For the first time in Women in Aviation International conference history, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) is conducting interviews onsite at the nonprofit organization’s 30th annual conference, being held March 14-16 in Long Beach, California. At the event, the USAF announced its "Pathway to Pilot” initiative. Candidates can sign up online at www.airforce.com/WAI and will be assessed as potential candidates in Long Beach for officer and pilot slot positions. Those selected would go through Officer Training School with USAF.

Business aviation companies are looking for new employees at WAI, as well. XOJet human resources representatives are in the exhibit hall speaking with potential hires, as is Desert Jet’s founder Denise Wilson, and representatives from numerous corporate flight departments.

Hiring briefings for aviation positions with regional and major freight and passenger airlines, aerospace manufacturers, and aerospace support companies are happening today and tomorrow, with 20 companies providing 45-minute open sessions to outline their basic application procedures, discuss available positions, and their requirements for employment, as well as answer frequently asked new-hire questions.

This week’s WAI conference has drawn an estimated 4,000 in attendance and is hosting more than 40 educational sessions and 160 exhibitors. Highlighted speakers for the event include Gwynne Shotwell, COO and president at SpaceX; Tammie Jo Shults, noted Southwest Airlines airline captain; Ellen Stofan, Mars director for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum; and Heidi Capozzi, senior v-p of human resources for The Boeing Company.