TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Tallahassee leaders are asking state lawmakers for about $2.2 million to expand an aviation training center at Tallahassee International Airport, a project they say would serve students across North Florida as the state weighs competing budget priorities.
City leaders say the requested funding would pay for upgrades that expand training space and help prepare future pilots. The proposal comes as lawmakers continue negotiating the state budget, leaving the airport project competing with thousands of other funding requests across Florida.
Some in the aviation industry, however, question how much demand there is for additional training capacity and say the bigger hurdle for would-be pilots is the cost and time required to qualify for airline jobs…