HAMPTON, Va. — A nationwide pilot and air traffic controller shortage have left many facilities understaffed. Some of the country's top programs are working to combat this by training the next generation of aviators.
WTKR News 3 is highlighting aviation programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities during Black History Month — and they're right here in Hampton Roads.
Watch related: A look at air traffic controller staffing declining in recent years
Elizabeth City State University and Hampton University have highly-ranked aviation programs. When speaking to students about their career goals, one program participant opened up about her desire for diversity in the industry.
"I didn’t even know being a pilot was an option for me. Not just because I’m Black, but because I’m a female as well," Mariah Ervin, a junior at Elizabeth City State University said.
Ervin has a career goal of becoming a commercial airline pilot.
"A big thing in aviation is exposure. Even me being on a plane for the first time, I was exposed to aviation and fell in love with it. But initially I just thought about being a flight attendant because I didn’t know being a pilot was an option for me," she said.
Ervin got her private pilot license while she was in high school.
"Right now, I’m working on my commercial pilot license," Ervin said.
Watch previous coverage: Hampton University to expand aviation program amid FAA's air traffic controller shortage
In 2024, Congress set aside $240 million to alleviate aviation workforce issues and pilot shortages. The funding is going to schools and aviation-related education efforts, allowing them to lower costs for students.
Xyroux Cooper, another Elizabeth City State University, decided to pursue a career in the industry in part due to the current shortage in pilots.
"There’s a shortage across the entire aviation industry. That’s also part of the reason I jumped in at a perfect time," Cooper said.
But pilots aren't the only eyes in the sky needed: Another problem plaguing the industry is a nationwide air traffic controller shortage, which the FAA previously said could last until the 2030s.
Recent data shows the FAA has made strides. The agency hired 1,800 air traffic controllers at the end of 2024.
Timothy Johnson, a retired air traffic controller and aviation professor at Hampton University, says there are many reasons for the shortage.
"One is retirement. Two is you have to pass a flight physical every year," Johnson said. "Then the time it takes to become a controller and all of the training. It takes a couple of years to get certified."
Elizabeth City State University and Hampton University's programs also offer training for those interested in becoming an air traffic controller, like Hampton University student Brianna Mcleod.
"After graduation, I’m prepared to go into the aviation field. I’ve already taken the test needed to become an air traffic controller and I passed. I’m waiting on an offer letter," Mcleod said.
To help the agency meet its hiring goal, the FAA says they are continuing to recruit controllers with prior air traffic experience from the military industry.
