The coalition is right to urge lawmakers to remove the proposed caps on veterans’ aviation education benefits. This situation is similar to what happened after the Vietnam War when the G.I. Bill played a key role in helping the aviation industry meet its need for pilots. In the 1970s and early 1980s, many veterans, including myself, used G.I. Bill funds to complete flight training and become commercial pilots. By the early 1980s, there were 827,000 active pilots in the U.S.—the most ever—thanks to these benefits. Veterans, with their skills and training, were crucial in helping the aviation industry grow and remain stable during this time.
The coalition’s letter highlights that veterans are vital to addressing the current pilot shortage. Imposing financial limits on their flight training would unfairly block their career paths, especially when other educational programs don’t face the same restrictions. Removing these caps would allow veterans to continue playing a key role in the aviation sector, just as they did in the past, helping maintain a strong pilot workforce.