In an effort to expose students to the opportunities present in aviation careers, the Central Florida Business Aviation Association (CFBAA) will sponsor a business aviation day on April 1 at Daytona Beach International Airport. The organization teamed with local high schools, colleges, and universities that offer aviation curricula, and the event at the Sheltair FBO—a combination career fair and aircraft display—will be free for students, educators, and faculty members. With the state being a hotbed for aviation activity, CFBAA will collect resumes from all attendees and provide them to local industry employers.

“There has never been a better time to get into aviation, but few people know about the opportunities,” explained Jordan Scales, CFBAA’s business aviation day coordinator. “Business aviation is a major industry in Florida, and with aviation universities like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and manufacturers like Melbourne-based Embraer Executive Jets and Vero Beach-based Piper Aircraft, it has a huge footprint in the area.”

The event will include breakfast and lunch with discussions from top industry leaders. Among them: NBAA chief Ed Bolen; Michael Amalfitano, CEO of Embraer Executive Jets; former NTSB chair and now Embry-Riddle faculty member Robert Sumwalt; jetAviva CEO Emily Deaton; Deb Higgins, v-p of sales for Speedbird; Sheltair COO Todd Anderson; Ryan Waguespack, NATA’s senior v-p, CFBAA president and corporate pilot David Keys; and business aviation careers coach Jenny Showalter.