NASA’s Astronaut Catherine Coleman piloting a Cessna 172, using a flight simulator as others gather around and watch her fly
WESTFIELD – Recently, the Westfield State University Aviation Program attended the presentation opportunity at the 175th Anniversary Gala at Westfield State. Representing the department was Aviation Coordinator Christine Irujo, Student Pilot Collen Irujo, and Certified Flight Instructor Muneeb “Moon” Mahmood, on behalf of Westfield Flight Academy. They had a flight simulator set up and were allowing everyone to give it a try. Among one of the person to try the simulator were Kathleen “Cady” Coleman. Cady a retired United States Air Force Colonel, and a current NASA astronaut. She is a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions, and has logged more than 4,330 hours in space.
“The aviation industry is a large field which allows a wide range of career opportunities such as pilots, air traffic controllers, mechanics, aircraft engineers, aircraft inspectors, and the list goes on” says Moon. “Recently, according to Boeing, Boeing has forecasted a need for 466,650 more commercial pilots by the year of 2029, that’s roughly an average of about 23,000 new pilots a year,” he says.
The Federal Aviation Administration also known as the FAA has a regulation which applies to airline pilots. It states that all airline pilots regardless of what position they hold such as Captain or First Officer must retire when they turn 65 years old. Many of those positions are currently held by the Baby Boomer Generation, which are starting to hit that point. With air travel increasing and pilots retiring this creates a shortage for pilots. The shortage is already starting to take place, as recently Republic Airlines announced to its investors that many of their aircraft will not be flying due to fewer pilots in their flight decks.
Aviation coordinator Christine says, “This is why we are here and getting the word out so students within the local cities, towns, and even states around us, that have an interest in aviation know that Westfield State University offers an aviation program to its students,”. She also states, “If we get the word out there we can most definitely be on the radar scope for students around the nation who look to go to college for aviation.
