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Simi Valley’s Alessandro Cotrufo on Why Aviation Needs More Young Pilots

AC SIMI VALLEY AVIATIONS

Wed, February 25, 2026 at 2:25 AM GMT+9 6 min read

With a Growing Pilot Shortage Across the United States, Aspiring Aviator Alessandro Cotrufo of Simi Valley, California, and Founder of the AC Simi Valley Aviations Org is Making the Case for Why More Young People Should Consider Careers in General Aviation

**SIMI VALLEY, CA / ACCESS Newswire / February 24, 2026 / **The United States is facing a pilot shortage that isn’t going away anytime soon. And while most of the conversation has centered around commercial airlines, there’s a quieter crisis happening in general aviation that doesn’t get nearly enough attention.

Alessandro Cotrufo thinks that needs to change.

AC SIMI VALLEY AVIATIONS

Cotrufo is an aspiring pilot and aviation enthusiast based in Simi Valley, California, as well as the founder of the AC Simi Valley Aviations Org, an organization helping the youth in aviation academics and reinforcing Air Force and Naval Airspace ethics. He’s currently in the middle of flight training, working toward his private pilot license at a flight school in the greater Southern California area. It’s a path he’s been building toward for most of his life, and one he believes more young people should seriously consider.

“Everyone talks about the airline side of things, but general aviation is where the real shortage is hitting hardest,” Cotrufo said in a recent conversation. “We need flight instructors. We need charter pilots. We need people who actually care about small airports and the communities that depend on them. That’s the part of aviation that’s struggling right now.”

He’s not wrong. Industry projections suggest the country will need upwards of 60,000 new pilots by 2035. A large chunk of that demand sits squarely in general aviation, where aging instructors are retiring faster than new ones are coming in. Flight schools across Southern California have seen a spike in enrollment over the past few years, but many students never finish. The cost is high, the learning curve is steep, and the commitment required catches a lot of people off guard.

Alessandro Cotrufo knows that struggle personally.

Growing up in Simi Valley, he was always drawn to aviation. He remembers being a kid at the Camarillo Air Show, watching small planes taxi past the crowd, completely mesmerized. The big military jets were cool, sure. But it was the regular guys in beat-up Cessnas that made him think flying was something he could actually do someday.

It took a while to get there though. Cotrufo didn’t come from an aviation family. Nobody handed him a flight school brochure or walked him through the FAA requirements. He had to piece it all together on his own, and he’s honest about the fact that the process nearly discouraged him more than once.

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“I think that’s where a lot of potential pilots get lost,” he said. “They’re interested, maybe even passionate about it, but nobody’s showing them how to actually get started. The information is out there, but it’s scattered. And when you see the price tag for flight training, it’s easy to talk yourself out of it before you even begin.”

These days, Alessandro Cotrufo is focused on building hours and sharpening his skills in the cockpit. His training is centered on VFR operations, which stands for visual flight rules. It’s the foundation of general aviation flying, where pilots navigate by looking outside rather than relying entirely on instruments. For Cotrufo, it’s also the style of flying that feels the most connected to what drew him to aviation in the first place.

He’s been working through the usual progression that every student pilot deals with. Pattern work. Crosswind landings. Emergency procedures. Cross-country flight planning. Radio communication. All the stuff that sounds straightforward until you’re actually doing it at 3,000 feet with the wind picking up and your instructor watching every move you make.

“There are days where nothing clicks,” Cotrufo admitted. “Your approaches are off, your radio calls are sloppy, and you drive home wondering if you’re even cut out for this. But then you have a day where everything comes together. You nail a landing you’ve been struggling with for weeks, and suddenly you remember why you started. Those moments keep you going.”

When he’s not training, Cotrufo stays active in the aviation community around Simi Valley and the broader Southern California region. He’s gotten into aviation photography and drone flying, both of which let him stay connected to the world of flight even on days when he’s not in the cockpit. He also spends a lot of time on the trails around Rocky Peak and Santa Susana Pass, which happen to offer some of the best views of aircraft coming and going from the surrounding airspace.

He’s been documenting his journey online as well, posting updates on social media and engaging with other student pilots and aviation enthusiasts in various online communities. It started as a way to keep himself accountable, but it’s turned into something bigger. People reach out to him regularly now asking for advice on how to get started with flight training, what to expect from ground school, and how to manage the financial side of it.

“I never planned to become some kind of aviation influencer or anything like that,” Cotrufo said with a laugh. “I just started sharing what I was going through, and it turns out a lot of people are dealing with the same questions I had. If I can save someone a few months of confusion by pointing them in the right direction, that’s worth it.”

Looking ahead, Alessandro Cotrufo has his sights set on completing his private pilot checkride in the coming months. After that, he plans to pursue an instrument rating, which would allow him to fly in a wider range of weather conditions and open up more career options down the road. The long-term goal is a commercial pilot certificate and eventually a flight instructor rating.

For Cotrufo, instructing represents the full-circle moment he’s been working toward.

“I want to be the person I needed when I was starting out,” he said. “Someone who’s been through the process, made the mistakes, figured out what works, and can actually help the next person get through it without all the guesswork. That’s the goal. That’s what keeps me showing up every day.”

His advice to anyone thinking about a career in aviation is simple. Don’t wait. Don’t overthink it. Find a local flight school, book a discovery flight, and see if it’s for you. The industry needs more pilots, and the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll understand whether this is your path.

Alessandro Cotrufo is an aspiring pilot and aviation enthusiast based in Simi Valley, California. He is currently pursuing his private pilot license and shares his training journey through social media and online aviation communities. For more information, visit AlessandroCotrufo.com.

**CONTACT: **
AC Simi Valley Aviations Org
Alessandro Cotrufo

ac@alessandrocotrufo.com
Phone num: +1 310-979-8882

SOURCE: AC Simi Valley Aviations Org

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