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Flying Cheap - Professionalism in the Aviation Industry

Current and future state of the regional airline:

There is no secret that there is a pilot shortage at not only the regional level, but almost at every level in the aviation industry starting with flight instructors all the way to the cargo side. This past November was the most current case of the pilot shortage that made its way to the news. American Airlines and American Eagle stated that they were faced with crewing issues during the holiday season and month of December. In a statement AA said, "We are working diligently to address the issue and expect to avoid cancellations this holiday season. We have reserve pilots to help cover flying in December, and we are paying pilots who pick up certain open trips 150 percent of their hourly rate. As much as we are allowed to pay them per the contract. We will work with Allied Pilots Association (the pilots union at American) to take care of our pilots and ensure we get our customers to where they need to go over the holidays." In a statement by Boeing obtained by Fox News, “The pilot outlook predicts a need for 117,000 pilots between 2017 and 2036 just in North America alone. Worldwide, we are looking at the demand to be around 637,000.” Per FAA regulations, pilots must retire at 65 which companies must comply with. On the other hand, there aren’t as many individuals entering the aviation field. Personally, I think the biggest issue why is due to funding. As we all know, flight training is very costly and can be hard to fund. Airlines have significantly increased pay to pilots in the past decade, along with hefty sign on bonuses are very appealing to people to get into the industry. Perhaps companies could create contracts with students to help fund their flight training, they could have a deal where they would fly with that airline for a period of time. As the 1500 hour rule, I feel like that is a good number and should not be lowered, unless the individual is coming from a 141 school where they are allowed the Restricted Airline Transport Pilot (R-ATP) certificate with 1000 hours. Even though both may seem low, at that point students should have enough knowledge and are ready for real world experience where they can continue learning in real scenarios. Airline companies could pair a fairly new pilot with a more experienced pilot to ensure safety.

     1)  In my own words, professionalism means someone who has the knowledge and skill to perform their tasks in a qualified and efficient way.

     2)  The crew on Colgan Air Flight 3407 lacked professionalism in various ways. First off, the captain and first officer failed to follow sterile cockpit procedures throughout the flight. The captain failed to properly react to the stick shaker, eventually leading the aircraft to stall. For the first officer, she retracted the flaps without briefing the captain, and it was also not the correct action at the time. On the management side, Colgan Air lacked professionalism as to crew standards and operating procedures. They overlooked the captains multiple check ride fails, and didn’t have adequate approach to stall training for their crews.

     3) Personally, I feel like first year pilot pay plays a huge role in the lack of professionalism in pilots that was displayed in the documentary. If I remember correctly, one of the individuals stated they only made $16,000 their first year, which can take a huge toll on how a pilot performs his or her duties. It could cause various amounts of stress on an individual's if faced with financial issues and lack motivation.

     4) I plan to maintain and expand my level of professionalism once I am employed in a job that I am listed in by:
Always pushing myself to continue to learn in the field. This can be by going to seminars and listening to speakers, reading aviation writings and research, and even talking to experienced individuals and co-workers among me.
Another way is following basic safety procedures. This can be obtained by the correct use of checklists all the way to basic safety steps listed in a company's SMS.

Reference:

Airlines battle growing pilot shortage that could reach crisis levels in a few years. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21, 2018, from http://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/2017/12/20/airlines-battle-growing-pilot-shortage-that-could-reach-crisis-levels-in-few-years.html

(n.d.). Retrieved January 21, 2018, from https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2017/11/29/american-airlines-facing-possible-pilot-shortage.html

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