Jamail Larkins, ambassador for the Federal Aviation Administration, visited students at several Florida schools to kick off The DreamLaunch Tour. DreamLaunch exposes students to the Aviation Profession and encourages them to follow their dreams and pursue careers in aviation.
Twenty-five percent of the aviation workforce was eligible to retire in 2008, leaving a huge need for new aviation experts to fill those positions," Larkins said during the presentation at Choctawhatchee High School in Fort Walton Beach. He pointed to statistics warning of a shortage of properly trained pilots needed to meet the demand for airline pilots that is approaching soon.
Larkins told the students that after his first flight 12 years ago he never would have guessed he would be where he is today. "That flight changed my life," Larkins said. "I got hooked on aviation."
"No matter what goal or dream you have, you can turn any dream into a reality," Larkins said. "The first century of flight was exciting. The second promises to be exhilarating."