pilot shortage

A change needs to happen within the regional airlines, and it needs to happen soon. Before they know it, a majority of the regional carriers will not have enough pilots to safely dispatch their flights. The shortage is slowly getting worse and the decreasing numbers of pilots will also impact the potential of the major airlines as well. There has been speculation that the current pilot shortage within the regional airlines has been provoked by the extremely low pilot wages. Additionally, some believe it is from the increase of pilots retiring from the airlines. One could argue either way, but they both collaborate and are slowly creating issues for the regional carriers.

Digging deeper into the issue, majority of the pilot shortage comes from the lack of effort from the regional airlines to provide pilots with sufficient wages. The annual pay for a regional pilot is not what many believe it should be, “Regional carriers pay pilots an annual average of $27,350” (Olinga, 2016). With that being said, “Most airlines prefer or require a four-year degree on top of extensive flight training. Experts say its not unusual for someone to accumulate $150,000 in educational debt by the time they’re breaking into the business” (Linkhorn, 2015). It doesn’t seem fair that a person with a degree and who has paid over $100,000 is making a lower annual income than somebody on welfare, The issue that is extremely irritating is that “welfare pays more than the average pretax first-year wage for a teacher [in those states]. In 39 states, it pays more than the starting wage for a secretary. And, in the three most generous states a person on welfare can take home more money than an entry-level computer programmer” (Cronin, 2013). It is a professional job that requires thousands of hours of training, yet the regional pilots receive less money than the average welfare recipient. Not only do the pilots receive a terrible income, but they also deal with long work days, lack of sleep, and a poor living environment.

The low income of a regional pilot is definitely turning the attention away from the regional industry. This essentially backfires at the major airlines, because the regionals are used as a stepping stone job for pilots to get to the major airlines. If there aren’t enough pilots flying for the regionals, then how will the major airlines continue to keep their flights operating? It’s a vicious cycle that could potentially ruin the commercial industry if these companies do not figure something out. It is simple, “Fewer pilots are willing to commit hundreds of thousands of dollars into their training and education for a career with such a limited return on investment, in what has historically been a very unstable industry" (Olinga, 2016).

Flight training has since gone up in overall cost due to the recent Colgan Air crash that happened in February of 2009.  In response the Colgan Air accident, the FAA established a new regulation that pilots must have a minimum of 1500 hours and “the new hourly requirements made it more expensive to become a pilot in the first place” (Fitzpatrick, 2016). Instead of looking into the fatigue issues of the accident, the FAA issued stronger regulations. It’s a way of making the public feel better about flying with the airlines, but it has only had a negative impact on the airlines so far. This is one of the main reasons why the regionals are struggling to find new pilots, because it is taking student pilots twice as much time and money to even apply for a position. It is a debate in progress, but as “lawmaker’s debate new aviation rules, regional airlines have been trying to convince them it’s time to rethink the 1,500 hour requirement. But the idea will be a tough sell with passengers, many of whom are bound to feel safer with a more experienced pilot, regardless of what the academics say” (Fitzpatrick, 2016).  Essentially, the passengers think of total flight time rather than how the pilots are treated. It has been proven over time that regional pilots get minimum hours of sleep and experience fatigue on a daily basis. Rather than focusing on the public’s concern on flight hours, the attention should be towards the pilots actually flying the aircraft and helping them by providing a more reasonable working experience.

In addition to the issue of regional pilot life style, majority of pilots end up commuting; “Commuting is another major stressor. A huge portion of airline pilots, whether by choice or circumstances beyond their control, live somewhere other than their base“(Weigel, 2013). Commuting takes away from the 10 hour rest period that pilots are given, so take that into consideration when pilots fly multiple flights throughout the day. Since most pilots commute, they end up finding a crash pad and splitting the rent with multiple pilots, and these crash pads can be as small as one bedroom apartments. The lifestyle of a regional pilot is not something most people aspire to do, and that is why there is a lack of motivation towards the career.

Whether it is the rate of retiring pilots causing the shortage or the lifestyle and pay of regional pilots that is creating such a problem, something needs to be done. Some improvising that these companies should consider would be reimbursement of flight training or even providing the training for their future pilots. It is strongly encouraged that these regional carriers increase the pay or else they will not have the demand of pilots to fulfill their flight operations. The public will end up getting irritated for the lack of flights and the increase of flight cancellations, but they don’t understand the issue behind all of it. Something needs to happen soon or else these companies will all fall apart.

References: 

 Cronin, B. (2013, August 19). The Wall Street Journal. Work or Welfare: What Pays More? Retrieved from http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2013/08/19/work-or-welfare-what-pays-more/

Fitzpatrick, A. (2016, March 23). Time. Here’s the Major Crisis the Airlines Are Facing Now. Retrieved from http://time.com/4257940/pilot-shortage/

Linkhorn, T. (2015, April 12). Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Airline Pilots Today: Less Glamour, but Returning Stability. Retrieved from http://www.post-gazette.com/business/2015/04/12/Airline-pilots-today-less-glamour-but-returning-to-stability/stories/201504120168

Olinga, L. (2015, March 7). Yahoo News. Pilot Shortage Hits US Regional Airlines. Retrieved from https://www.yahoo.com/news/pilot-shortage-hits-us-regional-airlines-042334238.html?ref=gs

Weigel, S. (2013, June 7). Flying. A Day in the Life of an RJ Pilot. Retrieved from http://www.flyingmag.com/pilots-places/pilots-adventures-more/day-life-rj-pilot

NTSB Most Wanted List

First off, I wouldn’t change the order that the NTSB has already established besides medical fitness. I agree that Cockpit Image Recorders should be number one on the list because it will provide more substantial evidence in accident investigations as well as help keep pilots in line while they fly. Preventing the loss of control in the cockpit should be second on the list because every pilot should know how to keep an aircraft under control, especially in a stall. Most GA accidents have occurred during take-offs and landings in which resulted in a stall, therefore, preventing loss of controls should be second in the rankings. Fatigue related accidents contribute nearly 20 percent out of the 182 major accident investigations and that is why it should be third on the most wanted list. Following fatigue related accidents, distractions in the cockpit is another main concern and there should be more attempts made to reduce distractions. For a while now, pilots have been using laptops, tablets and cellphones to surf the web while flying, and these distractions need to be eliminated. Medical fitness is last on the list because a concrete medical certification system is already in place. I do not think medical fitness should have made it on this list because it is something that already has a set in stone process, which has worked for decades. One topic that I think should have made it on the list would be the regulation of checklist procedures both in the cockpit and during the preflight check. By properly going through and verbally announcing the checklist, the chances of missing an item are substantially lowered. Personally, I think the FAA will most likely respond to cockpit image recorders solely due to the purpose of catching pilot errors. If reports are submitted, the FAA will have a resource to look at for the investigation.

Reference:

Bellamy, W., III. (2016, January 14). NTSB's 5 Most Wanted Aviation Safety Improvements in 2016. Avionics Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.aviationtoday.com/av/commercial/NTSBs-5-Most-Wanted-Aviation-Safety-Improvements-in-2016_86948.html#.VwxPyHqM6JW

Aviation Organizations

Two organizations that I intend on belonging to later on down the road are the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).  The mission of the AOPA is to protect pilot’s rights to fly and they do so by “educating pilots, non-pilots, and policy makers alike, supporting activities that ensures the long-term health of General Aviation, fighting to keep General Aviation accessible to all, and securing sufficient resources to ensure our success” (AOPA, n.d.). The AOPA is a huge supporter for general aviation pilots, and they are an organization that helps keep the general aviation pilots involved with their passion of flying.  The AOPA delivers various values to its members which include teamwork, initiative, service, integrity, and excellence. They play a huge role in providing a common goal for all pilots to strive for excellence and safety.

   

Another organization worthy of joining, since I am looking at flying for the airlines in the near future, would be the ALPA. The ALPA supports over 52,000 pilots and over 30 airline companies. This is a great organization to get involved with because they actively support and provide quality guidance to their members. The mission of the Air Line Pilots Association is to promote all aspects of aviation safety throughout all of the segments of the aviation industry as well as represent the interest of all airline pilots. In their mission statement they state that “ALPA represents pilots’ views to decision-makers, including Congress and federal agencies, and ALPA pilot groups have negotiated hundreds of contracts with airlines” (ALPA, n.d.). It is great to see an organization that works hard to represent a group of pilots and provide assistance in negotiating specific aviation related movements.

The AOPA and ALPA are two organizations that I am very interested in joining once I am engaged into my aviation career. They will both benefit me substantially, along with all of the other pilots associated with them. The biggest selling point is that both of these organizations cooperate with the congress to levy issues in the aviation industry and strive to provide positive outcomes and better regulations for pilot safety. These organizations look out for the pilots best interest, and they both work to help all pilots achieve the same common goal. As a professional, I want to be a part of an organization that will help me further advance in my abilities to conduct my flights in a safe manner. Both the AOPA and ALPA strive to help pilots maintain a professional attitude and give guidance to pilots seeking further development of their skills.

References:

ADVANCING AVIATION SAFETY AND SECURITY SINCE 1931. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2016, from http://www.alpa.org/en/about-alpa/what-we-do

Mission and History of AOPA. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2016, from http://www.aopa.org/About-AOPA/Governance/Mission-and-History-of-AOPA