Canadian Pilots, I Need Your Help

[Essneraviator]

Attention Canadian Pilots!!!

I am a fellow pilot and a starving Ph.D. student who is in need of your assistance to help improve the quality of services you receive from your air traffic control provider.

Never before has a study been conducted in the academic arena asking pilots what they think of the services provided to them by their air traffic control provider. This is your chance to personally weigh in on the matter.

The purpose of the survey is to compare the quality of air traffic control services pilots receive in both Canada and the United States as the United States is considering modeling its air traffic control system after Canada’s user-fee air traffic control system. The results of this study will give air traffic control and government officials in both countries a valuable resource from which they might more efficiently position limited resources in the highest leverage places for us.

Completing the survey should take no more than 10 minutes.

Select the following link to take the survey:


http://www.surveymethods.com/EndUser.aspx?95B1DDC79CDEC4 (http://www.surveymethods.com/EndUser.aspx?95B1DDC79CDEC4)


Once the study is complete, the results will be posted in brief on this website for your review.

Thanks in advance!

Mike Essner
Capella University

[bell1st]

Mike
You may want to add a section for comments at the end of your survey so that people came provide some justification and specific examples for their comments.
Bell1st

[20driver]

Mike, i filled it out for you but I really have my doubts about this kind of survey.

For a start for each question you need to have an no opinion/can not say choice.
Example - "do they need to maintain error free records "- yes. Do I know they do. No real clue. I once had some tapes pulled but everything else they record, I really don't know.

Like wise personal service around NYC at 1600 on a Friday. That is asking too much, I wouldn't expect it. Will they help in an emergency, I think so. Drifting by central PA on an sunny wednesday. That is another story.

Personnaly I think you need to use some focus groups.

Interesting effort and I'll look forward to seeing some results.

20driver

[Jerricho]

Hi Mike,
I'm very interested in the questions in the survey relating to equipment. Do you think Nav Canada has up to date, cutting edge technology?

[ahramin]

I think poor mike is in a little over his head. Maybe he should learn a bit more about atc and a lot more about surveys.

Fewer questions which make more sense would be a good start. Better options for the answers as stated are required before this survey could be taken seriously.

[Essneraviator]

I understand your criticism and concern about this survey . . . but, believe it or not, this same exact survey is modified from one that has been created by social scientists who do studies on organizations such as Best Buy, the federal goverment, and hospitals all over the world. This is a very popular set of questions that have been used in many other famous studies. I am using these specific questions for that reason. Moreover, these questions are extremely broad because this is what's called an exploratory study due to that fact that no studies have really been completed in this area before. From questions, such as, "Is the equipment in the U.S. and Canada modern?," depending on the pilots' responses to questions like this in Canada and the U.S., others can do further studies in these specific areas in much more detail.

The idea is to examine whether proponents of user fees in the states are correct in suggesting that the service quality of a "user pay means user say" system, such as Nav Canada, is better or more efficient AND more successful at implementing, for example, newer more modern technologies compared to the now government-operated ATC system in the States.

Further, I would love to allow your comments to be considered, but that means I would have to change the type of methodology created for this specific study. However, that does not mean that in future studies performed, that your comments would not be considered. I believe those comments would be better suited in studies about specific items that this study only touches on, such as the implementation of new technologies or whether or not the ATC organization is good or great at providing error-free records.

Thanks!

And, please let other pilots in Canada know that I really need more responses from there! I need at least 20 more so that the statistical analysis I'm performing can be valid.

Take Care!

Mike Essner

[20driver]

Mike, I suggest you post at avcanada.ca, you'll more response.

The topic is interesting and is a hot button issue in the US at the moment.

One thing is the consumer analogy just does not apply here. You have no choice to not use ATC and you have no choice of providers. So there is no competiton for your patronage.

The most effective weapon a consumer has is to simply not consume. Don't like TV prices, don't buy one. The only people who have the option to opt out are GA pilots. If you look at Europe where user fees are stunning pilots are giving it up.

I realize you have bitten of a chunk, but you might find some interesting background if you were to study what users think of the spin off of Toronto airport. The users have found they have no say but they get to pay big time.

Still, I'll be interested in seeing how your work progresses.

20drive

[Essneraviator]

As you pointed out, there are many specific issues related to ATC that need studying whether in Canada or the U.S.. Hopefully, this project will get those projects started. As for pilots as customers, perhaps we don't have a choice in who we use for ATC, but that doesn't mean that pilots aren't an invaluable resource, such as customers might be, from which ATC and government officials alike might learn from in improving the system's overall operational performance.

With that being said, Canadian Pilots, I still need more of your responses!!!

Thanks!
Mike