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