Aviators For Autism is a new non-profit providing autism families tools to travel and enable aviation to tap into the autism community as talent pipeline.
Aviators For Autism Founder and Executive Director Antonio Ferrara is the son of a Part 121 airline pilot. He has built his career in business aviation and is also the father of a nonverbal autistic son.
Ferrara followed his father into aviation, spending the past decade at Talon Air.
He is currently the director of quality control at the Vista Global aircraft management and charter operator.
Board Members include Talon Air CEO James Chitty and autism advocate Josh Mirsky.
“Our mission is to promote exposure and awareness of aviation among individuals on the autism spectrum,” Ferrera tells Private Jet Card Comparisons.
He says, “We strive to create inclusive opportunities through social events, employment initiatives, airport walkthroughs, scholarships, and more.”
Ferrara continues, “Our focus is on fostering a supportive community that advocates for accessibility, inclusion, and education in the aviation industry.”
Ferrara points to a 2019 IBCCE survey that found 87% of families with an autistic child didn’t take family vacations.
He says there are 20 million families in the U.S. that have an autistic family member.
However, thanks to the generosity of aviation leaders and its regulatory community, Aviators For Autism is already helping autism families travel by air.
A recent walkthrough at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, New York, enabled autistic individuals to experience how security and airport procedures work.
Allowing autistic individuals to experience airport procedures via walk-throughs makes them comfortable traveling by air.
In a high-employment economy where aviation companies find it harder to recruit talent, Ferrera believes the autism community is a fertile pipeline.
He has been contacting aviation and vocational schools about developing specific programs.
Fly Alliance, which has a used parts division, recently committed to donated scrap fuselages for training programs.
Ferrara plans to put one on a trailer that can be used for air travel familiarization programs via local events.
The fuselages can also be made available to vocational schools that offer programs for autistic individuals.
One of his biggest goals is education.
“There is a stereotype about what an autistic individual is,” says Ferrara.
“There are gifted High IQ individuals who would be ideal for complicated data and engineering projects. Other autistic individuals would be ideal for ramp agents and flight coordinator positions, but the key is looking at autistic individuals individually instead of typecasting them,” Ferrara says.
The group is a 501C3 pending non-profit organization.
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