, go for it because now is the time to do it.—By Scott Firsing.

Scott Firsing is a sales and business development associate for Alsim Americas.