Airport executives around the world read Airport Magazine to stay informed on airport issues.

The magazine’s readership of more than 23,000 includes members of the American Association of Airport Executives, aviation policymakers and high-ranking government officials from the U.S. and around the world, corporate executives from every sector of the global aviation industry and more.

This award-winning magazine, published seven times per year by the American Association of Airport Executives, has been the publication of choice for airport executives around the globe since 1989, keeping them informed about critical issues facing airports today.

June/July (Vol. 19, No. 4) | airfield lighting/navaids: LEDs and funding via FAA’s Non-fed program; GIS; the future of checkpoint security.

Download Airport Magazine, June/July 2007

PDF format, 1.6MB, 33Pages.

Features

COVER: Wildlife Management
(1 of 2) Man Vs. Nature | 27
Airports are constantly fighting a high-stakes battle against mother nature’s creatures.
(2 of 2) Striking Developments | 30
Increased reporting and better technology are giving industry unparalleled intelligence on bird strike trends.

Court Case
Case Closed | 24
In “City of Dania Beach, Florida, et al. v. Federal Aviation Administration,” the court holds FAA must follow its own runway use procedures.

Ramp Security
Ramp Clampdown | 43
Awareness and adherence to policy may help the industry avoid 100-percent employee physical screening.

Baggage Handling
First Person: Catherine Mayer | 48
SITA VP – Airport Services Catherine Mayer talks baggage handling technology with Airport Magazine.

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Solving The Recruitment Riddle

This issue’s Inner Marker features an interesting letter from a reader who would like nothing more than to do what many of you do: work at an airport. Read on:

Dear Mr. Broderick,
For the past 15 years, I have constantly heard that there is a great need for airport managers. That debate has always left me scratching my head wondering how that could be true. First, let me tell you about myself.

I decided at the age of 24 that I wanted to manage airports. I sold my home and moved to Florida to attend Florida Institute of Technology.

Four years later, I graduated with honors and a degree in aviation management. I cannot explain the excitement, as I started to make contacts and realize that I may soon reach my goal. Besides the standard excuses of hiring freezes, I could not find a job. After spending four years and fifty grand on this education, I was no better off and even had one manager tell me he just started his career by picking up trash at the airport he now managed. That made me feel an education in aviation was worthless.

Fifteen years later, I still have never had the chance to do what I always wanted. Since then, I have earned a masters’ degree in logistics and work at a large corporation in the logistics division, but I still want to work in aviation. I would move to any airport in the Southeastern U.S. to get a chance, but now being over 40 makes it even tougher to get looked at for positions. I must have sent 400 resumes and I have never gotten anywhere with this profession. My question is with the advanced ages of many of the airport managers, where will all the replacements come from for these positions?

It is still my hope to work in operations at an airport somewhere in the Southeast. I love aviation and want to be involved with it in some way.

So, the next time someone says there is a shortage of trained aviation professionals, please let them know that we are out here waiting for someone to give us a chance.

Regards,
Glenn P. Clinger III
Easley, S.C.

First, a few thoughts on Mr. Clinger’s letter. While I’m not about to challenge the value of an aviation management education, I’m fairly confident in saying that one of the best ways to rise through the ranks is to start out an airport “picking up trash.”

Thanks to efforts like AAAE’s Accreditation and ACE programs, airport employees at all levels have ample opportunities to further their educations without relying on an aviation management degree. This is one effective way to feed the pipeline, ensuring that airport managers of today will be succeeded by capable managers tomorrow.

Of course, none of this helps aspiring airport workers, like Mr. Clinger, who can’t catch the break they need to get into the business. AAAE offers AirportJobsOnline.com for both recruiters and aspiring job-seekers, but some airports report challenges finding candidates—or the right candidates, at least—for myriad jobs. (One airport even commissioned our ANTN multimedia division to produce a recruitment video.)

Does your airport have problems filling slots? Are you getting sufficient applications from qualified candidates when you post job vacancies? If your answers are “no” and “yes,” respectively, please consider sharing the secrets to your success with me—and we will consider sharing them, via these pages, with others who may not be so well off.

Sean Broderick
Editor

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