A person
graduating from Eastern Michigan University looking to enter into the airline
industry will need to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in aviation and comply
with the requirements of code 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The
graduate will have to hold 1000 flight hours and meet the remaining
requirements of 61.160. To become a co-pilot for a passenger or cargo plane,
the pilots will need a minimum of 1500 hours which is a dramatic increase from
250 hours.
One
specific issue that could affect the Eastern Michigan’s flight training program
with the new regulations in place would be the cost. Flight training is already
expensive. With many students being on the verge of not being able to afford
the flight program as it is, the university may have to find ways to help
students afford the cost. Pilot trainers could become harder to come by and
cost significantly more as well. As a student pilot, building hours will be the
most challenging aspect to beginning your career. Many future students may have
no other choice but to receive their training through the military, which could
also delay their entry into the commercial field by as long as ten years. Hopefully
this regulation does not scare future student pilots away or create a period of
time where there becomes a severe lack of fully trained pilots. If programs
like Eastern starts to lose students, they will have to find ways to recruit as
well as new ways of affording the extensive training.
The
potential benefits that would ensue from the new regulations could be that the
pilots will be more experienced with having to log more hours than the current
regulations. The FAA is trying to eliminate as many potential pilot error
situations as possible. The Colgan Air flight 3407 was the basis for the change
in regulations. I believe that the FAA believes by doing this there will be a
reduced accident rate, while also making safety and pilot training the ultimate
goals. Even though it is a dramatic increase in hours, it may help the general
public feel safer when they are flying.
I think
the ramifications of FAR 61.160 might affect the Regional Airlines the most.
The regional airlines will have a much more difficult time finding pilots who
meet the new qualifications for airline pilots. It is going to be much more
expensive and take longer for new pilots to gain enough hours to become a pilot
in command. Some of the Regional Airlines may get desperate and end up having
to spend money on helping new/young pilots financially be able to afford to
build hours. The aviation industry may have to make agreements for paying for
pilot training in which the pilot then has an obligation to the company for a
period of time at a reduced pay rate to pay back the training hours. These new
pilot qualifications were put into place after the Colgan Air 3407 in February
2009 went down. This accident was due to pilot error. It was found that both
the pilot and first officer in charge of the aircraft lacked experience flying
in certain weather conditions. I believe that these provisions will help pilots
gain experience and be better at their job. With that said, I also believe that
the new qualifications are a little steep. I could see gradually increasing the
minimum flight hour requirements, but with this regulation they are going above
and beyond what may be necessary.
"Press
Release – FAA Boosts Aviation Safety with New Pilot Qualification
Standards." Press
Release – FAA
Boosts Aviation Safety with New Pilot Qualification Standards. N.p., n.d. Web.
15
"News."
CBS New York. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2013.
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/07/10/faa-announces-new-requirements-for-commercial-co- pilots/
Maxon,
Terry. "FAA Will Require Airline Pilots to Have at Least 1,500 Flight
Hours." Airline Biz
Blog. N.p.,
10 July 2013. Web. 15 Sept. 2013.
McClam,
Erin. "FAA Toughens Requirements for Co-pilots on Commercial
Flights." NBC News.
N.p., 10
July 2013. Web. 15 Sept. 2013.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/10/19396425-faa-toughens-requirements-for-co-pilots-on-commercial-flights?lite
You mention that the industry may be forced to increase funding to pilots in training, or reach other agreements in order to increase the available pool of pilots. Do you think this has the potential to help out aspiring pilots, or will it ultimately make a job in commercial aviation less accessible?
ReplyDeleteI believe that the answer to this question will decide the future of American presence in aviation. We know that many foreign nations have a growing need for pilots. If American policies decrease the output of homegrown pilots it certainly spells a decrease in American influence in the industry.
Being a Military Professional myself, I don't think that having to join the military to earn enough hours to meet these requirements is such a bad idea. This may be off topic but I think we should operate our military like Israel and make it mandatory to serve if you are physically and mentally qualified. It’s a privilege to be able to fly in an air carrier operation and control so many lives in the palms of your hands. This may be harsh to some but suck it up, if you can’t afford it than find a different career. I truly believe that this will improve safety and we will never look back once the shock of this has worn off. It will be common place and make perfect sense.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I think the regional airlines will DEFINITELY have to spend more money and they'll have to do it in two ways. They will either spend money on more training programs, as in training pilots up so that it is less costly to the pilot or they will pay better wages and make the quality of life more appealing in the regionals. They should stop viewing themselves as a "stepping stone" and start appealing to the young pilots that life in the regionals could offer a very successful and rewarding career.
ReplyDelete