Professionalism in Aviation

Regional Airlines have been a topic of discussion in the aviation industry for years. Part of the discussion regarding the regional airlines side of aviation is the pilot shortage. There are two sides of the argument about the pilot shortage. The first argument is that there is no shortage of pilots, but the pilots don’t want to fly because of poor pay of the regional airlines. The second argument is saying that there is a shortage of pilots coming into the profession.

    The first argument about the pilot shortage has merit behind it. Many regional airlines do not pay their pilots well compared to other occupations. Especially with the price of how much it costs to go through a 4 year college and receive a degree in aviation. According to Alan Tovey, many pilots are graduating pilot training with 90,000-130,000 dollars in debt. (Tovey, 2014) This is a lot of debt for a very low paying job out of school. Regional airlines on average pay about 23,000 dollars a year. (Bill, 2015)

    The second argument, that there is an actual pilot shortage also has some merit. From 2015 to 2022 there are a projected 20,000 job openings because of the age 65 retirement, but there are not many students opting to go into aviation due to the reason stated above. (The Coming U.S. Pilot Shortage Is Real 2015) Furthermore, another large supplier of pilots, the military, are also having a pilot shortage. The Air Force in particular, is going to face a shortages of 700 pilots by the end of this year, and be short 1,000 pilots by the end of 2022. (Browne, Starr 2016) The pilot shortage can be attributed low pay and people not having interest in the career field.

    The new regulations can make it very difficult for pilots to start their careers and make the pilot career look unappealing to the general population. Pilots have to have 1000-1500 hours of flying (depending on what program their flight school is under). This wouldn’t be as bad if the starting pay for jobs that people use to build up to those hours (regional, flight instructor, cargo, etc.) didn’t pay so poorly. Pilots don’t start making a decent amount of money until they reach the airlines which require this 1000+ hour requirement. This means that pilots are going to be flying for 20,000 dollars a year for a prolonged time. A fix for this would be to adjust how regionals get paid by the airlines in order to provide regional pilots a livable wage while they get their hours. This way there is more of a progression from living with nothing of a college student to living like they a job that requires a college degree.

    Not only are their organizations that represent pilots, but there are organizations that represent every aspect of aviation. One such organization is the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association. Another aviation organization that isn’t heard about too much is the Airborne Law Enforcement Association. This association is to support and promote the use of aircraft in law enforcement. (FDOT) These are only a few examples of the many of organizations that represent the different aspects of the aviation industry.

    Another issue that can happen in any industry is the lack of professionalism. I think professionalism not only knowing your job and doing it to the best of your ability, but to also act with more responsibility than the average person in that position. This was a large problem in the crash of Colgan Flight 3407. One instance of the lack of professionalism with this accident was that the pilot didn’t know what to do in a very dangerous scenario that he should have known about with his training. The plane was stalling, and the pilot did the worst thing he could do in that situation. This was to pull up on the stick and lose his airspeed. The training he received explains that you should push on the stick to gain airspeed. This means that he wasn’t keeping up on his training in a preventable situation. Another example of poor professionalism was the company’s policy on issuing check airmen on their aircraft. Colgan was putting people who were not type rated in the aircraft.

    I do not feel that the lack of pay in the regional airline is a contributing factor in professionalism. Professionalism is not related to pay, it is related to how people act. Even if you do not get paid the big bucks, doesn’t mean you don’t act professional. I plan on maintaining my professionalism by making sure I try to be the professional in the room on my job. I also plan on maintaining my professionalism by being respectful and owning up to my mistakes.

The Coming U.S. Pilot Shortage Is Real. (2015, February 16). Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/coming-us-pilot-shortage-real

Starr, B., & Browne, R. (2016, August 10). US Air Force facing bigger Pilot Shortage than Thought. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/10/us/us-air-force-pilot-shortage/index.html

Carey, B. (2015, June 25). Airline Pilots: Low Pay Drives Disputed Pilot Shortage. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2015-06-25/airline-pilots-low-pay-drives-disputed-pilot-shortage

FDOT Aviation - Aviation Professional Organizations. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://www.dot.state.fl.us/aviation/organizations.shtm

Tovey, A. (2014, April 12). Want to be a pilot? Count the cost first. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/10761957/Want-to-be-a-pilot-Count-the-cost-first.html

Today we will be discussing the privatization of ATC.

First though,we will look at the current system compared to next gen. Now, ATC uses a ground based radar system. Using radar to track aircraft, the air traffic controller can then direct aircraft in order to keep them separated.

Next ten uses a satellite system with the aid of ADSB in order to get information about the aircraft such as altitude, airspeed, and heading. This information is shared and compared with other aircraft directly in order to keep aircraft separated.

The GPS and ADSB system are more accurate, that the separation minimums will be less. This means that aircraft can fly closer together to get more aircraft into an airport. (Houston 2016)

Pilots and controllers can also exchange information such as clearances via a texting service. This is done digitally, so this can be shared quickly and shared between the parties. (Houston 2016)

Generally speaking, general aviation is against privatization of ATC because general aviation could lose ATC services. This can be down to private companies will get most of their money from the airlines. With this, most ATC services will be at the larger airports where the airlines fly. (ATC Privatization Brings Few Savings, Threatens General Aviation Services, 2016)

The airlines however, would like to have ATC privatized. This would let ATC progress at a faster pace by removing government funding restrictions and red tape. Right now, ATC being funded by the FAA and run by the FAA. Since it is run through the government, things need to get passed through congress in order to get the funding it needs, but this takes a very long time. Being privatized, the ATC system could get money and new technology approved faster than it is now. (Meyer 2016)

One country that has Privatized ATC is Canada. It uses a company called NAV Canada. It was founded in 1996 and was the first Privatized ATC system. It us run as a not-for profit organization, which the revenues come from their customers and put into upgrading the system. It has a board of directors that has representatives from commercial sectors of aviation, Canadian government, and independent directors. Since it’s start, NAV Canada has proven to be very successful and is on a faster track to use Next Gen then the United States. (Meet NAV Canada, n.d)

In order for the United States to update its ATC system, it would have to go through congress. The bill for this, has already gone up to congress and been shot down. The FAA keeps trying to re-introduce it though.

Personally, I feel the current ATC system could work better if it were Privatized. If it was like Canada’s, it would be better. That way it could act independently of the government (not have to wait for funds) and it could actually get the funds it needs. If however, it doesn’t receive enough money and cuts services to more airports, I feel we wouldn’t be any better than we are now. We may have it updated, but at the cost of losing coverage, we may see a slight drop in safety at smaller airports.

Sources:

ATC Privatization Brings Few Savings, Threatens General Aviation Services | EAA. (2016, February 18). Retrieved September 23, 2016, from https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/eaa-news-and-aviation-news/news/02-18-2016-atc-privatization-brings-few-savings-threatens-general-aviation-services

Houston, S. (2016, August 14). NextGen in a Nutshell: The Next Generation Air Traffic System. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from https://www.thebalance.com/nextgen-in-a-nutshell-282561

Meet NAV Canada. (n.d). Retrieved September 23, 2016, from http://www.navcanada.ca/EN/about-us/Pages/who-we-are.aspx

Meyer, J. (2016, February 16). Free The Skies: Privatizing Air Traffic Control. Retrieved September 23, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaredmeyer/2016/02/16/free-the-skies-privatizing-air-traffic-control/#45ac5c5f46ac

Good Morning Everyone,

I am Jared LaBarge, a senior at Eastern Michigan University studying Aviation Management Technology. I am also in the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Michigan. Upon graduating I will be training to become an Air Force Pilot.