Aviation Journo's: The Facts Please

[KRUSTY 34]

Finally an admission by the Media (albeit the Aviation media) of the pilot shortage. Both the November and January editions of Australian Aviation have carried articles about the "crisis", and in the case of the November edition, an editorial by Gerard Frawley.

Prior to this the only recognition was some local newspapers and a short spot on the news about 6 weeks ago, which simply regurgitated the public spin of REX management!

The last 2 paragraphs of Gerard Frawley's editorial pretty well summed it up. In acknowledging the cost of competeing for labour, Gerard stated...

"In the end though Rex and other regionals will have no choice. If you can't fly your aeroplanes you don't have a business.

It's a new challenge for aviation, but there is an old answer."

Thankyou Gerard for hitting the nail on the head.

Page 35 of the January/Feburary edition however has me puzzled. The caption above the photo of the REX captain checking the tyres states...

"Rex has been working to arrest an alarming rate of pilot resignations. (Paul Sadler)"

Now I am not sure whether the Paul Sadler reference is to the photo or the editorial licence, but 2 things are for certain. There has been an alarming rate of pilot resignations at REX, and secondly, and I'm afraid to say more accurately, REX has devoted nothing to arresting the alarming rate of said resignations!

As I said gentlemen. The facts please!

[altonacrude]

On Dec 7 in his Salon column, "Ask the Pilot", US pilot Patrick Smith wrote (http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2007/12/07/askthepilot256/print.html) that:

... carriers struggle to fill positions amid the most serious pilot shortage since the 1960s...


The expression "pilot shortage" is somewhat incorrect. There are plenty of résumés pouring into the recruitment offices, believe me. However, there is indeed a shortage of applicants who possess the level of qualifications traditionally sought after. And at least in North America, this crisis, for lack of a better term, exists almost exclusively at the regional level -- a problem not for United, American, Northwest et al., but for their numerous code-share partners and subsidiaries.
Smith noted that as a result, in the US experience requirements have been steadily dropping:

... candidates are able to enter the industry with far fewer hours upfront, meaning less expense and, on average, an earlier jump on things. There are plenty of 22-year-olds out there with 300 or 400 hours. Even at $20,000 to start, there are worse jobs for a young guy or gal just out of school. Assuming a quick upgrade to captain, he or she could be earning upward of $50,000 well before age 30.


The obvious question: Is this a safety issue?
According to a report (http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzpilot1219,0,5169130.story)in Newsday on Dec 18:

... the International Civil Aviation Organization has developed a "multi-crew pilot license" that targets training directly to co-pilot duties. The program requires 240 hours of flying or simulator time and takes about a year, if students pass competency tests, to place someone in an airline job. Europe has adopted MPL, and Australia and China are moving ahead with implementation, according to the International Air Transport Association, but the U.S. hasn't yet begun to study of the idea.
Any sign of that program here?

[Captain Nomad]

I felt that the most recent article in the latest Aus Aviation went a bit light on explaining the pilot's side of the story with the shortage. Especially the outline of GA. With the outline of the regionals it seemed to follow a management line that reduction of minimums + cadets was the only way to fix the problem and that guys will inevitably move on to a jet. If the widening gap in pay and conditions between a regional capt and a jet f/o was readjusted I think some of the regionals would be surprised how many would stay - at least for longer. Even the guys with traditionally good operators in GA and airlines struggle with their commitment when the T&C's are not up to par.

The fact is Australia is competing in a skills shortage market and aviation would have to be one of the least innovative with coming up with solutions... It has been said before but the biggest shortage is in the supply of suitable pilots willing to put up with a raw deal. I think a lot of the articles fail to point out just how raw that deal has been for many pilots (and ex-pilots). Lets hope it continues to change for the better.

[FoxtrotAlpha18]

I've found in the past that Australian Aviation is very responsive to reader feedback when presented in a constructive manner. I've dealt with their staff during base visits and they always submit draft articles for us to verify information prior to publication.

A colleague recently provided feedback and updated information on a military matter, which they included in their next weekly online magazine.

Overall - much better balanced than any publication, specialist or otherwise, I currently read!