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Mr. Darby was an aviation career consultant and president of Aviation Information Resources,
Inc. (AIR, Inc.) in Atlanta, Georgia through February of 2009. AIR, Inc. provided a wide array of
aviation related services including out-placement pilot services and career seminars, pilot and
technician career counseling, aviation marketing and product development, employability studies
and career earnings models. He has authored :
The Airline Pilot Application Handbook
Worldwide Simulator Supply Study
Civil Simulator Database
Airline Pilot Career Decision Guide
US Airline Salary Survey
Major Airline Career Earnings Comparison
Airline Pilot Test Kit
Questions-Questions-Airline Interview Guide
Airline Pilot and Technician Seminar Workbooks
Mr. Darby served as the Publisher and Executive Editor of:
The Maintenance Technician Job Monthly Newsletter
Airline Pilot Careers magazine
His technology launch endeavors include:
an online application system (AIRApps) for airlines and pilots featuring automated application
scoring.
The www.Jet-Jobs.com pilot career information web site that contains a 5,000 page archive on-
line, and that peaked at 15,000 visits and 130,000 hits per day.
He has lead and produced over 100 Airline Pilot Career Development Seminars, Forums, and Job
Fairs nationwide since 1985. These were both commercial events and that supported
outplacement activities for union sponsors (Airline Pilots Association, Teamsters, and Allied
Pilots Association) and air carriers. Mr. Darby designed the content and audiovisual
presentations as well as hosted these events for the past twenty years. The venues draw typical
crowds ranging in size from 250 to 700 pilots/technicians and 100 representatives from twenty-
five to thirty-five airlines and pilot training and services vendors.
Additionally, his efforts lead to the production of seven three-hour career workshop programs for:
Furloughed Pilot’s and Technicians
Civilian-to-Airline Pilot Transition
CRM in the Pilot Interview
Pilot and Technicians Resumes and Applications
Airline Pilot Interview Survival
Pilot Testing and Simulator Evaluations
Military-to-Airline Pilot Transition.
Worldwide, Mr. Darby is recognized as an expert in US pilot hiring, pilot selection, pilot supply
and demand forecasting, and interview preparation including: testing, simulator evaluations,
medical exams and personnel interviews. He is regularly quoted in the national media -
newspapers, magazines, and on television, including The Wall Street Journal, Atlanta Journal &
Constitution, New York Times, Flying Magazine, AOPA Pilot, Airline Pilot Magazine, Time
Magazine, Business Week, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and many more.
He has provided labor contract negotiation support to FedEx (company and union), UPS,
Airborne Express, Continental, Netjets, Teamsters, and ALPA. Furthermore he has adapted AIR,
Inc.’s annual Pilot Salary survey to compare the pay, benefits, work rules, and retirement among
the Major, National, Regional airlines and corporate fractional operators.
Additionally, Mr. Darby and AIR, Inc. has provided consulting services to a wide range of
airlines, training organizations, aviation consulting firms, airline unions, and aircraft and
simulator manufactures. Past projects include: worldwide pilot supply and demand studies for
Japan Airlines, AeroStrategy for Oxford Aviation Training, CAE, and the Rand Corporation for
the Air Force: pilot wage, benefit, retirement, and work rule analysis for Boeing, ALPA, APA,
Teamsters, Netjets, UPS, FedEx, Airborne Express and the General Accounting Office; Simulator
supply, demand and rental rate studies for Raymond James, FlightSaftey, and Bombardier.
From 1983 through 1989, Mr. Darby was the Executive Vice President and 1/3 owner of Future
Aviation Professionals of America (FAPA), the largest US aviation career information service at
the time. Responsible for product development, sales, and marketing, Mr. Darby conceived the
Airline Pilot/Maintenance Technician/Flight Attendant Career Day seminars, the annual Pilot
Salary Survey and the Ultimate Career Pilot Starter Kit. While with FAPA, he also co-authored
the self-prep Resume Kit, Simulator Flying Guide, Beginners Guide to Becoming a Career Pilot
and World Wide Pilot Supply Report. Under Mr. Darby's direction, FAPA’s sales grew from
approximately $300,000 in 1983 to over $3.6 million in 1989. Personnel increased from three to
forty- two full and part-time staff.
Since his career in commercial aviation began in 1978, Mr. Darby has interviewed twenty-one
times with seventeen different airlines. Currently, Mr. Darby was a B-757/767 captain at United
Airlines, but has also held positions as a flight engineer, first officer, captain, and instructor pilot
while flying B-717/727/737, DC-8 and DC-9 aircraft. Mr. Darby has also worked for Braniff
International, Capital Air and Republic Airlines. Mr. Darby received his BS in Aeronautical
Studies from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Prior to Embry-Riddle he spent four-years
at NC State University School of Design majoring in Product Design.
Mr. Darby was the chief executive officer of InterFite, Inc. in Homestead, FL, a complete FBO
that included a FAR 141 and VA-approved flight school plus a Cessna aircraft dealership. He was
the Chief Instructor for a B-727 flight engineer school that was part of this school while working
at Braniff as a DC-8 flight engineer and first officer from 1978 to 1980.
As a captain in the US Army, Mr. Darby established training programs, wrote flight training
manuals and trained instructor pilots in all Army fixed-wing aircraft (T-41, T-42, U-8, U-21, and
OV-1). Mr. Darby co-authored the initial Army Aircrew Training Manuals for each Army fixed-
wing aircraft. He was standardization Instructor Pilot and Instrument Examiner in all active Army
fixed-wing aircraft and a rotary-wing Instrument Examiner. Mr. Darby held the Flight
Commander position for each Army fixed-wing aircraft graduate flight training courses and the
instructor pilot course. He was the fixed-wing branch chief at the Department of Army-wide
Flight Standards for two years. In this position he and his teams traveled to large Army aviation
bases throughout the US and overseas conducting training audits and giving spot check rides to
local pilots, examiners, and instructors. For twenty-three years, he was active in the Army and the
Georgia National Guard flying the OV-1 Mohawk as an instrument flight examiner and
standardization instructor pilot. In the National Guard he conducted CRM, ground and flight
training for his unit and other units throughout Georgia. He achieved more than 4,000 hours of
military flight experience and 2,500 hours as an instructor pilot and instrument examiner
conducting basic single and multi-engine, instrument, aerobatic, simulator, and tactical
instruction and evaluations.
He id currently employed as a B-717 and B-737 flight and ground instructor at the Boeing Flight
Training in Atlanta, GA.
His pilot qualifications include: 20,513 hours total time, 16,221 hours jet time, ATP with B-
717/727/737/757/767 and DC-8 type ratings, flight instrument and engineer instructor,
commercial instrument helicopter pilot, CFI/II/MEI 15 years, plus military instructor and
instrument examiner ratings in 2 helicopters and 5 fixed-wing multiengine aircraft over 23 years.
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