A New Way to Launch and Sustain Aviation Careers
Inspiring the next generation of aviation professionals might just start with a few clicks. That’s the idea behind The BreakTurn Academy, a free, online hub designed to help anyone, from high school students to retiring airline captains, discover and navigate their place in aviation.
Hosted at app.breakturn.com, The Academy is the newest initiative from BreakTurn, the company that pioneered the first aviation-specific Department of Defense (DoD) SkillBridge program. After years of helping service members transition into civilian aerospace careers, BreakTurn is using that same expertise to make aviation guidance accessible to everyone.
“The BreakTurn Academy is a way for us to provide real information in an easily digestible and lasting format,” says Austin Roth, co-founder and President of BreakTurn and The BreakTurn Foundation. “It’s based on our experience counseling thousands of service members transitioning into the civil aerospace sector, and we want to expand that to veterans and non-veterans alike.”
Three words sum up the platform’s mission: Free. Accessible. Actionable.
Scaling SkillBridge Success
BreakTurn’s story began with a simple mission: help military aviators and maintainers bridge the gap between service and civilian careers. The company built its foundation around the Department of Defense SkillBridge program, which allows service members to spend up to their final six months of active duty in civilian internships, training programs, or gaining on-the-job experience, all while still being paid by the military.
Before BreakTurn, aviation-specific SkillBridge opportunities were rare. Roth and co-founder Landon Cheben saw an unmet need and built partnerships with flight schools, maintenance programs, helicopter air ambulance operators, and Part 91 and 135 flight departments to create a pipeline for transitioning military members. “We didn’t start with a big business plan,” Roth recalls. “We just wanted to help people. It snowballed from there.”
In just a few years, BreakTurn became the first and largest aviation-specific SkillBridge provider, facilitating hundreds of placements and offering free career counseling to thousands more. Those sessions often became less about job placement and more about confidence, identity, and understanding value in the civilian market.
“Someone might have 3,000 flight hours or ten years maintaining multimillion-dollar aircraft and still have no idea how to present that to a civilian employer,” Cheben explains. “Sometimes all they need is five minutes of honest guidance.”
Cheben’s mantra is simple: “Action beats deliberation.” For him, the hardest part of any career change is starting. “For many people, it could be as simple as logging on one time and spending five or ten minutes educating yourself on a possible career,” he says. “That small action—just looking—can open doors you didn’t know existed.”
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The Birth of The BreakTurn Academy
As BreakTurn grew, the team faced a new challenge: scalability. The hands-on counseling that defined their early work could only reach so many people. They needed a way to turn their hard-earned knowledge into something widely available—and still free. That idea became The BreakTurn Academy.
Built as a comprehensive online resource, The Academy offers clear, practical guidance for anyone exploring or advancing an aviation career. It’s more than a collection of web pages—it’s a mission-driven platform designed to expand opportunity across the entire aerospace sector. “We see this as a useful tool for everyone—from high schoolers considering a career in aviation to professionals who’ve been in the industry for years,” says Roth. “And we want them all to be able to use it for free.”
At its core, the Academy represents a bold idea: Career knowledge should be free, accessible, and actionable.
Inside The BreakTurn Academy
Unlike traditional training sites or career portals, The BreakTurn Academy doesn’t charge fees or hide information behind memberships. Instead, it focuses on clarity, relevance, and accessibility, with a design that meets users where they are—whether they’re exploring, training, or transitioning.
Career Pathways and Custom Modules
Users can create a free profile that tailors content to their background and goals. The system considers prior experience, certificates, education level, and even desired retirement age, then generates personalized guidance on training, funding, and career planning.
Behind the scenes, the platform dynamically adjusts learning modules delivering relevant text, videos, links and other resources that can be revisited anytime. It’s designed to answer questions both big and small, from “What’s ATP-CTP?” to “How can I use my GI Bill to become an A&P?”
Flight School Finder
Choosing a training path can be overwhelming. The Academy’s Flight School Finder helps users search and compare aviation schools across the U.S.—from large Part 141 academies to smaller Part 61 operators. Each listing includes details on costs, programs, and certifications offered, making it easier to plan the path to the cockpit.
Scholarship Database
Funding is one of aviation’s biggest barriers. The BreakTurn Academy’s scholarship database tackles that problem head-on, hosting over 1,100 verified aviation scholarships. Listings are sorted by category—flight, maintenance, collegiate, and more—and include eligibility, deadlines, and requirements.
Deals and Discounts for Aviation Professionals
The Academy also features an ever-growing list of exclusive discounts from leading aviation brands like Bose, David Clark, Jetseam, and Amberjack. It’s a small but meaningful way to help professionals save on the tools they need most—whether it’s a headset, uniform gear, or training equipment.
Together, these tools make The BreakTurn Academy a true one-stop resource for aviation education, career planning, and professional growth.
The Maintainers: Aviation’s Brittle Backbone
Among all the pathways in The BreakTurn Academy, one stands out for its urgency: Aviation Maintenance. “I keep asking CEOs and Presidents of aviation companies to tell me about their hiring needs and they always start with pilots,” Roth recounts. “As soon as I ask about maintainers they go on and on about how much worse they need maintainers.”
Connecting the dots between the companies needing maintainers and people who are already qualified or interested in a maintenance career is challenging but not impossible.
“As many people are realizing, the trades are less susceptible to the impact of AI and economic downturns than many white-collar jobs,” Roth explains. “Jobs in aviation maintenance and drones can be very lucrative and don’t require nearly the time or financial investment that many far less lucrative jobs do. They just need someone to chart a course for them and show them the way.”
Roth’s background as an Army Black Hawk pilot gives him a deep appreciation for the technicians who kept his aircraft mission-ready and a frustration with how often their talents go untapped after military service. “We are very passionate about maintainers,” he says. “Many of them don’t realize their own value and what they have to offer the industry after their military career. It’s a shame that most leave their experience and qualifications behind when they have a six-figure career at their fingertips.”
The Academy’s Maintenance Pathway provides step-by-step guidance on FAA certification, trade schools, and scholarship opportunities in order to help skilled maintainers turn experience into civilian credentials and high-paying jobs.
Beyond Pilots and Mechanics
While much of aviation focuses on flying and fixing, BreakTurn’s vision is broader. The Academy’s growing library includes, or soon will include career tracks for drone pilots, dispatchers, and air traffic controllers, reflecting the industry’s expanding scope.
“Our main goal is to expand the number of people interested in pursuing a career in all aspects of aviation,” Roth says. “We want any job that requires an aviation-specific certificate or education to be found inside The Academy and keeping it free is absolutely critical.”
This holistic approach mirrors the future of aerospace itself: interconnected, technology-driven, and dependent on a wide range of skills.
Career Advice for a Lifetime
The BreakTurn Academy isn’t just about starting a career. It’s about sustaining one. Aviation is a lifelong journey, and Roth believes guidance shouldn’t end once the first job offer arrives.
“You wouldn’t believe how many soon-to-be retired airline captains have no idea what, if anything, they can do after they’re forced to retire at 65,” he says. “The BreakTurn Academy even has something for them. Career advice doesn’t end at your first job. It’s necessary through the end of your last.”
That career-long perspective is what sets BreakTurn apart. The company isn’t just helping people enter aviation. It’s helping them stay, adapt, and thrive throughout their careers.
Partnering for Progress
As The BreakTurn Academy grows, BreakTurn is looking for partners who share its vision. While the company’s SkillBridge placement business continues to thrive, the Academy opens a new frontier where education, industry collaboration, and outreach intersect. “We’re looking for partners who are as passionate as we are about growing interest in aviation careers,” Roth says. “That includes flight schools, aviation companies, manufacturers, associations, and even marketing partners who believe we’re going to have to do more than find aviation professionals. We’re going to have to build them.”
BreakTurn has more than proven that they can connect with potential aviation professionals. They already have over 2,200 users on The Academy app. In three years, they grew a pre-RTAG Conference mixer from 250 people to over 750 in Denver, Colo. in October this year. Clearly their message is resonating with potential employees.
For potential partners, the opportunity is clear: contribute to a meaningful cause while connecting with a motivated, aviation-focused audience. With pilot and mechanic shortages persisting, BreakTurn’s initiative combines authenticity, reach, and purpose in a way few programs can.
Austin Roth addresses the crowd at their pre-RTAG mixer in October 2024.
From Counseling to Community
What began as a mission to help service members transition into civilian aviation has evolved into something far larger; a community-driven movement to grow and strengthen the entire aerospace workforce.
BreakTurn’s journey is one of transformation: from personal counseling to scalable impact. By turning years of one-on-one mentorship into a free, public resource, Roth and Cheben are ensuring that anyone with an interest in aviation can access reliable, actionable guidance. “The Academy is our way of scaling that personal touch,” Roth says. “We’ve seen what happens when people have the right information at the right time. It changes lives.”
By keeping The BreakTurn Academy free and open to all, BreakTurn is lowering barriers, sparking curiosity, and inspiring confidence in the next generation of aviators, whether they’re fixing turbines, flying taildraggers, or managing towers.
The Future of Flight, Fueled by Community
BreakTurn has already proven that service members can transition seamlessly into civilian aviation with the right guidance. Now, through The BreakTurn Academy, that promise extends to anyone ready to take flight.
For those who have ever looked skyward and wondered where to begin, BreakTurn offers a simple message: you don’t have to navigate it alone.
And for partners, educators, and organizations ready to make an impact in aviation’s next chapter the invitation is open.
Ready to Take Flight?
Whether you’re a student, veteran, or aviation professional, your next opportunity might be just a few clicks away.
Visit The BreakTurn Academy today to explore free, actionable career pathways for pilots, maintainers, drone operators, air traffic controllers, and more. Create your free profile, access over 1,100 aviation scholarships, discover exclusive industry discounts, and take the next step toward your aviation goals.
Want to learn more about how you can partner with BreakTurn on The Academy or have transitioning service members placed at your organization salary-free through SkillBridge? Visit breakturn.com to see how BreakTurn is connecting service members, veterans, and civilians to the future of aerospace or email [email protected].
The BreakTurn and BreakTurn Foundation team at RTAG 2025
