Corporate Aviation

In the would of aviation there are two big end goals for pilots, the airlines and corporate, but what do they offer? Pilots who go into the airlines get a routine life, with good pay, and can either be active or on reserves. Active pilots get their schedule and fly it, reserves however, are different. While on reserve, pilots get a schedule of times they are on call. Once called, they get a time period to report to their flight. Corporate is a little different on job offers. While flying corporate pilots can be chief pilots. A chief pilot, In Part 119, “Air Operator – Certification general aviation certificate holders are required to employ a ‘senior person’ who is responsible for ‘air operations and the supporting ground operations’”. The chief pilot essentially oversees the aviation department and is in charge of all the pilots.

There has been a long standing debate on if corporate aviation is profitable to companies. Ever since the big three fielded bankruptcy and were found to have spend billions on their aviation programs, only negative things have been said about corporate aviation. While aviation programs cost a lot of money they do contribute to companies. Because companies have their own jets they do not need to go through the airlines anymore. This allows company heads to do more meetings, around the world, in a more timely manor. This also allows companies to land at smaller airports, that may be closer to where they need to be. Lastly, companies can rent out their planes generating more revenue.

One example of a corporate program is Dow Chemical. Dow is one of the most  wanted pilots jobs in Michigan. Their fleet consists of CRJ’s, G405‘s, a G550, and in 2015 the G650. In order to work for Dow one must have the requirements for the ATP and know someone in the company. Dow Chemical is based in Saginaw on the north west ramp, next to the FBO, with two heated hangers.

Reference:

http://www.air.flyingway.com/books/far/ChiefPilot.pdf

NextGen

NextGen

The United states airspace is the busiest and most safe in the world, despite that fact The U.S runs on a very old system. The system is so old, planes are unable to fly directly to airports, and must have larger separation from storms and traffic. With NextGen, Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) will be able to give aircraft a more direct route to their destination, allow traffic to be closer together, and be able to divert traffic better. NextGen will also require all aircraft to have ADS-B. While all general aviation pilots will have to install it on their aircraft, with their money, ATC will know where all aircraft are. I think this is good for general aviation because those who have glass cockpits will be ale to see other traffic, and overall the number of accidents will go down.

One of the big problems with transforming the nations ATC system is the cost. NextGen is estimated to cost around 18 billion dollars by the year 2030. With this large sum of money, who should pay for the system? I believe the system should be paid for by both the aviation businesses and government combined. The system is just too expensive for the aviation businesses alone to pay for, and Air Traffic Controllers are mostly government employees. Also if aviation businesses alone were left to pay for the system, prices around the board would go up greatly. Lastly if the government did not contribute, the system would always remain the same because the aviation businesses would never spend the money. The government should not be the only ones for NextGen however. NextGen will greatly benefits businesses. The gas saved by NextGen alone will save businesses millions. Lastly With ADS-B the chances of a collision are greatly reduced improving safety, and potential loss for businesses.

With the big change to NextGen I expect my future in aviation to be safer and easier. With more direct routes flying will become easier. With the advances of ADS-B I will have more information and better separation from traffic. NextGen will also allow the standards for low approaches to be more flexible, allowing me to go lower and be more safe. Lastly NextGen will be able to plan my rout and space out aircraft in advance, reducing the number of aircraft arriving at an airport at the same time.

References

http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/media/NextGen%20Bus%20Case%202012%20(2012-10-05).pdf

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aviation-international-news/2014-06-05/stakeholders-
debate-nextgen-funding-options

http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/

Flying Cheep: Airlines and Professionalism

Flying Cheep: Airlines and Professionalism

          Every pilot has an end goal. Some of the more popular routes remain airlines, corporate, and military. For me the end goal has always been to become an airline pilot. Right now the airline that I am most likely to apply for is Delta. Delta Has a good reputation and is doing very well, and the pilot pay is not bad either. As an airline pilot for Delta it would be my responsibility to carry a large number of passengers from point A to point B. However good Deltas reputation is, and simple the job sounds, there are always concerns.
       
         One of the realities with being in the airlines is how hard it is on relationships. Airline pilots are away from home as much as 18 days out of the month. Airline pilots also miss holidays until they build up seniority. This makes it hard on relationships when the pilot is never with the family on Christmas and is not home half the time. Thankfully, there are ways to keep relationships alive. While most pilots do not get to enjoy holidays during their early years flying, most just choose to calibrate Holidays a week earlier or later. Also helping maintain relationships is technology. Thanks to the internet and smart phones, seeing a loved ones face is never more than a few clicks away. Now family’s are able to see each others faces while they may be on the other side of the world. As important an issue relationships are, professionalism remains one of the top.

professionalism:
“The skill, good judgment, and polite behavior that is expected from a person who is trained to do a job well” - merriam-webster.com

         Everyone has a different way of defining professionalism. When asked to define it I would define it as, doing a job in a way that inspires confidence from the people around you. While there are numerous examples of professionalism, there are a few that fail to meet that definition. Watching a documentary called "Flying Cheep: Professionalism in the Regional Carriers" there were two moments that stuck out. In one instance, a pilot realized he had three 16 hour work days in a row. The pilot was about to call fatigue until his boss told him he would be stuck where he is until the next day. Realizing he would need a hotel and not wanting to spend the night, the pilot continued his flight schedule. It was not professional for the pilot to fly fatigued and endanger the lives of passengers. The other instance was the 2008 Buffalo accident. The caption ended up failing multiple check rides yet still continued to fly, as a caption. This show lack of professionalism from the caption by continuing to fly when he should have made sure he was safe to lead a flight full of passengers. It is easy to see the what makes pilots unprofessional but how would I make sure to maintain professionalism?

         I plan to maintain professionalism by making sure I get proper rest. By using proper blinds that block out the sun and keeping the room cool at night I can achieve a better nights sleep, that and avoiding the hotel bar. I also plan to keep myself current on aviation news by utilizing Propwash. Propwash is an aero-news network that emails people all the current events in aviation. By staying current I can see what is affecting other pilots and keep up with any new regulations that the FAA is trying to pass.

Reference

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/professionalism
http://www.aero-news.net/

About Myself

          In aviation there is an event all pilots experience known as being "bitten by the bug." In seventh grade I was "bitten" through the boy scout program when a pilot was offering free discovery flights, for aviation merit badges. Naturally I, along with every other scout, could not resist and found ourselves behind the controls. Ever since that flight I could not see myself doing anything else other than being a pilot. 

         After high school I enrolled into Eastern Michigan University's flight program and have been working on my dream to become an airline pilot. I am currently a senior working on my commercial rating. I expect to graduate April 2015 and start off as a CFI, until I meet all my hour requirements. 

         My name is Joseph Beard and I am creating this blog for my AVT422 Aviation Senior Seminar class. Though this blog I will be exploring multiple areas of aviation and giving my thoughts on them. By the end of this class I hope to further understand the diverse opportunities that aviation offers.