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| Pilots of America | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pilots of America |
| Type | Aviation association |
| Founded | 1932 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois |
| Region served | United States |
| Membership | ~25,000 (2024) |
| Leader title | President |
| Leader name | Jane R. Marshall |
Pilots of America is a national association representing civil, commercial, and recreational aviators across the United States. Founded during the interwar period, the organization has served as a forum for professional development, regulatory engagement, and community building among pilots, flight instructors, and aviation technicians. It maintains chapters in major metropolitan areas and liaises with federal agencies, industry groups, and international bodies to influence aviation practice and policy.
Pilots of America traces its origins to a 1932 meeting in Chicago that brought together barnstormers, airmail pilots, and early airline captains seeking to standardize practices after incidents involving aircraft like the Wright Flyer and operators such as Pan American World Airways. During World War II the association intersected with personnel from United States Army Air Forces and veterans transitioning to Transcontinental and Western Air and Eastern Air Lines, influencing civilian reintegration efforts similar to work by Civil Aeronautics Board stakeholders. The postwar expansion paralleled the growth of corporations like Boeing and Douglas Aircraft Company, and the group engaged with regulatory milestones such as the creation of the Federal Aviation Administration and the enactment of the Air Commerce Act. In the jet age Pilots of America interacted with pilot unions and organizations including Air Line Pilots Association and National Air Traffic Controllers Association, while responding to incidents that shaped safety culture, from the Tenerife airport disaster discourse to reforms after accidents involving aircraft like the Lockheed L-1011 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10. Since the 1990s the association has expanded digital services and international partnerships with entities such as International Civil Aviation Organization and Eurocontrol.
The association is governed by an elected board that has included former military leaders from United States Navy carrier aviation and retired commanders from United States Air Force units. Membership tiers mirror professional pathways found at institutions such as Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, United Airlines Flight Training, and regional carriers like Horizon Air. Corporate partners have included legacy manufacturers like Cessna and Lockheed Martin and service providers such as Jeppesen and Rockwell Collins. The chapters operate in cities with major aviation hubs including Los Angeles International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The organization maintains affinity groups for women pilots inspired by pioneers such as Amelia Earhart and Bessie Coleman, veterans transitioning through programs similar to Veterans Affairs initiatives, and youth outreach aligned with programs like Civil Air Patrol and Boy Scouts of America aviation merit badges.
Pilots of America organizes annual gatherings that attract speakers from agencies and companies such as National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration, NASA, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and Airbus. Events include safety summits, symposiums on human factors drawing on research from Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Hospital aviation medicine programs, and career expos with recruiters from carriers including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. Regional fly-ins recall the heritage of airshows at venues like EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and Sun 'n Fun, while the organization coordinates with airport authorities at LaGuardia Airport and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport for infrastructure briefings. Workshops feature instructors from flight schools modeled on curricula at CAE and FlightSafety International, and panels include representatives from Airbus Helicopters and general aviation groups such as Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
The group offers training modules that parallel standards from Federal Aviation Administration certification paths including Private Pilot, Commercial Pilot, and Airline Transport Pilot levels. It maintains partnerships with academic programs at Purdue University and University of North Dakota and training vendors like Simcom for flight simulator access. Courses address type ratings for aircraft such as the Boeing 737, Airbus A320, and rotary platforms like the Sikorsky UH-60 derivative trainers. Continuing education credits align with compliance frameworks promulgated by European Union Aviation Safety Agency and FAA advisory circulars, and the organization assists members in navigating medical certification regimes involving Federal Aviation Administration medical examiners and aeromedical specialists from institutions like Mayo Clinic.
Pilots of America advocates on regulatory issues before the Federal Aviation Administration and congressional committees including the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and has filed position papers on airspace modernization alongside stakeholders such as NextGen proponents and RTCA, Inc.. Safety programs include fatigue risk management influenced by research at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and implementation of safety management systems consistent with ICAO Annexes. The association supported rulemaking on pilot duty time and training reforms after high-profile cases involving carriers such as Colgan Air and worked with National Transportation Safety Board recommendations to upgrade cockpit resource management curricula.
The association publishes a monthly magazine featuring analyses of incidents studied by National Transportation Safety Board, technical articles referencing systems from Garmin and Honeywell Aerospace, and historical essays on milestones like the Wright Brothers National Memorial. It operates a podcast that hosts guests from NASA research centers, airline chief pilots from United Airlines and JetBlue, and authors affiliated with Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Online forums and newsletters circulate policy briefs addressing airspace use near sites like Kennedy Space Center and military-civil operations involving Norfolk Naval Air Station.
Notable members and alumni have included former airline captains who became executives at Delta Air Lines, test pilots associated with NASA Glenn Research Center and Dryden Flight Research Center, and military aviators who served in units such as Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps successors. Prominent figures affiliated with the association have had careers connecting to organizations like Pan Am veterans, pioneers linked to Lockheed SR-71 programs, and educators from institutions such as Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and United States Air Force Academy.