Pilot training takes off at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport

David Helfrich of Latrobe enjoys flying planes so much - like taking a trip to Ohio to see his brother - that he wants to take it to another level. He wants to become certified to fly by relying on a plane's instruments, not just by what he can see.

Helfrich, a supervisor at Latrobe Specialty Metals in Latrobe, attends Westmoreland Aviation's training school at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity. He's among 60 pilots and prospective pilots at the school.

The demand for flight training instruction has taken off, prompting Westmoreland Aviation to buy the building it is leasing and to expand by building another facility.

"We are growing so fast," said David Castaldo, president of the school operated by Westmoreland Aviation Holding Co. of Murrysville.

There were six students in the class when Westmoreland Aviation took over the business and hangar from Fly Wright Center in 2009, said Castaldo, who had taken pilot training classes from Fly Wright. Castaldo bought the business in partnership with J.T. Spangler, owner of ITSEnclosures of East Huntingdon.

The school has been enrolling more students through its three-year partnership with Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood. Students undergo a 12-week course in ground school instruction classes.

But the former state police hangar cannot accommodate a classroom, Castaldo said. Westmoreland Aviation uses the Westmoreland County Airport Authority boardroom in the terminal for classes, usually with 15 to 17 students.

Westmoreland Aviation wants to construct a 125-foot-by-50-foot building for its offices and space for classrooms large enough for 30 students. The construction project will cost the company about $300,000, Castaldo said.

Castaldo, who was a chief financial officer and chief executive officer of a Pittsburgh turnaround company before taking over the school, wants to have the new building finished by the end of 2014.

Westmoreland Aviation reached an agreement with the authority in December to acquire its hangar for $165,000, as well as additional property that will allow it to expand at the airport.

The closing on the property and a land-lease agreement for the additional space for a new structure have not been finalized, but likely will occur in a few months, said Gabe Monzo, airport executive director.

Job outlook

More pilots will be needed to fill the vacancies that will be created by the retirement of older pilots, Castaldo said. "There's a big bubble that will burst pretty soon," he said.

Approximately 1 million new commercial airline pilots and maintenance technicians will be needed worldwide by 2031, including 460,000 new commercial airline pilots, according to the 2012 Boeing Pilot & Technician Outlook from Chicago-based Boeing Co., the world's largest aerospace company.

The Asia Pacific region will need 185,600 new pilots by 2031. China alone will need 71,300 pilots. North America will need 69,000 pilots over the next 18 years, while Latin America will need 42,000, Boeing said.

The median pay for airline and commercial pilots is $92,060, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were 103,500 pilots in the United State in 2010 and the bureau projects that the average growth rate for those jobs for the next seven years will be 11 percent, which is about 11,000.

The training at Westmoreland Aviation enables students to become pilots for corporations or individual plane owners, Castaldo said.

To acquire their pilot's license, students need to pass a 60-question knowledge test and take flying lessons with a certified flight instructor for a minimum of 40 hours, as required by the Federal Aviation Administration, Castaldo said. Most take an average of 55 hours of flight training, Castaldo said.

Westmoreland Aviation, which has 15 members in its new Westmoreland Aviators flying club, has five planes for the students. Its 4,800-square-foot hangar fits three planes, so it stores two planes at other airport hangars, he said.

Chelsea McChesney, 22, of Greensburg, is one of seven certified flight instructors at Westmoreland Aviation. McChesney, who has been flying since she was 16, wants to become a pilot for Southwest Airlines.

Electrician David Blackmore, 51, of Murrysville, who is learning to fly at Westmoreland Aviation, said a pilot's license will provide another career option and "I can pick where I want to work."

He said he wants to be a corporate pilot, but there is no hurry. "I'm taking it cautiously. There's a lot to learn," Blackmore said. Matt Livingstone, 33, of Penn Township, who was a police officer for 10 years, was seriously wounded in April 2005 while working for the Forest Hills police department. A gunman shot him in the arm and the bullet then entered his chest.

"I found a good fit. I'm taking a step forward to a new career. This school really does a lot for me," said Livingstone, who wants to be a certified flight instructor.

Livingstone sees similarities in police work and flying a plane. "You resolve yourself to taking a risk," Livingstone said.

Joe Napsha is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-836-5252 or [email protected]