Senior Seminar Final Post

When I started senior seminar class a couple months ago, I had a pretty good idea as to what I was going to do for a career path. I made the decision to flight instruct until I built enough hours to get hired onto a regional airline. From there, a major airline was to be the next step once their hour minimums were met, such as Delta Airlines. I have learned a great deal about the aviation industry throughout the past weeks from all the speakers we had visit our class, from an airport manager to a full blow Delta captain. By researching different blog topics, I have broadened my horizons and am not looking into the possibility of doing something different in aviation. My ultimate goal is still the same, I want to retire as an airline captain someday, but the means of getting to that position are no longer necessarily through the regional airline carriers. I will still most likely end up at one of these carriers after flight instructing, but I am now considering flying for an on demand charter service such as Kalitta Charters. Both operations have their positives, I believe I will make the decision that best suits me at the time, until then, I have to keep my mind open to new possibilities.

When discussing previous blog topics, I would have to say the least interesting would have to be the professionalism post, the subject matter, although important, was very dry. Having to research ways to be a better professional was a very long and drawn out process. On the other hand, I would have to say the most interesting blog topic covered in this class was general aviation in China. Researching the developments and possibilities for aviation in that country was very interesting to me. As far as the most influential speakers that attended our classes, I would have to say the airline pilots that talked shed a lot of light on the industry I am about to start a long career in and proved very intriguing. As of now, I plan to further my career in aviation by continuing to gain ratings and building more time as a flight instructor.

Professional Aviation Groups

As an aviation professional, I believe it is very important to belong to professional organizations within the industry. The possibilities are endless as far as helpful resources that an association can provide anyone in the aviation or any other industry from job openings to legal assistance. As an airline pilot, I will most definitely belong to two organizations, the first being Air Line Pilots Association, International or, ALPA. This is a must for any airline pilot because of the powerful advocacy for pilots around the globe. Another group to be a member of is Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association or, AOPA. This organization is essential to any pilot, from a student pilot all the way up to an airline captain, this group has many resources to aid all airmen with pilot groups in every major airline.

The Air Line Pilots Association is a great organization that’s mission statement reads as follows:

“The mission of the Air Line Pilots Association is to promote and champion all aspects of aviation safety throughout all segments of the aviation community; to represent, in both specific and general respects, the collective interests of all pilots in commercial aviation; to assist in collective bargaining activities on behalf of all pilots represented by the Association; to promote the health and welfare of the members of the Association before all governmental agencies; to be a strong, forceful advocate of the airline piloting profession, through all forms of media, and with the public at large; and to be the ultimate guardian and defender of the rights and privileges of the professional pilots who are members of the Association.”

This is a very strong statement that covers many aspects including safety, interests of all commercial pilots, assisting in collective bargaining and foremost to be the defender of the rights of all their members. This group functions as a representative for all commercial pilots across the industry, not only airline pilots. They also provide resources to gain more knowledge as an aspiring pilot researching career options. I believe it is extremely important for an airline pilot to be a part of this association because of the assistance they provide to pilots under matters of salary, benefits and working conditions. By joining, one would make the group that much more influential when ALPA represents pilots views to the government when regarding legislation.

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is definitely a group in which every pilot should be part of, from resources in flight training to legal help when an airman breaks a regulation, AOPA is there to help. Their mission statement list is listed here:

“We protect your freedom to fly by…

·                     advocating on behalf of our members,

·                     educating pilots, nonpilots, and policy makers alike,

·                     supporting activities that ensure the long-term health of General Aviation,

·                     fighting to keep General Aviation accessible to all, and

·                     securing sufficient resources to ensure our success. ("Mission and History of AOPA," n.d.)”

AOPA has been around since the late 1930s in order to protect the freedom to fly while also promoting safety and affordability. Their presence in the aviation community  has been prominent throughout the 20^th century from lobbying for more airports to the Civil Aeronautics Authority in the 1940s to fighting against user fees in the 2000s. As a whole, AOPA fights for the rights of all pilots in the United States and looks out for their interests as a group, but they also provide services to individual members. As an example, they provide pilots with legal services when they are caught by the FAA. They also have the AOPA foundation which has a goal of raising $58 million to promote initiatives to increase student pilot enrollments. I believe it is important for any pilot in the US to support AOPA by becoming a member because of all the great benefits that come with it, but most important is the contribution one would make to a great cause in order to further aviation’s reach in the community.

ALPA Board of Directors. (1992, October). Mission Statement. Air Line Pilots Association. Retrieved from http://www.alpa.org/Home/WhoWeAre/MissionStatement/tabid/2237/Default.aspx

Mission and History of AOPA. (n.d.). Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Retrieved December 2, 2013, from http://www.aopa.org/About-AOPA/Governance/Mission-and-History-of-AOPA.aspx

Mobile Devices and Their Impact on Commercial Aviation Travel

            In the past, aviation travel has been limited to in flight entertainment provided by the airline carrier which in the best of cases is playing movies. Today, passengers can experience much more with the implementation of Wi-Fi connectivity at altitude. This allows passengers to surf the internet, for a price, while flying thousands of feet up in the air. This is a huge leap in technology and is becoming more and more popular with airlines, Delta Airlines has the largest Wi-Fi enabled fleet counting in at more than 800 (Kandorfer, 2013). Having the internet available mid flight has revolutionized the way people fly, now one can enjoy streaming movies on Netflix or keep up on their favorite shows on Hulu.com. This unheard of feat has only been implemented in recent years. In addition to entertainment, this connectivity is proving to be an excellent tool for businessmen that are traveling. Instead of being in the dark for multiple hours not knowing what is going on back at work, he/she can now work from the air if they so choose. Having full internet capability allows them to receive and send emails and correspond efforts to keep their business running smoothly with employees on the ground. This allows a boss to become more efficient while on the road by enabling him to work while flying instead of sleeping or reading a book. All of this is only available on tablets or laptops, cell phones traditionally are not allowed to be used on aircraft due to possible interference, but this is about to change.

            The Federal Aviation Administration has recently changed the regulations on the use of mobile devices onboard a moving aircraft (Booton, 2013). Previously, cell phones had to be turned off from the beginning of the taxi from the gate throughout the flight until safely landing and taxiing to the destination gate. This was founded on a belief that these cell phones would cause undue interference to the aircraft instruments and navigation. Recently, the FAA has conducted tests to see if the rule was founded duly. They concluded that phones in 'airplane mode' would prove no harm and will now grant airlines the ability to permit their passengers to operate mobile devices under this requirement. Now, everyone with a smartphone will be able to use it to surf the internet which will eliminate the need to carry and extra device such as a tablet or a laptop.

References

Booton, J. (2013, October 31). FAA Relaxes Rules, Allows Mobile Device Use on Airplanes. Fox Business. Retrieved from http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2013/10/31/faa-relaxes-rules-allows-mobile-device-use-on-airplanes/

Kandorfer, P. A. (2013, November 9). Delta introducing use of mobile devices during the flight. Examiner.com. Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/article/delta-introducing-use-of-mobile-devices-during-the-flight

Professionalism

Professionalism can be a very loosely based term that is casually thrown around in conversation, but carries a great deal of merit when one is attempting to acquire a job in any industry. Aviation is no different, when only two pilots carry the lives of hundreds of people on one flight alone, they have to act in a professional manner. A passenger does not want to see their captain speaking profanity or carrying about in an immature way. I believe professionalism is achieved when one acts, dresses, and speaks cordially, politely, and respectfully. A professional does not boast or make fun, but rather helps others to achieve their goal, especially in aviation. In the aviation industry, professionals can usually be spotted instantly by their traits, some of these traits are proper attire, respectful discussion, and punctuality.

Examples of people in the aviation industry acting or not acting in a professional manner can be found across the internet. For example, a JetBlue flight attendant freaked out on August 9th 2010 by getting on the plane's public address system and cursing out the passengers just before grabbing two beers and exiting the plane through the blow up emergency slide (Tatnell, 2010). This is a very extreme case of unprofessionalism, as a flight attendant, he was representing the company whilst in uniform. This complete lack of downright common courtesy is outrageous and he rightfully lost his job. On the other hand, there are cases when an employee in the aviation industry acted mature and cordial, in my experience working line for over four years, most pilots were very pleasant and mindful of others.

I myself strive to show professionalism every day because I never know who may hire me in the future. Some of the things I do include dress attire, being polite, and avoid foul language when talking. I do this now and plan to in the future as well, this is key to advancing in the aviation community because it is a small world and you never know who may be your boss someday. I plan on observing how other professionals carry themselves throughout the work day, utilize professional resources such as Professional Resource Press and NationalProfessional Resources Inc., and always remember that the customer comes first. In the end, the people who get the jobs fastest are the go getters that also know how to act professionally.

Tatnell, P. (2010, August 10). Raging flight attendant makes his own emergency exit. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/raging-flight-attendant-makes-his-own-emergency-exit-20100810-11ul9.html

Smith, S. (2011, December 21). Professionalism: A ‘Must Have’ For All Aviation Workers. AviationPros. Retrieved from http://www.aviationpros.com/article/10456996/ramp-workers-must-be-professionals-to-ensure-safety

Epstein, C. (2012, August 08). Sumwalt Keeps Pressure on Pilot Professionalism. Aviation International News. Retrieved from http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aviation-international-news/2012-09-01/sumwalt-keeps-pressure-pilot-professionalism

Boeing vs. Airbus

Boeing and Airbus have been fiercely battling each other for the past two decades for the most orders of aircraft to be filled. Boeing started in 1916 building Navy airplanes and has since moved up through to airline manufacturing. Today, they have tapped into multiple aviation markets in addition to the airlines, including military drone technology and fuel tankers. Airbus on the other hand only started building aircraft in the early 1970s with the introduction of the A300. They took hold of the market by incorporating an electronic flight computer or 'fly by wire' system into the cockpit which eliminated the need for a flight engineer. This was a great leap in technology that changed the industry forever, today there are very few aircraft that require a three person crew in all areas of aviation. Boeing is the type of company that is tried and true with thousands of aircraft being operated around the world for the past century while Airbus is only a recently serious competitor in the global airline market.

Boeing became the great company it is today by creating aircraft that have stood the test of time. They created the 707 which proved to be the first successful jet airliner and then again the 747 which is still being manufactured to this day. The 747 was the first double deck aircraft to be mass produced and was also the first wide body jet, meaning it has two aisles. Recently, they have released the 787 Dreamliner that drastically changed the way airliners could be manufactured, changing from aluminum towards mostly composite materials. They are hoping that this will be the next great aircraft that will launch their company into the future of air travel. Airbus has a very similar philosophy in the fact that they created this great 'fly by wire' technology that reduces workload for crew members and saves airlines money. They also hold the title of the largest airliner in production in the form of the A380. Although these manufacturers are in direct competition in the airline sector, Boeing has multiple types of aircraft that are not in direct competition with Airbus. One such example is the Boeing F/A-18E/F SuperHornet which is a variant of the F-18 fighter jet used by the U.S. Navy.

The numbers are very close across the board currently between the two aircraft manufacturers. Currently in the year of 2013, Airbus has an operating fleet of 6819 aircraft while Boeing airplanes still flying around the world number at 9180 (Flightglobal, 2013). Boeing currently employs 170,820 people across the entire company(Boeing, 2013). Airbus on the other hand only boasts 59,000 employees throughout their company(Airbus, n.d.). This great gap in numbers between the two companies can be the effect of Boeing competing in multiple markets in addition to large airline catergory aircraft. Although Airbus does do some military work, they do not have nearly the same reach as Boeing does with everything from drones to aerial refueling tankers. The reliability of both Airbus and Boeing airplanes are very much positive, although in the media lately is the 787. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has seen many setbacks in its development and most recently has been plagued with an overheating battery system. On January 15th this year an ANA 787 was forced to land after takeoff from Yamaguchi Ube when the lithium ion battery caught fire (Wingfield-Hayes, 2013). This battery problem grounded the 787 fleet around the world for moths until a fix was created by Boeing. This is just a minor setback in the grand scope of things, in 10 years, nobody will remember the battery issues that are now plaguing the Dreamliner.

Flightglobal. (2013). World airliner census 2013 (Rep.). Retrieved October 28, 2013, from Flightglobal Insight website: http://www.flightglobal.com/airspace/media/reports_pdf/emptys/106686/world-airliner-census-2013.pdf

Boeing. (2013, September 26). Boeing Employment Numbers. Boeing. Retrieved October 28, 2013, from http://www.boeing.com/boeing/aboutus/employment/employment_table.page

Airbus. (n.d.). People & culture. Airbus, a Leading Aircraft Manufacturer. Retrieved October 28, 2013, from http://www.airbus.com/company/people-culture/

Wingfield-Hayes, R. (2013, January 16). Top Japan airlines ground Boeing 787s after emergency. BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21038128

Chinese General Aviation

Through recent history, there has been a large-scale shift in industry from the western nations such as the United States to eastern countries such as China. In every form, manufacturing has found a new home in China due to cheap labor in many cases. When shopping at a US store, it is almost impossible to find a product not made in China. The Toshiba computer I am using to type this blog is made in (you guessed it), China. With the global economy affecting domestic markets in this way, there are bound to be aviation manufacturers that are looking to cut costs by utilizing cheap Chinese labor as well.

This occurrence has already begun and is starting to threaten the jobs of millions of Americans. In 2009, Cessna released the 162 SkyCatcher as a light sport aircraft aimed mainly at flight schools for primary flight training. This American aircraft manufacturer decided to produce this SkyCatcher in China due to reduced costs. The  Shenyang Aircraft Corporation is solely responsible for the production of the 162 while Cessna provides only engineering support on-site in China (Textron, 2007). This is just one example of a great American aircraft producer that has completely outsourced its manufacturing of a product line to China for greater profitability. This new product from Cessna would have produced many jobs here in America, not to mention the fact that the product ultimately failed in part because of the perception Americans have towards foreign built vehicles, not to mention airplanes.

There has been a rapid growth in the Chinese general aviation industry due in part to the government making more airspace available for public use.  "The CAAC will start designating certain low-altitude general aviation corridors. The general aviation airspace will be restricted to below 1000 meters (DuBose, 2010)". This opening up of previously restricted airspace has allowed Chinese citizens that are well off, achieve a private pilot license. This has almost never been heard of until now, previously, one would only attempt flight training in order to fly for an airline. In addition to this, China's economy is booming, with industry ramping up to support American products being made, people are making money. When they start to make money, they want to spend that money, when they want to spend that money, they spend it on aviation (among other things). This growth in wealth is creating a thirst for aviation in China like no one has seen before. They have been sheltered in the past from this industry due to poverty and a nonexistent infrastructure. Now that there is movement, they want to travel, making airlines more in demand as well as general aviation.

The relationship between the U.S. general aviation manufacturers such as Cessna that have ties to China and the growth in the Chinese general aviation industry are not that significant. These maufacturers that include Hawker Beechcraft, Cessna, Cirrus and many others, are just using China as a production facility to assemble the craft cheaply, then ship them back to America and other western countries for use. This is due to the slow growth that is actually happening in China, although there have been movements to unrestrict airspace throughout the country, there is still only 25% usable airspace for civil use. This has caused this rapid growth in the general aviation sector in China to be stunted, without an infrastructure, this industry will be slow to develop throughout the country.  "Based on statistics on the number of aircraft and hours of use, there is a larger general aviation industry in North Dakota alone than in all of China (Jackson, 2012)."

What does this mean for Americans and opportunities in our own country for growth in the general aviation sector? The general aviation industry in the United States has been around and strong for many decades. Beginning after WWII, pilots returning home wanted a way to continue to fly so companies like Cessna and Piper produced affordable aircraft to these pilots in large quantities. This continued throughout the century and peaked in the 1980s just before falling flat on its face. Companies stopped producing light aircraft altogether due to liability costs, since then, the General Aviation Revitalization Act has helped GA back on its feet but it has never been the same since. Because of this and other factors such as 9/11, the general public has a negative view now of aviation saying that it is dangerous and costly. This shift in thinking has slowly caused less and less pilots to be certified each year across the country and threatens to end general aviation for good because no U.S. companies want to invest in the industry, but China does. Multiple companies are looking to invest further in technologies that will move general aviation forward such as Bin Ao Aircraft Industry Co. in the Shandong province, which has built 96 complete Diamond DA40D four-place single-engined diesel-powered light aircraft out of orders for 235, and is now supplying composite airframes to Austria-Diamond as required, and components to the European company’s Canadian operation (Morris, 2013). This is a good thing for people in America that still care about private flying, this means that all is not lost and there will still be growth and jobs available in the future. General aviation is and always has been an important part of the industrial strength in the United States, and it is China who will save this once great industry for Americans.

Textron, Cessna. (2007, November 27). Cessna chooses China's Shenyang Aircraft Corporation as manufacturing partner for model 162 SkyCatcher [Press release]. Retrieved from http://investor.textron.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=110047&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1081831&highlight=

DuBose, C. (2010, October 24). China designates low-altitude airspace for general aviation.China Aviation Law. Retrieved from http://www.chinaaviationlaw.com/tag/low-altitude-airspace/

Jackson, C. (2012, May 10). China's general-aviation flight of fancy. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304451104577391650977428024

Morris, J. (2013, July 30). Will China be the savior of U.S. general aviation? [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog:7a78f54e-b3dd-4fa6-ae6e-dff2ffd7bdbb

Corporate Aviation: A Political Punching Bag

Corporate aviation is an tool used by companies around the country, by having a businessjet, a company has proven themselves as being 'successful'. This has always been accepted by the public in the past until recent years. The 'Big Three' car manufacturers flew in their corporate jets to Washington to ask for 'bailout' money, when in a hearing they were confronted on the matter, they were embarrassed. Ever since then, the business jet has been, in the public's eyes, a sign of wasteful spending and many corporate fleets have since been sold. Here we will discuss this issue and break down the pros and cons of having a corporate aircraft.

Corporate aviation has a long-standing history in this great nation, when executives have to travel for business, they can quickly get to a customer when using a modern business jet. This is an unparalleled tool that has helped commerce and development throughout almost all industries. With an industry that relies on just in time deliveries and shipments to keep running smoothly and efficiently, there also needs to be quick response by management to keep ahead of the game when doing business. This can only be done through corporate aviation, the public thinks that these jets are used for leisurely vacations by the fat cats around the country, but they are in fact essential tools to do business. Growth of an economy can only be a reality with growth in commerce and the fastest way to achieve this trading and commerce is with the use of business aircraft. To break it down further, it would be wise for a company CEO to fly to a customer faster on the company jet so he can finish his business and travel to the next customer. This allows a company to do more business and grow, which in turn creates more jobs and therefore commerce. If he had flow on an airline, then he may have made it to one client in a day, instead of three or four meetings that would be made available by the use of a corporate jet. I do feel that  corporate aviation is vitally important for our economy due to these reasons.

PresidentObama argues that corporate aviation is a luxury for the rich people and that it should be taxed further in order to lower the debt limit. This is ludicrous, the fact that he would even put that into the minds of the public is downright despicable. "Studies show that closing the loophole would only generate about $3 billion over 10 years(Frank, 2013)." With our debt in the trillions of dollars, Obama is attacking an industry that will only bring in $3 billion over 10 years, this is just a political move on his part to say that he fought the good fight against all those 'fat cats with jets' and put the blame of the economy on someone else. Without business aviation, there will be no growth in the economy, everyone will be waiting to get through security at the major airports instead of making deals with a client. The NBAA has fought for this for years saying that "Business aviation is a time multiplier allowing key employees to do more, faster.  Much like an investment in state of the art computer software, a business airplane boosts employee efficiency and productivity(NBAA, n.d.)." The 'tax break' that the president speaks of is accelerated depreciation, this is when a company can use their aircraft to realize the depreciation benefits of it more quickly("Bonus Depreciation," n.d.). This means that the company gets to write off some of the costs of owning and operating the aircraft.

On the other side of this issue, there are some drawbacks to business aircraft, including high costs and misuse of the asset. Yes jets are not cheap to operate and yes sometimes the boss may take a vacation in Florida and use the jet to get there. This is no different than anything else that the government subsidizes. There is misuse and wasteful spending far more costly than this small percentage. The cost of the aircraft operation and maintenance far underweight the benefits of profit and growth that the company will see with its use.

Accelerated depreciation was part of the economic stimulus package in 2009 because it would encourage the use of more assets, such as business jets, by companies with this tax break. This was one great part of the package when most every other part was a complete disaster. Obama supported this until recently when he changed his tone on the matter. Bolen, National Business Aviation Association chief executive, accuses Obama of having "denigrated" an industry that is "responsible for 1.2 million American jobs and $150 billion in economic impact(Morrison, 2012)". Frankly I am sick and tired of our presidents two-faced lies for political gain toward the public and I believe that this affluence of aviation in business is entirely justified.

Bonus Depreciation. (n.d.). NBAA. Retrieved October 13, 2013, from http://www.nbaa.org/admin/taxes/depreciation/bonus/

Frank, R. (2013, February 6). New dogfight between Obama and private jet industry.CNBC. Retrieved from http://www.cnbc.com/id/100439712

Morrison, M. (2012, October 5). NBAA condemns President Obama for 'disparaging business aviation' NBAA Condemns President Obama for 'disparaging Business Aviation' Retrieved from http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/nbaa-condemns-president-obama-for-disparaging-business-aviation-377305/

NBAA. (n.d.). Warren Buffet And Business Aviation Facts | No Plane No Gain. Warren Buffet And Business Aviation Facts | No Plane No Gain. Retrieved October 13, 2013, from http://www.noplanenogain.org/index.php?m=47

UAVs: A Commercial Future?

Throughout the years, aviation has seen many changes, from the basic 'rag wing' two seat airplane, to large sophisticated carbon fiber airliners capable of carrying hundreds of passengers. Although not always welcome at the time, these and other technological advancements have revolutionized air transportation. Today, the aviation industry faces another leap in technology, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAVs. Over the past decade, the United States military has utilized UAVs for various roles on the battlefield. These 'drones' can contrast from a small hand launched plane with a camera attached used for reconnaissance, to a full size aircraft that can launch missiles onto ground targets. This proves that the technology has advanced greatly in order to develop these sophisticated aircraft that have this great ability to strike someone on the other side of the world from where the 'pilot' is located. As expected, this technology that was created through the military for use in war, is now looking to be utilized in a civilian capacity. This has happened throughout aviation history, various examples are radar, VORs, and more recently, GPS. Although these past changes affected the aviation industry greatly, they were more of an improvement for the pilot and airplane, making flights safer. This new development is very different from any previously employed into the world of civil aviation.

These UAVs have the potential to completely alter the face of commercial aviation. Just imagine, you get on an airliner first class and have a front row seat to the flight with forward looking windows because there is no cockpit. Although fascinating at first, the thought of not having a human being at the controls and instead having your life cradled by a computer can be utterly terrifying as a passenger. Computers are exploited throughout our everyday lives, most of the public carries a computer in their pocket everyday as a convenience. The technology is brilliant and assists us in our lives, but this comes to a screeching halt every time the technology fails. There are very few who have not experienced a crashed computer, or a smart phone that freezes while performing an important task. This technological use is very familiar to the flying public and they know all too well the down falls of this technology and what happens when it fails. This creates a mistrust of the equipment, but this is only our phones and personal computers we are discussing! If a person cannot trust the technology in their phone, how are they supposed to accept it to get them safely from point A to point B? The public perception of UAVs will be the deciding factor as to whether or not they will be fully implemented. It won't matter how great or capable the technology is, if the consumer doesn't trust it, it will not make use of it. Already the public is almost trained by the media to fear flying, will they ever bring themselves to be perfectly okay with a computer flying them around? I seriously doubt this.

I believe that the technology will always be ahead of the industry because of this reason. Right now, we have the ability to completely eliminate the pilot from the equation and fly autonomously. The benefits are endless, airlines would have much less cost due to greatly reduced personnel and human error would be completely eliminated. Located here is an article in the Smithsonian Air and Space magazine website outlining some of the possible uses for UAVs. Aircraft could operate much closer together and therefore reducing traffic congestion due to the lack of human mistakes when flying certain altitudes and headings. The aircraft would be constantly talking to each other reporting their positions so there would be no doubt as to whether or not the flights would be completely safe. These are all great reasons to use UAVs in commercial transportation, but let's look at what scenarios may happen when an emergency situation exists. For this I will cite a widely recognized commercial accident in which many died but even more were saved due to quick thinking on the part of the crew. On July 19th, 1989, a Douglas DC-10 crash landed in Sioux City Iowa after an uncontained engine failure that severed all hydraulic lines on the aircraft. With hydraulics eliminated, the crew had to think on their feet and come up with a solution on how to control the aircraft. In the end, the crew controlled the plane with differential thrust from the remaining two engines and crash landed onto a runway at Sioux Gateway Airport killing 111 people, but saving 185. If a situation such as this happened to a drone, there would be little if no hope for the passengers. A computer thinks in one direction only, using controls as they were meant to and can provide no insight as to fixing an unexpected problem. The human element is both a liability and a sense of security. I believe that integration of the pilot and automation is a good thing, which is what we are already doing.

Today, we are already starting to integrate drones into the national airspace system. This implementation is being done in areas with little civil air traffic. "In a statement after it certified the Boeing and AeroVironment drones, the FAA said a major energy company plans to fly the ScanEagle off the Alaska coast in August to survey ice flows and whale migration in Arctic oil exploration areas (Haldane, 2013)." After they have been implemented on a smaller scale to see the effects on civil aviation, they will be further utilized on a larger scale. This integration of the UAVs into the system will be very difficult, pilots are very skeptical as to whether or not they prove a hazard to flight for other aircraft. Also, the lack of regulations on the part of the FAA is making it an unpredictable industry. "Up until now, most nonmilitary use of UAVs in the U.S. has been limited to police and other government agencies (The Associated Press, 2013)." Many are questioning whether or not our safety is a concern when implementing these drones into the national airspace. Aeronautics is a company that claims that all of these safety concerns for the flying public will be answered here. Building the trust of the public is a tall order, but this will have to be done in order to commence with widespread UAV use throughout the country.

Haldane, M. (2013, August 08). U.S. slowly opening up commercial drone industry. Reuters. Retrieved October 6, 2013, from http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/08/us-usa-drones-commercial-idUSBRE97715U20130808

The Associated Press. (2013, July 26). Drones to fly U.S. skies, FAA approves 1st civilian UAVs. CBC News. Retrieved October 6, 2013, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/drones-to-fly-u-s-skies-faa-approves-1st-civilian-uavs-1.1377778

Leveling the Global Aviation Playing Field

The aviation industry has been around for a century, between airlines, corporate, cargo, and charter services, it has thrived for quite a long time. Throughout the years though, there have been many things that have threatened aeronautical commerce including high fuel prices, cheap labor, and the public perception of aviation. Today, we face many of the same risks, fuel prices are through the roof, pilot pay keeps getting cut and the view of aviation by the public degrades every time a plane crashes. "When jet-fuel prices rise rapidly, airlines have limited options to mitigate these costs, principally generating more revenue or decreasing nonfuel expenses. As fuel prices increase, flights become less profitable so airlines may also reduce capacity, and some carriers already have reported downward growth plans. (Heimlich, n.d.)" This is a real problem that faces our industry, if airlines have to cut routes to remain profitable, then it won’t be long until they will go bankrupt or continue to merge and get bought out by larger airlines. This will happen until there are only a few airlines left that will have complete control on the industry. This only accounts for the airlines, corporate divisions, charter operations, cargo and general aviation all suffer every time fuel prices raise. Today more than ever, there are less and less people flying their own aircraft because they simply cannot afford to fly them due to the high cost of avgas. Corporations are cutting down or even eliminating their aviation divisions for this same reason, without corporate jets flying in to pay landing fees and buying jet fuel, local general aviation airports will no longer bring in enough money to support themselves or the community.

            Another hazard to aviation is the fact that young pilots trying to get their foot in the door are desperate to build flight time. When a hopeful airline pilot gets offered a job to fly jet aircraft for a regional airline, he doesn’t care how little he will get paid, the only thing on his mind is the experience he will build. This is not a good thing due to the fact that pilots will underbid each other just to get ahead in their career, after a while, they will get paid so little that they will be unable to pay bills let alone for their student loans that they took out to finance their flight training. “Recent salary records show that a rookie first officer on a regional airline flying out of San Francisco International Airport may be paid less than the worker who washes the airport’s windows. (Finck & Breuner, 2011)” This is ridiculous, the fact that low time pilots have gone this low on the pay scale while the cost of flight training is so astronomically high is insane. A high school student looking towards his or her future will look at the cost of flight education, which is around $100,000, and then look up their future salary as a regional airline pilot, which is right around $20,000 for first year pay, and make up their mind that it is just too much money to even think about flying for a living. Unless they are madly in love with flying, they will write off the possibility of ever flying for a living and choose another career path. I know this because I did this as a high school student; I started my first year of college thinking that I was going to be a mechanical engineer technician but because of my job at the local airport, I found my true passion to be in aviation and I have since then worked my butt off to get through flight training. Airline companies know this and use it against their employees, they know we will never want to quit flying, that we will eat noodles every day just to have a job flying. But after enough years of this, there will be no more kids looking up towards the sky wanting to fly because they were never introduced to it by their parents because they couldn’t afford the fuel for the plane let alone to buy an aircraft.

            From here we move to the public perception of aviation, every time a car crashes, little is said but a quick 10 second story on the 5pm news. But the second a plane crashes, no matter how small or insignificant, it is blasted onto the national news. Last year in Monroe County Michigan, a light sport airplane was on approach to a private grass strip when the pilot got low on approach and clipped the power lines that paralleled the road. This is a quote from one of the reports on the crash, “Sgt. Jeff Kemp said in a release that both men suffered minor injuries and were taken by ambulance to Mercy Memorial Hospital as a precautionary measure. (Oosting, 2012)” This proves that even though they both had only minor injuries the media has to blast the story way out of proportion because there was a video of it and plane crashes are sensational. This and countless other stories like it have shed a lot of bad light on the aviation industry. Every time I get onto an airliner, during the takeoff sequence, everyone in the cabin closes their eyes and puts their heads down in fear of their possible demise. I find it very interesting that statistically they have a much greater chance of being killed on their way to the airport in their own car then during the flight, yet they fear for their lives every time they fly. This is due to a few factors, but the biggest is the fact that the media shows flying as a dangerous medium of travel because of its sensationalism whenever something does go wrong. Another is the fact that whenever an airliner crashes, many people die, but whenever a car crashes, only a few may perish. “In absolute numbers, driving is more dangerous, with more than 5 million accidents compared to 20 accidents in flying. A more direct comparison per 100 million miles pits driving's 1.27 fatalities and 80 injuries against flying's lack of deaths and almost no injuries, which again shows air travel to be safer. (Locsin, n.d.)” This is horrible for the aviation community, if a child is brought up to fear flying, then how are we going to recruit them to fly for a living? The public perception of danger in aviation is just adding to the pilot shortage because of this.

Finck, K., & Breuner, B. (2011, September 1). Pilots can earn less than airport window washers. California Watch. Retrieved September 29, 2013, from http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/pilots-can-earn-less-airport-window-washers-12398

Heimlich, J. (n.d.).  The Price of Jet Fuel and Its Impact on U.S. Airlines. The Price of Jet Fuel and Its Impact on U.S. Airlines. Retrieved September 29, 2013, from http://www.airlines.org/Pages/The-Price-of-Jet-Fuel-and-Its-Impact-on-U.S.-Airlines.aspx

Locsin, A. (n.d.). Is Air Travel Safer Than Car Travel? Travel Tips. Retrieved September 29, 2013, from http://traveltips.usatoday.com/air-travel-safer-car-travel-1581.html

Oosting, J. (2012, August 13). Video: Passenger records plane crash, frantic aftermath in Monroe County. MLive.com. Retrieved September 29, 2013, from http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/08/video_passenger_records_plane.html

The Looming Pilot Shortage: Reality . . . or Not?

            There are many reasons that people in the industry are saying there will be a catastrophic pilot shortage. One being the fact that many older pilots that got their retirement extended from the age of 60 to age 65 are beginning to retire now. "Major airlines, including Delta and United, are beginning to hire pilots for the first time in several years, and they will look to the upper ranks of regional airlines to fill a large number of the positions. (Schaal, 2013)" This will force them to pull pilots up from regional airlines to fill those seats. After losing much of their workforce, the regional airlines, who are now dealing with new regulation that requires higher minimums to hire new first officers, will need to recruit more pilots from flight schools around the country. According to some, this demand of fresh pilots will develop into a full blown pilot shortage that will rock the industry. To a pilot earning new ratings and building flight time at a flight school, a pilot shortage is music to their ears. This means that when they meet the qualifications, they will be swept up immediately by a regional airline that is lucky to have them. This however seemingly excellent situation may actually prove to be a harmful turn for pilots. If the airlines are unable to recruit enough pilots to fill their slots, they will be forced to either buy bigger planes or even cut routes in order to reduce their demand for pilots. "We've already heard of a few airlines that have either reduced their operations or even grounded their airplanes because they don't have enough people to fly them. ("Pilot shortage in Asia - PPRuNe Forums," 2011)" In the end, this may reduce the need for pilots across the entire industry, this is one possible drawback to this pilot shortage. I personally think that we will have a pilot shortage, but I do not believe it will have this detrimental effect on pilots. I think that we will have a great opportunity as commercial pilots moving up towards the airlines, when we meet the legal minimums, we will have our pick of whatever regional airline we want.

            Another cause of this pilot shortage is of an international nature, many Asian countries are currently going through a type of industrial revolution. "The rising middle class in China means millions more people are taking to the skies. Beijing plans soon to allow even more growth in its tightly controlled sector by encouraging the development of budget airlines, which are already booming across Asia. (NG, 2013)" This means that there are many citizens that will be wanting to travel with their new found wealth on airlines. "The largest projected growth in pilot demand is in the Asia Pacific region, with a requirement for 192,300 new pilots over the next 20 years. ("Long-Term Market," n.d.) " This new demand for pilots in the region will require Asian airlines to hire a lot of pilots that they do not have. If they cannot hire enough pilots from their own countries, they will have to hire American pilots to fulfill these positions. I believe that this will lead to a few changes in the industry, the Asian airlines will offer great deals to persuade American pilots to fly for them which will consecutively create an even bigger pilot shortage in America. This should in turn force Airlines in the United States to compete with Asian airline pay rates which should greatly increase with the need for more pilots.

           

Long-Term Market. (n.d.). Boeing: Pilot & Technician Outlook. Retrieved September 22, 2013, from http://www.boeing.com/boeing/commercial/cmo/pilot_technician_outlook.page

NG, J. (2013, August 23). Chinese Airlines Lure Pilots With Double the Pay of U.S. Captains; Carriers Boost Salaries to Hire Seasoned Crews, Causing Shortage Across Asia. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 22, 2013, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323455104579012194041354578.html

Pilot shortage in Asia - PPRuNe Forums. (2011, December 1). Business Insider. Retrieved September 21, 2013, from http://www.businessinsider.com/asian-pilot-shortage-2011-12

Schaal, D. (2013, August 29). Regional Airlines’ Pilot Shortage is Heading Toward the Perfect Storm. Skift. Retrieved September 21, 2013, from http://skift.com/2013/08/29/regional-airlines-pilot-shortage-is-heading-toward-the-perfect-storm/

Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations

            As we have recently found out, the FAA has issued the final ruling on the Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations here. After Congress mandated the FAA to make a change to the then current requirements for First Officers, everyone in the industry knew they would require ATP certificates for all crew members in the cockpit. This news was a shock to the aviation community; how would someone be able to pay for flight training and be able to get enough flight time to meet the stringent requirements of the Airline Transport Pilot certificate? The FAA responded with a promise to have a Restricted ATP for applicants that graduated with a four year degree in aviation. They stated that the hour requirements would be reduced and said nothing else except the fact that they would have to be a graduate of an accredited four year program. Now, the ruling has come out, and of course, as the federal government always does, they have messed it up.

            First of all, the Federal Aviation Administration released the final ruling mere weeks before it was to take effect. For a ruling of this size that would affect so many people, they should have given at least a year before implementing any changes. Congress gave the FAA until the 1st of August of this year to put into operation these amendments, therefore I am not suggesting that the FAA should have postponed the execution of the final ruling until a year from now, but I am saying that they should have published the final ruling a year ago. That would have given flight schools and the students enrolled in flight schools a chance to plan ahead for the future. To release the final ruling just before it is to take effect is absurd.

            Another point is that the FAA failed to give a full picture of this restricted ATP until the final ruling was published. Up until the final ruling, it was thought that the only requirement to fall under this new restricted ATP was to be a graduate of an accredited four year institution. Now we finally have the full picture; there are many levels to the restricted ATP. I will not get into all of them but know that there are other situations in which one could get a restricted ATP at other minimums other than the one I am about to discuss. If one was to graduate from an accredited four year university with a bachelor's in some sort of aviation flight major and graduate from 141 instrument and commercial courses while doing their flight training, then they would only need 1000 hours total time and 200 hours cross country flight time. This is a great alternative to the normal ATP which requires 1500 hours total time and 500 hours cross country. Although this was a step in the right direction, the FAA failed to advise student pilots ahead of time to get their licenses under a 141 flight school. This leaves a set of pilots that have already gotten their ratings under part 61 instead of 141 because they never thought that it would benefit them to go the 141 route. If they knew ahead of time that this would one day be a factor, then they surely would have gone the 141 route. Unfortunately for me, I am one of these pilots; I am certified to teach commercial pilots under 141 curriculum, yet because I myself did not train commercial under a 141 syllabus, I do not qualify under the 1000 hour rule. If the FAA had published the final ruling a little over a year ago, I could have switched to a 141 course for my commercial rating and qualified. This is because I already did my instrument rating under 141.

            Ultimately, the lack of a final decision with enough time for adjustment in the industry and the fact that the FAA decided out of the blue to require pilots to complete a 141 course for both instrument on commercial certificates is ill-advised. By doing this, they have failed a large group of pilots that have not yet gotten into the airlines but already have their commercial licenses. Although I believe this is a ridiculous oversight by the FAA, there is some consolation for this group of pilots.

            If one does not qualify for this part of the (R)ATP, then they can still benefit from it. Anyone, without any requirements as far as graduating with an aviation degree or from a 141 flight program can qualify for a (R)ATP with1500 hours, but with only 200 cross country hours instead of 500. This is a sufficient alternative to flight instructors who build very little cross country time when training applicants in a local environment. When instructing, one stays mostly in the pattern at a local airport or one instructs in a practice area to perform maneuvers with the student, this is almost always accomplished within the 50 nautical mile radius in which a cross country flight is usually defined. The only chance a flight instructor gets to build cross country flight time is when he/she has to go with a student to demonstrate how to fly a cross country flight without getting lost. This is minimal time when looked at in a big picture; with one student, an instructor may only build two hours of flight time, while they have 30-40 hours of instruction locally. Basically, if a pilot builds time to get to the airlines by instructing, it would take well over 2000 hours total time to get the 500 hours cross country time. 

            In the end, I believe that this whole requirement is part of a knee-jerk reaction by Congress after the Colgan Air crash in Buffalo, New York. Also, I believe that the FAA could have implemented the regulation in a more logical fashion. In the end, most pilots will overcome this new obstacle because they will conform to the new training requirements and get into the airlines in a reasonable time. It will just be more difficult for the rest of us instructors to accept the fact that the very same commercial pilots that we are currently training under part 141 may, in fact, get hired by an airline before us.

Introduction

Hello,

            My name is Scott Lange. A little about my past, I grew up on a small farm outside of Maybee, MI throwing hay bales and shoveling cow maneuver for nothing more than three meals a day, a place to sleep, and a good education. Although baling hay in the summer heat and feeding cattle in the winter cold was back breaking work, farming definitely had its perks. When we did have time to play, my brother and I always found ways to have fun. With vast open spaces, the only thing to do that made sense was to run anything with a motor on it for amusement. Snowmobiling, four-wheeling, dirt-biking, off-roading, drag racing, lawn tractor pulling, if you name it, we drove it. In doing so, we both become motor heads; although my brother has since become a mechanical engineer, I have found my home in aviation.

            When I was still in grade school, I was introduced to flying by my neighbor who had a Cherokee Six. He let me sit in the right seat and fly over my house at 150mph, I was hooked! I subscribed to flying magazine and instantly became a wing nut. Our farm also just happened to be under the final approach course for runway 4L into Detroit Metro Airport. As I watched those airliners line up five at a time on the ILS in a perfect line while I worked in the field, I couldn't help myself from dreaming. I made up my mind that I wanted to fly for the airlines some day.

            As high school came around and college advisors started compelling me to think of my future, I looked into the possibility of flying for a living. As many have, I quickly got a reality check as to how much flight training would cost. I eventually wrote off the possibility completely by telling myself that it would cost too much to fly.

             I started my first semester of community college taking basic classes while working at Monroe Custer Airport to pay bills. Every week I would fuel planes for pilots that flew in from around the country, watching them land with smiles on their faces. I was amazed at how easy it looked to just go up on a flight, it was like second nature to these people. As six months of working at the airport passed by I realized I would never be happy if  I never attempted to fly.

            In March of 2010 I started flight training in a Cessna 150 in Monroe, paying for it with every extra dollar I could manage from a $9 an hour job. It was a struggle, but less than a year later I achieved my private pilot certificate. Since then I have started flight training at Eagle Flight Center and have attained my Certified Flight Instructor certificate, just recently starting training student pilots at the flight center. I plan on working toward more ratings and instructing until I have accomplished my goal of flying for an airline. I know it will be a long road, but I accept the challenge.