The plight of a pilot in today's airline industry

Date: 6/26/2008 -- Live from WNYC, the nation's largest public radio station (based in New York City), for a new NPR show called The Take Away.

United is the latest airline to announce cutbacks, joining Northwest, Delta and Continental. United says, beginning this summer, it will eliminate 950 pilots from its roster after already announcing it would drop 1,600 salaried positions.

Guest: Michele Summers-Halleran is a assistant professor at the Department of Aeronautical Science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

In the interview, Michele talks about how Embry-Riddle prepares its aeronautical science students for the airline industry's cyclical nature, and the possibilities of being furloughed as professional pilots. Michele is an assistant professor in the College of Aviation, Daytona Beach campus, and former commercial pilot with Hawaiian Airlines, a corporate aviation carrier, and Seaborne Airlines in the Caribbean.

Go to http://www.thetakeaway.org/archives/2008/06/25/4 and click on the "Listen" button to hear the 4-minute interview.