Should AOPA mention to teens/young adults about an airport/airfield operations career?

N918KT

N918KT

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When AOPA talks about aviation careers or holding several aviation education programs (like the High School Initiative) aimed for teens and young adults, the usual aviation careers they usually talk about is professional piloting, UAVs, aircraft maintenance, and ATC. These are some of the most prominent and well-known aviation careers. Sometimes AOPA also talks about aerospace engineering and flight dispatching as other aviation career paths.

However AOPA never mentions airport/airfield operations to teens and young adults/college students as an aviation career.

Should AOPA mention to teens and young adults/college students that airport/airfield operations is another interesting and exciting career path? I think this is one aviation career path that is overlooked and not very well known to most of the general public. Sometimes airport ops get mistaken for ATC or flight dispatching.
 
What did AOPA say about it when you contacted them with your suggestion?
 
N918KT said:
I think this is one aviation career path that is overlooked and not very well known to most of the general public. Sometimes airport ops get mistaken for ATC or flight dispatching.
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The general public is ignorant about most things that are aviation related. Many people think the guy on the ramp with wands is ATC. Oh yeah, and planes use magic pixie dust for lift. ;)

If you want AOPA to put some light on airfield ops, you should contact them and suggest it. Maybe offer to write an article or be interviewed if they are interested. Worse case they say no, supply and demand takes over and you will get a pay raise in the long run.
 
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There are lots of aviation related occupations that AOPA does not inform the public about but then again that isn't their focus. They are not aviation career advisors. They exist for the purpose of advocating for pilots.
 
Hes right about not being in the career helping business
 
It would be great if they did but as others have said there are many different career fields in aviation. This may come as a shock but despite what the engineers will tell you everyone needs business type people. Even aviation companies need PMs, Marketing, HR, Finance etc.
 
Part of the problem with AOPA is they have become the aviation business owners association. Job recruiter is not part of their mission.
 
If they want to go that route, "Piper" and his "dad" the "Airport K-9 Team" at TVC are already far better ambassadors for airport ops folks than any AOPA folks could try and be.

https://www.facebook.com/airportk9/
 
At this point, any exposure is better than what I see - nada. Nothing. zip. zilch.

GA? Is that "Georgia"?

Airplane? They have an app for that ...
 
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