Flying Cheaper

     To deal with high costs and shortages of pilots many regional airlines are cutting costs by hiring pilots whose qualifications meet the bare minimum accepted by the FAA.  A while ago being a regional airline pilot was an attractive career choice and regional airlines had the option to pick from a pool of highly qualified candidates but now they have to settle for lower standards and sacrifice safety for cost. Many pilots are forced to work long hours for very little pay and can work up to 16 hours straight with only 4 to 5 hours of sleep. (Airlines Hiring "Very Substandard" Pilots, 2009) It is easy to see why many qualified piots refuse to work for regionals and opt to find work elsewhere with conditions the way they are.

     I think that in the short-term pilot shortage in the regional airlines are mainly due to low pay and long work hours. Those are two significant factors but the long-term effects of the pilot shortages can also be attributed to the retirement of many of our airline pilots as well as a new FAA ruling that increased the requirements to fly for an air carrier from 250 to 1500. Regional airlines have been stating that the ruling is responsible for pilot shortages in the industry and has caused them to cancel flights but airline pilots say that if their pay was increased the airlines would have no problem finding qualified pilots. (Jansen, 2015)

     Due to the FAA’s ATP certificate requirements airlines will find that future applicants will be more qualified than in the past but very few in numbers. According to a study conducted by researchers 8.53% of potential airline pilots are no longer considering a career as an airline pilot due to the requirements and an additional 32.54% who are reconsidering long term careers as airline pilots. The shortage is expected to be 35,000 but the industry can mitigate this by focusing on attracting new pilots to the field. Some ideas being considered are re-attracting qualified pilots who have no intention of pursuing an airline career. They make up around 47% of pilot instructors. The industry should also focus on creating a clear path for aspiring pilots from training to airline positions. Flight costs, another huge problem, could be mitigated with scholarships and grants to increase the number of pilots entering the profession. (Higgins, et al., 2013)

There are thousands of organizations around the US that serve the interest of many aspects of the industry. The American Association of Airport Executive represents airport management at commercial and general aviation airports. The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association is another organization that represents the mechanics of the industry. AMFA is an independent union that is committed to improve the wages, conditions, and benefits of its members. Finally, probably one of the more well-known organizations is the National Business Aircraft Association. Since its foundation in 1947 the NBAA has been critical in allowing general aviation to thrive by protecting the interests of its members and recognizing the need to keep up with advances in technology.

1) To me professionalism is the way people conduct themselves around their peers and coworkers. It is acting with maturity and having an attitude that makes you want to get the job done.

2) The first instance of lacking professionalism was the airlines pushing fatigued pilots to fly even when it was not safe to do so by falsifying the pilot’s records. Fatigue drastically reduces a pilot’s ability to perform to standard due to decreased reaction times and the tendency to make bad decisions. The effects of sleep deprivation are similar to the effects of alcohol. Four hours of not sleeping is similar to having 4 to 5 beers while a whole day of not sleeping is similar to a blood alcohol level of 0.8. (FATIGUE – as bad as being drunk, n.d.) If a pilot goes to his or her management to complain about being deprived of sleep the professional thing to do would be to prevent that pilot from flying instead of risking safety to make money. The next case of un-professionalism that I remember is the captain telling the first officer to falsify the weight manifest by marking three adults as children so that they would not be overweight.

3) Low pay and compensation was a huge factor in the lack of professionalism in both cases. The pilots were barely making enough to live and were only paid for the flights that they completed. That caused a situation where some pilots and management were willing to compromise safety to complete a flight.

4) Once I am employed my number one plan is to go back to school. I believe continuing to learn is important throughout life especially when being in a leadership position. Another way I will remain professional is to admit when I do not know something and admit my mistakes. It won't be expected that I will be perfect but it is a goal that I will be expected to strive for. When I do make mistakes it will be best if I learn from them, accept feedback and continue trying.

References

Airlines Hiring "Very Substandard" Pilots. (2009, June 9). Retrieved from CBS News:http://www.cbsnews.com/news/airlines-hiring-very-substandard-pilots/

FATIGUE – as bad as being drunk. (n.d.). Retrieved from Flight Duty Times: http://www.flightdutytimes.eu/?page_id=191

Higgins, J., Lovelace , K., Bjerke , E., Lounsberry , N., Lutte , R., Friedenzohn , D., . . . Craig, P. (2013). An Investigation of the United States Airline Pilot Labor Supply . Retrieved from North Shore Community College: https://www.northshore.edu/cms/file/academics/programs/avd/web_resources/airline-labor-supply.pdf

Jansen, B. (2015, August 27). Airline fears of pilot shortage spark Congress fight over required training. Retrieved from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/08/27/pilot-shortage-faa-1500-hours-required-colgan-crash-alpa/32008451/