Flying Cheap - Professionalism in the Aviation Industry

1.   The pilot shortage is clearly real and I have experienced it occurring all around me. With an expansion in routes and an increase in passengers every year, yet only a limited number of qualified candidates, there comes a greater need for pilots in the industry. According to the Boeing Pilot Outlook ("Boeing: 2017 Pilot", n.d.), there will be a need for 117,000 additional pilots in the next twenty years, and that's just for North America. Looking at the global demand for pilots, we see an outlook of 637,000 additional pilots needed. If we need 117,000 pilots within the span of 20 years, that comes out to an average of almost 6,000 pilots needed per year. However, according to the FAA (2016), from 2007 to 2016 there was an average increase of less than 1,400 new ATP certificated pilots per year for the United States, with some years actually displaying a decrease. Considering the United States makes up a large portion of North America's need for pilots, it's safe to say that the current rate of new qualified pilots per year is hugely insufficient. It's so insufficient that the regional airlines in the United States have even started to partner with collegiate programs to funnel the pilots into their aircraft out of fear of a lack of candidates. In addition, the major airlines may soon recruit directly from universities, instead of regional airlines or the military (Kuhlmann, 2017). 

      Regarding the amount of the pay increases as of late, I do not believe this will assist the pilot shortage whatsoever. I believe that the 1,500-hour rule is so restrictive that it causes people who would ordinarily have considered becoming a pilot to disregard the idea because it takes a long time to achieve. Many, or perhaps most, people do not want to put in as much effort in their professional lives as becoming a pilot takes. In addition to that, the pay at the end of the long journey is not going to immediately give someone a luxurious lifestyle. If the pay were to increase substantially (I'm talking above $100,000 starting at a regional) then I may have a change of opinion, but as it stands, the current pay for regional airline pilots is not sufficient to give people the motivation it takes to become a pilot.

2.   It's obvious why regional airlines are concerned about their hiring pool with regards to the 1,500-hour rule. As I stated above, for one to accrue 1,500 hours, a lot of time is involved. People value the time they have and don't want to spend a ton of it on becoming a pilot. To achieve 1,500 hours in a reasonable amount of time, many sacrifices have to be made; from budget cuts to skipping extracurricular activities. One of the few ways to increase the pilot pool is to substantially increase the starting pay. Unfortunately, this is not feasible at the regional airline level because they already operate on a relatively slim margin. Another way would be to have airlines pay for training from the beginning, through their own program, like some in other countries do right from high school. If the costs associated with becoming a pilot are waived (or at least initially), I believe that there would be many, many more people wanting to pursue the career. The financial aspect of becoming a pilot is a major pitfall and for that stress to be lifted off of one's shoulders would allow for a wider audience to become attracted to the career.

      My last thought on increasing the pilot pool is to have more aviation programs, starting at high schools. In my senior year of high school, I was grateful to have Matt Dahline of Crosswinds Aviation in my home town Howell, Michigan, partner with our schooling board to introduce a pilot ground school course available to seniors. As a senior, I was excited to be able to be a part of this new program and lucky that it was introduced while I was still in high school. Programs like these allow for students to dip their toes into the world of aviation and see if it's what they like. Our school had even paid for a Sporty's online training course and one flight and Matt gave each student 10 hours of free Redbird T6 simulator time at the FBO. With freebies like these, all students, regardless of financial background, can experience what it's like to fly and learn about the aspects of flight. This will absolutely increase the pilot pool due to the wider exposure to the public.

3.      

1).  I would describe professionalism as the ability to carry one's self in a way that allows for a high public regard of themselves and to have the skills and abilities required for the role they assume.

2).  In the documentary, there was clearly a lack of professionalism among the pilots and company management. Regarding the management, Colgan Air was unaware that the captain had failed several proficiency checks, they didn't have enough maintenance personnel, check airmen, and managers, they didn’t get paid for flights that didn’t fly and sent aircraft out into unsafe conditions, and they had still failed to meet FAA's part 121 requirements after 7 years (1998-2005). Regarding the pilots, the first officer had commuted the day prior and was running on little sleep by time of her flight duties and the captain had failed proficiency checks and was sleep deprived as well. Not only did they not follow the sterile cockpit rule, but they also handled the stall unprofessionally. Instead of applying power and pushing the nose down to recover from the stall, the captain had overridden the stick pusher and continued to keep the nose up. Adding to this, the first officer had retracted the flaps, causing the aircraft to lose even more lift. Their lack of professionalism doomed the 49 people on board.

3).  I do believe that the lack of pay does contribute to the lack of professionalism displayed in the documentary among some regional pilots. With such a demand for pilots and low wages, the airlines need pilots more than ever and are more willing to put up with unprofessional behavior since they’re already struggling to fill the cockpits of their flights. If pay was increased, expectations could be made higher and the pilots would be more likely to put up with the higher expectations of professionalism in exchange for the increase in pay.

4).  I plan on maintaining my professionalism by reminding myself daily why I am in the field I’m in, to uphold the highest standards expected of me because of my passion for the field, and to continually challenge myself with scenarios and simulator training. I plan on expanding my level of professionalism by being willing to learn new skills, abilities, and to understand more materials as it relates to the career.

References

2016 Civil Airmen Stats[XLSX]. (2016). Washington: Federal Aviation Administration.

      Accessed from https://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation_data_statistics/civil_airmen_statistics/

Boeing: 2017 Pilot Outlook. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21, 2018, from http://www.boeing.com/commercial/market/pilot-technician-outlook/2017-pilot-outlook/

Burke, K. D. (2017, December 20). Airlines battle growing pilot shortage that could reach crisis levels in a few years. 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

Kuhlmann, K. (2017, December 20). [Interview by K. D. Burke]. 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