Captain (Ret.) Peter J. Wolfe

Executive Director, PABC

Retired USAF & USAFR Pilot and Regional Airline Capt. (1988)
Head of Southwest’s CRM & HF Program (1993-2002)
Chair of ATA’s (A4A’s) HF Committee (1998-2002)
Retired Southwest Airlines Capt. (2002)
Executive Director for PABC, a U.S. Non-Profit Charity, from 2003 to present

Enhancing Preparation for Flying Careers

At WATS 2022, PABC demonstrated the value of our knowledge testing for new hire pilots at U.S. airlines. But this year, because so many airlines have started their own, dedicated pilot training programs, PABC has shifted our testing to support the two and four year collegiate flight training programs across the U.S. Did you know that there are approximately 115 of them, not counting the roughly 100 High School flight programs that are now in operation.

We’re grateful to the University Aviation Association (UAA) for that data since it is the basis for our presentation. But counting the number of colleges and/or student head counts will NOT be our focus today. Instead, we’ll be demonstrating how PABC’s cyclical testing of students’ knowledge during their two years of study at a community college or four years at a university will enhance their preparation for entering their flying careers.

Through PABC’s testing, the students, their instructors, and program managers will all benefit. How we achieve that is the story we’ll be delighted to present to our WATS 2023 audience.