About Us

Former Airline Recruiting Leader, Aviation Career Expert & Author

Founder, Aviator Mentor

• Co-Author, Landing an Aviation Career
• Former Manager of Pilot Career Recruiting at American Airlines
• 10+ years of experience in pilot recruiting, interviewing & hiring
• Recruited and interviewed thousands of pilots and aviation professionals
• Built pilot recruiting departments and interview processes from the ground up
• Helping pilots navigate their careers through Aviator Mentor since 2019

Heather Bowers began her aviation career at 18 as a student pilot, working multiple jobs to pay for flight training. After earning her Private Pilot Certificate, she continued her aviation education, earning a college degree in Air Traffic Control and becoming a certified National Weather Observer.

Her airline career began in 2012 at CommuteAir, where she was later selected to build the airline's first dedicated Pilot Recruiting department. She went on to recruit, interview, and hire pilots for both CommuteAir and Piedmont Airlines, where she also trained pilot recruiters and helped develop the airline's pilot interview and selection process.

In 2017, Heather was recruited by American Airlines to become its first Manager of Pilot Career Recruiting. In that role, she helped interview pilot candidates and led recruiting initiatives while working directly with the pilot recruiting teams at Envoy, Piedmont, and PSA to oversee recruiting efforts across American's three wholly owned regional carriers.

Throughout her airline career, Heather recruited and interviewed thousands of pilots and aviation professionals, gaining firsthand experience in both pilot recruiting and pilot selection/hiring.

In 2019, Heather left the airline industry and founded Aviator Mentor, where she has since helped hundreds of pilots and aviation professionals strengthen their applications and résumés, prepare for interviews, navigate career transitions, and pursue opportunities throughout the aviation industry.

Today, Heather is also the co-author of Landing an Aviation Career: From Pilots to Managers to Air Traffic Controllers, a university-level aviation career textbook and workbook co-authored with Professor Jeffrey C. Price and taught at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Heather has spent her career on the hiring side of the table—and now uses that experience to help aviation professionals become stronger candidates, navigate the hiring process, and build careers they're proud of.

Professional Airline Pilot, Flight Instructor & Pilot Mentor

Boeing 777 First Officer | Aviator Mentor

• Current B777 First Officer flying long-haul international routes
• Holds five flight instructor certificates
• Former full-time Management Pilot Recruiter at Piedmont Airlines
• 10+ years of experience in pilot recruiting and mentoring
• Experience in both pilot recruiting and pilot selection/hiring
• Provides technical interview preparation, career coaching, and real-world pilot insight to Aviator Mentor clients

Heath Bowers knew he wanted to become an airline pilot from an early age. At seven years old, while traveling with his family to Australia, a visit to the cockpit of a US Airways flight sparked a career ambition that never went away.

Heath later became a Civil Air Patrol Cadet and attended Ohio University, where he completed his flight training and earned his bachelor's degree. 

After graduation, Ohio University hired him as a full-time Staff Flight Instructor. Heath holds five flight instructor certificates and gained extensive experience teaching pilots while building the flight time needed to begin his airline career.

Heath began flying for CommuteAir in 2011 as a First Officer on the Bombardier Dash 8. His involvement in pilot recruiting began in 2014, when he started supporting recruiting events across the country. After briefly leaving the airlines to fly a corporate jet, Heath joined Piedmont Airlines in 2016 after being recruited by senior management to become the airline's first management pilot dedicated full-time to pilot recruiting and hiring.

At Piedmont, Heath recruited and interviewed pilots while maintaining flight currency and continuing to fly the DHC-8. He redesigned the pilot interview process and developed and delivered in-depth technical interview training for new pilot recruiters and interviewers—giving him firsthand experience in both pilot recruiting and pilot selection/hiring.

In 2017, Heath joined American Airlines, where he is currently a Boeing 777 First Officer flying long-haul international routes across the Atlantic. He has remained involved in pilot recruiting and mentoring throughout his airline career, including supporting recruiting events, helping develop a mentorship program for the airline's cadet program, and being selected as one of three line pilots to participate in the airline's first virtual pilot career fair.

When Heath isn't flying internationally, he works alongside Heather helping Aviator Mentor clients prepare for airline interviews and navigate their careers. His combination of flight instruction, technical interviewing, pilot recruiting, and current widebody airline experience gives clients a perspective that extends from preparing for the interview to understanding the career on the other side of it.

Outside of aviation, Heath continues his commitment to public service as a volunteer firefighter in his hometown.

Heath has spent his career flying, teaching, recruiting, interviewing, and mentoring—and now uses that experience to help pilots become stronger candidates and more confident aviation professionals.