Thank you for all your questions during our ATO Of The Future Webinar. John Bent and Chris Ranganathan have answered the 28 questions we ran out of time to answer during the live webinar. Take a look at their informed responses.

As the Covid-19 pandemic persists, and students return to campuses across the United States, there has not been a significant decline in the number of students enrolled in pilot-degree programs, according to a survey of aviation educators. Nearly 90% of schools report “little or no change.”

Only one school reported more than 15% cancellations or degree changes. About one-quarter indicated a “melt” of 5-15% in students committed to attending (though up from 10% a month ago). One-third are seeing less than 5% change, and 26.47% indicated all enrolled students plan to attend.

Surprisingly, in the wake of the devastation in the airline industry, nearly 40% of the universities will have a higher number of students than started a year ago. Only 15% expect a lower number, and 36.4% are level with 2019.

Ken Byrnes, Chair of the Flight Training Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), who moderates the ad-hoc national group’s periodic Zoom discussions, cautioned, “As the airline industry slows, interest can start to wane,” but he reminded that the process of becoming an airline pilot “is a four- to five-year journey, and the industry is going to need a significant amount of pilots in the near future.”

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This guest commentary is offered by Christian Popp, Chief Customer Officer of MINT Software Systems. Christian looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed our personal and professional relationship with technology.

Missed the opening sessions of our APATS 2020 virtual conference? Don't worry, you can catch up with all the day one discussions here.

CAT Editor-in-Chief Rick Adams spoke with the ECA’s Capt. Otjan de Bruijn about the uncertain prospects for pilots of European carriers.

Pilots flying for airlines based in European Union countries are perhaps more at risk than their American counterparts for two critical reasons: so-called “self-employment” contracts at low-cost carriers and a smaller pool of senior pilots expected to retire.

Of the 65,000 pilots represented by the European Cockpit Association, about 12,000 were hired under what ECA refers to as “atypical” contracts, i.e. self-employed freelancers rather than airline employees in schemes used by such airlines as Norwegian and Ryanair. Capt. Otjan de Bruijn, Vice President of the volunteer-run association and a B777 pilot for KLM, told CAT they conservatively estimate half of such pilots lost their jobs early in the Covid crisis.

In addition, ECA estimates another 9,000 traditional pilot jobs are at risk, or 15,000 total.

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Modest Tree, a global software development company specializing in augmented and virtual reality simulations and training, announced that its Founder and CEO Sam Sannandeji has been recognized by Atlantic Business Magazine as one of Atlantic Canada’s Top 50 CEOs for 2020.

CAT Editor-in-Chief Rick Adams, FRAeS, talks with Kit Darby, one of the leading experts on professional pilot careers about the state of the North American aviation market – recovery, retirements, furloughs, pay packages, and advice for moving to the head of the queue when hiring restarts (perhaps sooner than you think).

The second section of this five part series is on Furloughs, Leaves of Absence, and the US CARES Act .

Kit discusses “what scares him more” than the coronavirus.  Also, furloughs, leaves of absence, and what happens when the CARES Act expires in October.