Aviation Recruiting

What Aviation Recruiting does

Aviation Recruiting, Inc. is a privately held, direct-hire and contingent staffing firm focused exclusively on the aviation and aerospace industries. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Fleming Island, Florida, the company places pilots, A&P mechanics, avionics technicians, aerospace engineers, sales and marketing professionals, instructors, and C-level executives into roles at global defense contractors, OEMs, Part 145 MROs and repair stations, Part 121/135/91 aircraft operators, and Part 141/142 flight schools. The firm claims thousands of lifetime placements across the U.S., Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, and offers in-house visa processing to support cross-border engagements. The company is family-owned, with Sharon Ballgae as CEO and co-founder Marc Ballgae (retired USAF Chief Master Sergeant, formerly with Boeing) as Principal, and is Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) certified.

The firm's core technology is a proprietary database of aviation talent maintained by recruiters with direct military and commercial aviation experience; the website operates as the primary front door with separate portals for employers and candidates, organized job categories, and resource pages (resume tips, Saudi Arabia FAQ, Middle East resources). There is no disclosed AI/ML or automated matching capability, and the technical moat rests on data accumulated across ~15 years of placements and the industry literacy of its recruiters. The firm is small (11–50 employees), with no disclosed funding rounds, subsidiaries, or M&A activity.

Aviation Recruiting generates revenue through placement fees on successful direct-hire and contingent placements, typically structured as a percentage of the placed candidate's first-year compensation, with a candidate quality guarantee backing each placement. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct: enterprise employers are engaged via outreach from leadership and a dedicated employer contact portal, while candidates self-register through a separate candidate portal and are also sourced from the proprietary database. The firm has no disclosed channel partners, resellers, or marketplace presence, and pricing is negotiated on a per-engagement basis rather than published.

Name

Aviation Recruiting

Legal name

Aviation Recruiting, Inc.

Website

https://aviationrecruiting.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aviation Recruiting, Inc. is a privately held, direct-hire and contingent staffing firm that places pilots, maintenance technicians, engineers, and executives at defense contractors, OEMs, MROs, airlines, and flight schools worldwide, leveraging a proprietary aviation talent database and in-house visa processing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aviation Staffing Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Aviation Pilot & Crew Staffing/Training Services (THABAFAJ)

Keywords

• Aviation staffing services
• Aerospace executive search
• Pilot recruitment
• Aviation maintenance recruiting
• International aviation hiring

Headquarters

HQ city

Fleming Island

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct-Hire Staffing/Contingent Placement: The company places candidates in direct-hire and contingent staffing roles across the aviation and aerospace industries. Revenue is generated through successful placement fees, typically a percentage of the placed candidate's annual compensation. The firm provides a candidate quality guarantee, reflecting its confidence in its specialized recruiting process.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Aviation Recruiting is a direct-hire, contingent staffing firm that sources, screens, and places aviation and aerospace professionals for global defense contractors, OEMs, Part 145 MROs, Part 121/135/91 aircraft operators, and Part 141/142 flight schools. The firm provides nine specialized recruiting service lines covering pilots, maintenance technicians, executives, aerospace engineers, sales and marketing professionals, UAV/drone operators, flight instructors, and military-to-civilian transition candidates, supported by a proprietary talent database and visa processing services.

Product overview

Aviation Recruiting is a direct-hire, contingent staffing firm offering a unified aviation staffing platform with multiple specialized service lines. The core offering consists of ten distinct recruiting specializations: Part 135/91 Flight Crew & Management Recruiting, Aviation MRO & Part 145 Recruiting, Aviation Executive Search & Leadership Recruiting, Aerospace Sales & Marketing Recruiting, Aerospace Engineering & Aviation Staffing, International Aviation Recruiting & Global Placement, UAV/UAS/Drone Operations Recruiting, Aviation Instructors & Technical Training Solutions, and Aviation Military & Defense Support Recruitment. These services are supported by Visa Processing Services. The company leverages a proprietary database of top aviation talent and a team of aviation-experienced headhunters to serve global defense contractors, OEMs, Part 145 MROs, Part 121/135/91 aircraft operators, and Part 141/142 flight schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aviation Staffing Solutions Direct-hire, contingent staffing firm supporting the aviation and aerospace industries with a candidate quality guarantee, proprietary database of aviation talent, and specialized headhunters team with decades of commercial and defense aviation experience.
• Part 135/91 Flight Crew & Management Recruiting Pilot staffing agency representing qualified commercial aviation talent, airline cargo pilots, and private flight crew for FAA Part 121 airlines, Part 119 cargo operations, Part 135 charter services, and Part 91 private aircraft management companies.
• Aviation MRO & Part 145 Recruiting Provides reliable, highly qualified aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) and MRO candidates worldwide, sourcing certified FAA Part 145 repair station professionals including A&P mechanics, avionics technicians, sheet metal mechanics, and quality assurance inspectors.
• Aviation Executive Search & Leadership Recruiting Executive headhunting services conducting confidential executive searches for senior-level aviation leadership and C-suite talent worldwide, connecting organizations with CEOs, COOs, Directors of Maintenance, Directors of Flight Operations, and Vice Presidents of Aviation.
• Aerospace Sales & Marketing Recruiting Recruits high-performing, industry-experienced business development leaders, sales executives, and marketing professionals for global aerospace manufacturers and aviation services companies.
• Aerospace Engineering & Aviation Staffing Solutions End-to-end aerospace engineering staffing services providing highly skilled aerospace engineers, structural designers, and systems technicians for aviation repair facilities, defense contractors, and aerospace engineering support companies.
• International Aviation Recruiting & Global Placement Global talent acquisition partner with nearly fifteen years of experience placing expat and localized aviation professionals, supporting foreign air carriers, multinational aerospace manufacturers, and international MRO facilities with cross-border talent compliance.
• UAV/UAS/UAF & Drone Operations Recruiting Sources and places highly technical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) professionals globally, connecting commercial, industrial, and defense sectors with certified FAA Part 107 remote pilots, autonomous systems engineers, and drone fleet managers.
• Aviation Instructors & Technical Training Solutions Recruits elite flight instructors and technical trainers including FAA Certified Flight Instructors (CFIs, CFIIs, MEIs), flight school supervisors, and technical instructional designers for FAR Part 141/142 flight schools, Part 121/119 airlines, and Part 135 charter operations.
• Aviation Military & Defense Support Recruitment Military-to-civilian transition recruitment services placing qualified military veterans with top defense contractors and aerospace companies worldwide, representing veteran talent including prior military aircraft mechanics, defense logistics experts, tactical drone operators, and senior military officers.
• Visa Processing Services Provides visa processing services to support international aviation professionals with cross-border talent compliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Placed thousands of candidates worldwide across diverse aviation roles

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Worldwide Aviation Staffing (WASINC): WASINC is a direct competitor offering aviation and aerospace staffing services across pilots, maintenance technicians, and executives globally, with a similar focus on aviation-exclusive recruiting. Its operating model and customer base closely overlap with Aviation Recruiting.
• JSfirm.com: JSfirm is an aviation-specific job board and recruiting platform serving pilots, mechanics, technicians, and aviation executives. It competes with Aviation Recruiting for both employer customers and candidate attention in the same aviation verticals.
• Belcan: Belcan is a global engineering, technical, and professional staffing firm with a strong aerospace and defense vertical offering direct-hire and contract staffing. It is comparable to Aviation Recruiting's aerospace engineering and technical staffing service lines, though it is significantly larger and broader.
• Morson Group: Morson is an international technical and engineering staffing specialist with a substantial aerospace vertical, providing workforce solutions to airlines, MROs, OEMs, and defense customers. Its aerospace focus and direct-hire/contract model closely mirror Aviation Recruiting's positioning.
• Aeropeople Ltd: Aeropeople is a UK-based aviation and aerospace recruitment specialist supplying contract and permanent personnel to airlines, MROs, OEMs, and defense clients. Its vertical specialization, customer mix, and service lines are highly comparable to Aviation Recruiting's.
• PDS Tech: PDS Tech is an aerospace and defense staffing and engineering services provider placing engineering, technical, and manufacturing talent. It competes with Aviation Recruiting in the aerospace engineering and MRO staffing segments and serves similar defense contractor and OEM clients.
• Aviation Personnel International: Aviation Personnel International is an aviation-focused executive search and pilot placement firm serving airlines, corporate flight departments, and business aviation operators. Its pilot and executive search offerings are highly comparable to Aviation Recruiting's Part 121/135/91 and executive search service lines.

Broad incumbents

• Aerotek: Aerotek is a large multi-vertical staffing firm (part of Allegis Group) with a dedicated aerospace and aviation division placing pilots, technicians, engineers, and management. It is a broader incumbent competing with Aviation Recruiting on enterprise aviation accounts but with substantially greater scale and recruiter headcount.
• Insight Global: Insight Global is a large national staffing and services firm with significant aerospace and defense contract exposure, providing direct-hire and contract staffing across engineering, technical, and operational roles. It overlaps with Aviation Recruiting's staffing lines but operates across many industries.
• Robert Half: Robert Half is a large publicly traded professional staffing firm with practices spanning finance, accounting, technology, and executive search, occasionally serving aerospace customers for back-office and management roles. It is a broad incumbent rather than a direct specialist, but overlaps in executive search and corporate staffing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aviation-recruiting
• Xx.com/aviationjobs
• Facebookfacebook.com/aviation-recruiting-252633344767575

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aviation Recruiting