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ISSUE 55 | WINTER 2026

Proactive Midair Collision Avoidance (+ Quiz!) 4 The Illusion of Safety 6 Invitation for USAIG Policyholders: MX Human Factors Training 8

Breaking In: How Internships and Volunteerism Open Doors

A Worthy Habit

JENNY SHOWALTER Founder, Showalter Business Aviation Career Coaching

PAUL RATTÉ USAIG Safety Programs

s a career coach, I hear the same question over and over from people who want to work in business aviation: How do I break in? Not how to advance. Just how to get in.

here are lots of low (or no) cost ‘good-for-you’ habits that we should follow, but sometimes let slide. Staying in touch with extended family, regular exercise and dental hygiene come to mind. A practice you should follow in the 15 minutes after every trip can make you better and safer.

The Business Aviation Mystique Let’s face it. The mystique of business aviation is real. For many aspiring professionals, it appears like a world that exists just beyond reach. From the outside looking in, it can feel closed o and nearly impossible to get a foot in the door. People are drawn to the professionalism, the pace, the aircraft, and the sense of community. What they struggle with is access. When I rst started my career, I participated in marketing trips, calling on ight departments across the country. At that time, many still had a literal front door. You could walk up, see a company name on the door, knock, and have a real conversation with someone inside. Those spontaneous interactions mattered. They created connection, put a face to a name, and made the industry feel human and accessible. Those days are largely gone. The question of how to break in has become harder to answer. If you can’t knock on the door, how are you supposed to get in? And how does an industry that depends on talented, committed people continue to grow if access is limited? Competing for Top Talent

If you’ve watched recent features on Navy and Air Force ight demo teams (thanks Amazon, NetFlix) you’ve seen the rigor they apply to critiquing every ight. They’ve proven it’s a pathway to continually get better and safer (your goals too). Your might not need their level of detail, but in any case where you haven’t taken a few minutes as a crew right after a trip nishes, while everything’s still fresh, to review what was done and learned, you’ve missed out. Ever struggled to articulate how your SMS manifests in your daily routine? Form and stick to a post- ight debrie ng habit and you won’t have that problem.

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By comparison, business aviation often relies on informal networks, timing, and luck. That imbalance puts business aviation at a disadvantage

Formality is not required, but “I’ve got nothing; how ‘bout you?” sells it short. A few questions on a cue card tucked in your ight bag (at least until the habit’s rm) will serve you far better; keeping debriefs short yet thorough.

This challenge is magni ed by the reality that business aviation is competing for talent against an industry that has made entry clear and structured. The airlines have built deep, well-funded pipelines that actively guide interested candidates into Part 121 careers. From university partnerships to cadet programs and clearly de ned career paths, the airlines quite literally hand-walk people into their ranks.

PREMIUM ON SAFETY