Pilot Shortage

Pilot Shortage

There are two sides to every argument. In aviation, there are those who believe that there is a pilot shortage and those who believe that there is no shortage and that the problem is pay. Many believe that there is a pilot shortage. More and more people are flying every year. In the United States alone, both U.S and foreign carriers transported a record high of 895.5 million people in 2015 (U.S Department of Transportation, 2016). Major airlines fear that they may run out of pilots in the upcoming years as their senior pilots begin to retire. According to the University of North Dakota, there are less young pilots who want to fly commercially (Schlangenstein, 2016). If the major airlines are worried, then the regional airlines must be horrified, as many commercial pilots often times choose to begin their careers in the regionals and work their way up to the majors. With the high cost of flight training, low pay, and long hours younger pilots do not see viable way to support themselves. To alleviate the problem, airlines are changing their requirements to make it easier to be a commercial pilot and offering incentives like signing bonuses, hoping to attract enough pilots (Schlangenstein, 2016).

On the other side, the ALPA does not believe that there is a pilot shortage, just a lack of motivation related to pay. According to Tim Canoll, President of ALPA, states that bankruptcies filed by regional airlines such as Republic Airways are not caused by a pilot shortage, they are caused by the low pay that regional pilots receive (Reed, 2016). There are not a lot of pilots who are willing to work long hours for low pay when they have high debt. I believe that there is a pilot shortage, mainly caused by low pay. If the regional airlines were to increase the salary of their pilots to a livable standard, then the shortage wouldn’t be that big of a problem.

With the new regulations requiring pilots to have 1500 hours ATP, it puts strain on regional airlines as majority of their pilots are recent graduates with less than the required time. It also burdens pilots financially. Flight training is incredibly expensive, as it can easily go over $100,000, pilots may find themselves short of obtaining 1500 hours because they ran out of money, which furthers increases the pilot shortage. One solution could be for airline executives who make millions to take a cut from their salaries and bonus and use that money to train new pilots so that can obtain 1500 hours. Regional airlines could increase the pay for their pilots, which of course will lessen the impact of a pilot shortage.

There are other associations that represent aviation. For airport managers, there is the AAAE (American Association of Airport Executives), which is one of the largest aviation associations in the world. They represent thousands of airport personnel from public commercial-use airports to the general aviation airports. (AAAE, n.d.) For aviation businesses, there is the NBAA (National Business Aviation Association), which focuses on issues such as aviation safety, operational efficiency, business aviation advocacy, and etc. They provide assistance to over 10,000 member companies which earn annual revenues of over $5 trillion. (NBAA, n.d.). For aircraft manufacturers, there is the AIA (Aerospace Industries Association), which represents the major aerospace and defense contractors in the United States. The AIA focuses on topics like civil aviation, defense and security. Members include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Electric, BAE Systems, and etc. (AIA, n.d.).

Colgan 

Professionalism is projecting an image that is compatible with the organization’s corporate culture. One way in there was a lack unprofessionalism demonstrated in the documentary was when a member of the Regional Airline Association, stated that regional pilots can live on a $20,000 salary. The other was when Colgan altered the weight and balance so that the aircraft was within regulations. The regional airline’s low pilot compensation contributed to the lack of professionalism seen at Colgan. When pilots are paid so low, they can’t afford to live near their base and are forced to commute to work. This equates to decrease in the quality of sleep pilots get since they have to travel long distances to get to work. The pilots on Colgan Flight 3407 were fatigue. When people are tired, they are not at their best. Two ways I can maintain and expand my professional once I’m employed is to be vigilant in my tasks and to know when I’m unable to perform my job responsibility and not endanger anyone because of it.

References

AAAE. (n.d.). About AAAE. In American Association of Airport Executives. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://www.aaae.org/aaae/AAAEMBR/About_AAAE/AAAEMemberResponsive/About_AAAE/About_AAAE.aspx?hkey=17fa23bc-bfe6-4589-9c8b-c362c1e7c303

AIA. (n.d.). About AIA. In Aerospace Industries Association. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://www.aia-aerospace.org/about-aia/

NBAA. (n.d.). NBAA history. In National Business Aviation Association. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from https://www.nbaa.org/about/history/

Reed, T. (2016, March 3). ALPA: don't blame pilot shortage for Republic plight. In TheStreet. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from https://www.thestreet.com/story/13480389/1/alpa-don-t-blame-pilot-shortage-for-republic-plight.html

Schlangenstein, M. (2016, June 29). Shrinking pool of future pilots keeps major airlines on edge. In Bloomberg. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-29/shrinking-pool-of-future-pilots-keeps-major-airlines-on-edge

U.S Department of Transportation. (2016, March 24). 2015 U.S based airline traffic data. In United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/press_releases/bts018_16

Privatization of ATC

The fundamentals of our ATC system is based on point-to-point ground based radar. ATC controllers uses the radio to pinpoint the location of each aircraft. As aircraft fly through the controller’s assigned airspace they will hand handle to another controller once they reach the boundaries of the airspace (Breselor, 2014). The proposed system uses digital technology to track aircraft. The new system, known as NextGen is a modernization program that will use GPS technology, which allows controllers and pilots where each flight is located. NextGen will require new infrastructure. New technologies will be implemented which will allow pilots to see flight, traffic, and weather information. Other technologies will give ATC better information about the flights they handle to ensure a safe landing (FAA, 2016).

General aviation is opposed to the privatization of the ATC system because the proposed system would give tremendous power to the airlines. The concerns of general aviation would be drowned out by a board of directors consisting of airlines (General Aviation News, 2016). The proposal would implement user fees for commercial airspace which can place a financial burden on general aviation. Small airports may not have access to safety improvements if the non-profit corporation does not receive enough revenue from user fees (Aviation General News, 2016). Majority of airlines want a private ATC system. The rationale is that a private ATC system is more efficient than the current system and that if ATC responsibilities were to be handed to a non-profit corporation, the board of directors would mostly consist of airlines, which give them tremendous power over how to ATC system will work (Laing, 2016). The Cato Institute believes that it is time for the United States to privatize ATC. Proponents of privatization want a system that is more efficient and not hindered by bureaucracy, which the FAA is known for (Edwards, 2016). The Cato Institute has looked to Canada as a model of efficiency. On the other side of the spectrum, the Experimental Aircraft Association does not want ATC to be privatized on the current proposal, which gives airlines more power. The EAA sees the attempt of privatization a way for airlines to increase their profit (EAA, 2016).

ATC has been privatized in other countries. Canada has made the transition to a private system. The way NavCanada works is that, both pilots and controllers use text messages to communicate thus reducing the amount of radio transmissions. By using text messages, it reduces the chances of misunderstandings (McCartney, 2016). When it comes to funding, the NavCanada charges aircraft flying in Canadian airspace and the uses of terminal services. NavCanada operates more efficiently than what is being used in United States, mainly because of technology (Edwards, 2016). NavCanada has been able to implement technology much faster than the FAA (Edwards, 2016). As flights are monitored through GPS based technology, it allows controllers to add capacity and reduce delays. 

Only Congress has the authority to create a non-profit corporation. The current discussion is that the airlines want a private system, while general aviation, based on the proposal in the FAA Reauthorization Bill is opposed to it because it gives too much power to the airlines. Currently, the attempt for privatization has failed and the FAA retains the responsibilities of handling the nation’s airspace (EAA, 2016).

I do not believe that a private ATC system would work in the way it was proposed in the FAA Reauthorization Bill. Having a board of directors that mostly consist of airlines is a conflict of interest because the airlines would use their authority to further their own interest and not the interest of U.S aviation as a whole. As with any corporation, its objective will be to make money. In the event that it does not generate enough revenue to cover their operating cost, it will be the taxpayers that will have to bail them out since ATC is a vital function to our economy.

References

Breselor, S. (2014, September 26). Why 40-Year-Old Tech Is Still Running America’s Air Traffic Control. In Wired . Retrieved September 22, 2016, from https://www.wired.com/2015/02/air-traffic-control/

EAA. (2016, February 12). EAA opposition to ATC privatization bill moves to full house. In EAA. Retrieved September 22, 2016, from https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/eaa-news-and-aviation-news/news/02-12-2016-eaa-opposition-to-atc-privatization-bill-moves-to-full-house

EAA. (2016, February 26). What’s next? aftermath of ATC privatization battle. In EAA. Retrieved September 22, 2016, from http://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/eaa-news-and-aviation-news/news/02-26-2016-whats-next-aftermath-of-atc-privatization-battle

Edwards, C. (2016, April 8). Privatizing air traffic control. In Downsizing the government. Retrieved September 22, 2016, from http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/transportation/atc

FAA. (2016, June). The future of the NAS. In FAA. Retrieved September 22, 2016, from https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/media/futureOfTheNAS.pdf

General Aviation News. (2016, February 4). GA reacts to proposal to privatize ATC. In General Aviation News. Retrieved September 22, 2016, from http://generalaviationnews.com/2016/02/04/ga-reacts-to-proposal-to-privatize-atc/

Laing, K. (2016, February 25). House GOP grounds plan to spin air traffic control from FAA. In The Hill. Retrieved September 22, 2016, from http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/270831-gop-grounds-air-traffic-control-spin-off

McCartney, S. (2016, April 27). The air-traffic system U.S. airlines wish they had. In Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 22, 2016, from http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-air-traffic-system-u-s-airlines-wish-they-had-1461776053