Regional Airlines

          

          The regional airline industry will be in desperate need for pilots in the coming years. This is due to major airline pilot retirement. Regional airline pilots will be getting hired by the major airlines leaving a shortage in the regional airline industry. Studies have showed that not as many students are enrolling in pilots programs across the country. This will force the regional jets to park their aircraft and hire young pilots with below 1500 hours. I believe there is a pilot shortage due to retirement but I also believe that the shortage will stem more from the diminishing enrollment at aviation schools around the country. I believe the overall cost of training which can add up to 50,000 dollars along with the 30,000 median salary (Phoenix East Aviation) of regional pilots gives students no incentive to become a pilot. A large salary increase in the regional industry will help give students a good reason to work in an industry where you are almost guaranteed a job out of university.   

          The regional airlines will have to start hiring from a pool of pilots with not a lot of experience from other countries. A lot with hours below the 1000 hour minimum of a four year aviation degree. This can be concerning for safety as student will go straight to the right seat of regional airlines with few hours due to the lack of new experienced pilots. If the regional airlines had higher pay or ways to help with student loans, there could be an increase in aspiring pilots.

           

          ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) Is an organization that promotes laws with regard to safety and other standards for aviation around the world.

            

          Professionalism to me is acting in a proper, ethical manner that represents yourself and your organization in a positive manner. One example of lack of professionalism is Colgan Air using inexperienced pilots to train and monitor pilots on new aircraft that they have not flown before. Another example is the actions that Roger Cohen displayed when he was interviewed. He gave the impression that everything is fine and nothing has to be changed. Also giving inaccurate numbers such as the annual salary for regional pilots to help his cause. I feel professionalism stems from top management. If you are a first year pilot and you see management acting unprofessionally, you may start to believe that is how you should act. The lack of pay I feel can also give pilots no reason to act professionally because they are viewed as the "bottom of the barrel" in terms of pilots.

            

          To help me keep my professionalism in my future management of flight operations career, I plan on making sure that all regulations are being followed by the airline and all pilots that are hired are trained properly and no short cuts are being taken. I will make sure decisions are made based off safety and not money which is not a requirement to do.

References: 

The Coming U.S. Pilot Shortage Is Real. (2015, February 16). Retrieved January 22, 2017, from http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/coming-us-pilot-shortage-real   

Airline Pilot Salary, Career Information Pilot. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2017, from https://www.pea.com/airline-pilot-salary/