By John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College

From a childhood nightmare to an adult dream, flying has been a big deal for me. But I would have never guessed my college, and nearby Cobb County, could play such a big deal in some big changes in the aviation industry in America.

One of my scariest memories growing up was an incident that happened while I was waiting for my folks to fly home. While they were at their gate, waiting for their plane, another flight from the same airline company crashed shortly after takeoff, with all aboard and a few folks on the ground perishing. This was before the age of cell phones and quick confirmations that all was okay. That morning, I learned the importance of having a working plane and good pilots.

Since another crash nearly 15 years ago, due to pilot error, there are all kinds of rules about how many hours of training those who operate the aircraft must take. The Federal Aviation Administration made a rule to boost training for co-pilots. As USA Today reports “The rule requires co-pilots, also known as first officers, to get the same 1,500 hours of flight time as pilots for their certification to fly passenger and cargo planes. Previously, co-pilots were required to have 250 hours of flight time. The rule grew out of the Colgan crash in February 2009 near Buffalo, where 50 people died. Pilot fatigue, training and qualifications were all factors in that crash. Congress directed the FAA to develop rules for more training after the National Transportation Safety Board found the Colgan pilots made mistakes that stalled their turboprop plane in a snowstorm.”

These rules, coupled with pandemic-era cutbacks on flights and pilots themselves created a perfect storm, when we saw images at airports of stranded passengers and grounded planes earlier this year, especially at Southwest Airlines, the carrier I try to fly the most. And the pilot shortage is only going to get worse. CNBC reports “Management consulting firm Oliver Wyman estimates the industry is facing a deficit of about 8,000 pilots, or 11% of the total workforce, and says the shortfall could reach 30,000 pilots by 2025.”

In a potential solution, Georgia Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock introduced the AIRWAYS Act, which stands for “the Advancing Inclusion and Representation in the Workforce of Aviation and Transportation Systems. The bill establishes a grant program to support the education, recruitment and workforce development of aircraft pilots and technicians, encourages participation of underrepresented populations in the airline industry and strengthens aviation programs at minority-serving institutions,“ according to Rachel Looker with USA Today.

Warnock made the announcement at the DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, but he just as easily could have made it at Cobb County’s International Airport and McCollum Field, which has no less than four flight schools along with an impressive array of other services which will make you look there first before seeing what’s available at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Southwest Atlanta.

Another solution is to have flight training schools partner up with existing colleges, the way Paragon Flight School of Florida teamed up with LaGrange College in West Georgia, to allow students the chance to earn their Bachelor’s Degree, how to fly, and a chance to earn a minor in aviation, as reported by Gabriela Johnson with WTVM in Columbus. The pilot shortage clearly presents a problem for Georgia travelers, but an opportunity for bold Georgians to solve it, thanks to the local international airport and regional colleges as well.

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. His views are his own. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. His Twitter account is JohnTures2.