OzExpat
6th Jan 2004, 14:30
Over the years here, we’ve seen a full range of discussions on topics ranging from training, experience and licensing standards to management decisions and pilotless airliners. In each discussion, “safety” has been the bottom line but… how safe does an airline operation need to be? A safe operation is good for business as well as for staff morale but “safety” costs money and airlines need to make profits to remain in business.
It doesn’t need to be said, of course, but a great many jobs besides those of flight crew are at risk when an airline isn’t profitable. I’ve deliberately stated the obvious here because safety and profitability are the dual ingredients which, more often than not, seem to be at cross purposes. But I began to wonder where the middle ground might be in this situation or, indeed, is there any middle ground at all?
There are many countries whose people enjoy very high standards of education, training, experience and general life skills. There are also a great many countries that are not so well advanced and, therefore, do not have those advantages. But every country wants to have its’ own airline, sometimes more than one airline, so we end up with a mixture of skill levels across the world’s airlines.
Some countries have a very highly developed GA industry from which airlines can recruit their flight crews. Many other countries have a much smaller and less vibrant GA industry, including some of the more developed first-world countries, so there isn’t the same scope for recuitment of flight crews. Then, of course, a great many military pilots find their way into airlines, so the worldwide melting pot includes a lot of people with quite diverse backgrounds and levels of skill and experience.
I’ve met many people who believe that flight crew standards in developing countries are lower than in developed countries. I’ve met many pilots, from both environments, who are the complete opposite of those beliefs and I’m sure that I’m not the only one to have found this. However, the clear fact that emerges is that we already seem to have significant differences in flight crew standards around the world yet, for the most part, airline operations remain safe, reliable and (to varying degrees) profitable.
Many reasons have already been espoused for this, ranging from the technology of the aeroplanes to dumb luck. That’s probably right too, but why wouldn’t it be equally as valid for highly experienced pilots as for those with less experience? And doesn’t it therefore follow that we can afford a certain amount of flight crew de-skilling without seriously compromising safety… or profitability?
I’m merely trying to play devil’s advocate here because I think this might be the best way to produce valuable, reasoned discussion of a highly emotive subject. We can’t afford to overlook a company’s need to make a profit while keeping their operations as safe as possible, so my musings have now run full circle to the original question of “What is an appropriate standard for airline pilots”? This could be alternately phrased as “how safe does an airline need to be”?
Management people should have an input. Pilots must obviously have an input as well. But it will also be useful to hear from Cabin crew, who will be most regularly at risk from flight crews with low standards. And, of course, airline passengers cannot be overlooked because they’re the ones who help to keep us all employed. Equally, input from ATCOs is both welcome and essential because their job brings them in contact with pilots with diverse backgrounds and skill levels.
All the views and opinions will undoubtedly differ but, maybe, somewhere along the way, we’ll find some middle ground that all of us can live with. This might end up being as unachievable as the Holy Grail and Utopia but I’m nothing if not an optimist!
It doesn’t need to be said, of course, but a great many jobs besides those of flight crew are at risk when an airline isn’t profitable. I’ve deliberately stated the obvious here because safety and profitability are the dual ingredients which, more often than not, seem to be at cross purposes. But I began to wonder where the middle ground might be in this situation or, indeed, is there any middle ground at all?
There are many countries whose people enjoy very high standards of education, training, experience and general life skills. There are also a great many countries that are not so well advanced and, therefore, do not have those advantages. But every country wants to have its’ own airline, sometimes more than one airline, so we end up with a mixture of skill levels across the world’s airlines.
Some countries have a very highly developed GA industry from which airlines can recruit their flight crews. Many other countries have a much smaller and less vibrant GA industry, including some of the more developed first-world countries, so there isn’t the same scope for recuitment of flight crews. Then, of course, a great many military pilots find their way into airlines, so the worldwide melting pot includes a lot of people with quite diverse backgrounds and levels of skill and experience.
I’ve met many people who believe that flight crew standards in developing countries are lower than in developed countries. I’ve met many pilots, from both environments, who are the complete opposite of those beliefs and I’m sure that I’m not the only one to have found this. However, the clear fact that emerges is that we already seem to have significant differences in flight crew standards around the world yet, for the most part, airline operations remain safe, reliable and (to varying degrees) profitable.
Many reasons have already been espoused for this, ranging from the technology of the aeroplanes to dumb luck. That’s probably right too, but why wouldn’t it be equally as valid for highly experienced pilots as for those with less experience? And doesn’t it therefore follow that we can afford a certain amount of flight crew de-skilling without seriously compromising safety… or profitability?
I’m merely trying to play devil’s advocate here because I think this might be the best way to produce valuable, reasoned discussion of a highly emotive subject. We can’t afford to overlook a company’s need to make a profit while keeping their operations as safe as possible, so my musings have now run full circle to the original question of “What is an appropriate standard for airline pilots”? This could be alternately phrased as “how safe does an airline need to be”?
Management people should have an input. Pilots must obviously have an input as well. But it will also be useful to hear from Cabin crew, who will be most regularly at risk from flight crews with low standards. And, of course, airline passengers cannot be overlooked because they’re the ones who help to keep us all employed. Equally, input from ATCOs is both welcome and essential because their job brings them in contact with pilots with diverse backgrounds and skill levels.
All the views and opinions will undoubtedly differ but, maybe, somewhere along the way, we’ll find some middle ground that all of us can live with. This might end up being as unachievable as the Holy Grail and Utopia but I’m nothing if not an optimist!