Flight Training - May 2021 - 43

ADVANCED PILOT CAREER PILOT

SILVER LINING, PART 2

FINALLY!
A CARD
FOR PILOTS.

MORE GOOD NEWS ON THE HORIZON
BY WAYNE PHILLIPS

Cash Back1 on
purchases at FBOs
& Flight Schools2-3 and
on purchases of
Aviation & Auto Fuel2-3
A CASH BACK1 REDEMPTION IS APPLIED AS A STATEMENT CREDIT.
QUARTERLY BONUS POINT CAP OF 2,500 POINTS

LEIGH CAULFIELD

IT IS TRUE WHAT IS SAID ABOUT SOCIAL

media: It can be a blessing or a curse.
Lots of good information and support
comes to the user, but trolls and naysayers are rampant as well. Perusing
Facebook posts recently, an aspiring
professional pilot reached out to his
fellow aviators for encouragement and
advice. Young Stu, aiming for an airline
career, posted a simple query: " Hey,
everyone, I'm planning on starting
flight training soon and have been
researching sources for financial aid.
I am 28 years old and already have my
BA degree. The only source that I have
found that I currently qualify for is
from the AOPA. "
As might be expected, another
armchair social media " expert " chimed
in with a doom-and-gloom scenario
piercing the high aspirations of Stu.
Citing recent layoffs of high-time pilots
at major airlines, Mister S. told him he
might want to reconsider: " Just sayin...
the world has turned again...they might
not be coming back for quite some time. "

" Career Pilot: Silver Lining " (January/
February 2021 Flight Training) looked at
future pilot hiring trends, featuring the
best thinking of one of aviation's foremost prognosticators, Kit Darby. The
conclusion: Hiring will come back strong
in time. Since that article, a renowned
company has come forward with yet
another forecast that should brighten the
day of any future aviation professional.
So, for Stu's sake and for all of those still
wondering if enrolling in a professional
pilot program was not so smart in view of
the state of the COVID world, read on.
The initials " CAE " (formerly Canadian Aviation Electronics) conjure up
visions of long and grueling sessions
in a magnificent, mega-million-dollar,
Level D simulator. Walk through American Airlines Flight Academy in Fort
Worth or JetBlue University in Orlando
and you will see rows of CAE simulators rocking to and fro. CAE not only
builds simulators but also trains pilots.
CAE is JetBlue's training partner in
JetBlue's Gateway Program in Arizona.
AOPA.ORG/FT 43

Visit

AOPA.org/creditcard
to learn more.

*Certain points and purchases restrictions apply, see full Rewards
Terms and Conditions for full details at AOPA.org/creditcard.
1. Rewards points can be redeemed for Cash Back or other items provided through AOPA Pilot Rewards. A Cash Back redemption is applied
as a statement credit. The statement credit will reduce your balance
but you are still required to make at least your minimum payment. A
minimum of 2,500 points is needed to redeem for Cash Back. Values
for non-cash back redemption items such as merchandise, gift cards,
and travel may vary. 2. Please note that merchants self-select the category in which transactions will be listed and some merchants may be
owned by other companies, therefore transactions may not be counted
in the category you might expect. Purchases made using Near Field
Communication (NFC), virtual wallets, or similar technology may not
be eligible for bonus points. 3.You will earn 4% Cash Back (1 regular
point + 3 bonus points = 4%) for every $1 of Net Merchandise Purchases on select AOPA purchases, 3% Cash Back (1 regular point + 2 bonus
points = 3%) for every $1 of Net Merchandise Purchases made at select
AOPA partners, 2% Cash Back (1 regular point + 1 bonus points = 2%)
for every $1 of Net Merchandise Purchases made at FBOs (fixed based
operators), aviation and auto fuel, and flight schools, and 1% Cash
Back (or 1 point) for every $1 of other Net Merchandise Purchases. For
example, if you spend $100, you will earn 100 points which is equal to
$1 in Cash Back rewards. A maximum of 2,500 bonus points will be
awarded per calendar quarter, per rewards account. Please allow up
to five business days after the transaction posts to your account for
bonus points to be awarded.

http://www.AOPA.org/creditcard http://www.AOPA.org/creditcard http://www.AOPA.ORG/FT

Flight Training - May 2021

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