My Career Path!

When first starting this course I had a very specific career path that i wanted to accomplish. Growing up around experimental aircraft, my dream has always been to work in that field. I used to always hope for a job working with the Experimental Aircraft Association. 

Throughout the senior seminar course my course my career path has not changed much, it has just become less strict. Although I would still love to acquire a job working with experimental aircraft, I now believe that I would also enjoy other aviation career choices. I want to progress my qualifications in aviation as much as possible, I want to be the best possible aviator I can be. This means that I need to experience many different facets of aviation. Although I can not give many specific examples as to why my extremely selective career choice as expanded, I can say that I believe this is because of all the different guest speakers I got to experience this year in senior seminar. All of the men and women who explained their career choices seemed very passionate and excited about what they do, which is why I believe that I would be happy with different types of careers. 

The most interesting to me blog topic I have written about so far is my blog about experimental aircraft. As I stated in that post, I believe that for non commercial purposes, you really can't beat experimental aircraft considering the "wow factor" for the price that you pay. 

Out of all the guest speakers we had during senior seminar this year, my favorite were the girls from the Detroit Metro air traffic control tower. Previously I did not have much knowledge about ATC, and after they spoke I really think I learned a lot. They both seemed to really enjoy what they do which I also appreciate. 

After graduation, I know that I may not snag my dream job right away. Knowing this, I know that as long as I stay focused and aspire to achieve, I will reach my goals eventually. I plan on soon becoming a CFI and after that I think I would enjoy teaching others to fly, sharing in my passion.

EU Emissions Trading System

     The European Union's Emissions Trading System was implemented in 2005 to put a limit on the amount of green house gases that can be emitted by factories, power plants, vehicles and anything that produces green house gases. 

     Each year, companies are allotted a certain number of coupons or allowances. These allowances represent a certain number of green house gases that the company can produce for the year. If the company uses less than the amount of allowance they have, they can then sell the remaining allowances to other companies who might go over their allowance. However, if the company produces more green house gases than their allowances dictate, they must pay a fine.

     So... how does this help the environment? Well, each year, companies allowances are lowered. This encourages companies to find more "green" ways of operation. According to the European Commission, this trading system provides the same benefits to society, at a lower cost than taxes.

     This has caused much controversy with non-European countries such as the United States. If the European Union gets it how they want it, Airlines of the United States will have to pay into this while counting emissions that are put out on flights that are enroute to Europe, not just the portion of the flight that is in European Airspace. This of course has enraged the United States government, which believes it is ridiculous for the European Union to force non-European airlines from paying while not in European airspace.

     I believe that the European Union has all the right to tax non-European airlines to fly into Europe, however it i ridiculous for them to charge while not flying in European airspace. Additionally, Europe better believe that other countries are going to counter these fees with fee of their own.

     About the aviation pollutions and green house gases. Efficient engines and aircraft are great and are a necessity of the future, however the way that the European Union is trying to force "green" is simply not right.

NEXTGEN

    NEXTGEN, or the Next Generation Air Transportation system is a change in how we all currently fly. NEXTGEN increase safety as well as reduce fuel usage by few delays. The purpose of NEXTGEN is to provide an all around better flying experience.

     NEXTGEN is based upon four pillars. These pillars are economic impact, sustainability, flexibility and safety. In terms of importance, I rank these pillars in order from most important to least important as safety, economic impact, sustainability and finally flexibility. I rank safety as number one because any advances in safety to help further protect human life agains disasters is always a great thing. After safety, I rank economic impact because of the fragile state of our economy. It is said by the FAA that the economic impact of civil aviation creates over 10 million jobs and circulates over 1.3 trillion dollars. This accounts from over 5% of the U.S. GDP, a rather significant number in my opinion.

     Safety will be improved by NEXTGEN by using advanced satellite-based surveillance which will deliver weather, airspace and traffic notifications to flight crews in a quick manner. By having this up-to-date information, flight crews will have an advantage in making important decisions.

     The economic impact of civil aviation is tremendous. Because of this, it is important that the air traffic control system to be advanced and up-to-date.

     With new equipment helping flight crews to enhance routes, minimize ground time and holding time, less fuel will be burned. Not only will this save money, but it will have a smaller detrimental effect of the fuel usage on our planet and atmosphere.

     Flexibilty in travel routes is important for several reasons. One being that companies will spend less time in the air traveling the same route, lowering the cost of operation, therefor increasing profit margins. As well as the monetary benefits, NEXTGEN will also improve flight crew ability to circumnavigate bad weather, increasing safety and of course, burning less fuel.

     NEXTGEN may sound great, but it does have its negatives. ADS-B, Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast is the technology that NEXTGEN will utilize. This equipment, which will be required by a majority of aircraft is quite expensive. This equipment may cost upwards of several thousands of dollars to over tens of thousands of dollars, is just not affordable to the average weekend flyer who happens to own his or her own aircraft.

     I believe that NEXTGEN is a great thing and it will benefit the aviation community, as well as the economy. I foresee increases in travel, therefor creating more jobs for pilots and ground operations.

Pilot Retirement Age

     The airline pilot (part 121 flight operations) retirement age has recently been increased from 60 to 65 because of the Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act. Many people, mainly the pilots who fly for these part 121 operators, agree that this is a good thing. These pilots get to fly for an extra five years, therefor earning an extra five years worth of pay. However, other people, such as the general flying public, may argue to say that a person of that age should not be able to fly because of safety reasons.

     How should retirement age for pilots be determined? The current 65 rule sounds nice, but it takes no consideration of ability. Just because a person has reached their 65th birthday doesn't mean that they are immediately unsafe to fly an aircraft. That could happen many years down the road, or even before reaching the age of 65.

     It is a well know idea in the aviation industry that expertise comes with experience. This means that a pilot of the age of 60 will have more experience, thereof more expertise in the skill of piloting an aircraft. This brings up a valid reason why pilots should be able to fly longer than the age of 60. However, if all these pilots are able to work for an additional 5 years, what does that mean for all the new pilots looking for jobs? Well that means their will be a lot less of them.

     Another benefit to the increase in age, as said by LeftSeat.com, is that these extra five years of work will help pilots recoup some extra money to offset some of their decreases in pensions.

     I personally have mixed feelings about the increase retirement age regulation. On hand, I know this means finding a job will be a much more difficult task. On the other hand, These men and women over the age of 60 have a right to work just like an other human being. I also know that people over 60 can be perfectly capable of piloting aircraft.



   

A Look at Experimental Aircraft

     An experimental aircraft is a category of aircraft in which the production and manufacturing has not been certified as a standard certified aircraft. In a nutshell, this is the world of homebuilt aircraft.

     Since the beginning of homebuilt aircraft some 80 years ago, the advancement of experimentals has grown significantly. From a predominantly wood and fabric type construction popular in the 1930, technology has now grown into all metal and even composite type structures we see today.

     So what are the advantages of experimental/homebuilt aircraft? Well, there are several. First being the cost advantage. Comparing 2 popular aircraft from both certified and experimental categories we have the Cessna 172 and a Van's RV-8. The Cessna, being one of the most popular training aircraft ever built has a price tag of over $300,000. The Van's, a popular 2 place sport plane can have a price ranging anywhere from $50,000 to a little over $100,000 depending on chosen engine and avionics. Now lets compare the speeds of these aircraft. A Cessna 172 with an IO-360 engine cruises around 120-130 knots on an average depending on winds. An RV-8 on the other hand, with the same exact engine can cruise at over 200 knots with favorable winds at a fuel burn similar to that of the Cessna. Another advantage of experimental/homebuilt aircraft is the option to build your own from scratch, plans, or kits. This gives the builder endless customization options that are not possible with Certified aircraft.

     Now lets talk about a disadvantage. Most people who tend to avoid experimental aircraft avoid them because they are, in fact, experimental. Although an experimental aircraft gets conditional inspections similar to annual inspections that certified aircraft receive, their manufacturing and building process is not proven to be held to the standards of certified aircraft. Although these aircraft may seem to be less safe because of their nature, a study by the FAA as said by the EAA, experimental aircraft have an accident rate of less than 1% higher than the general aviation fleet.

     I believe that experimental aircraft hold a vital role in todays aviation infrastructure. With over 30,000 registered experimental aircraft in the United States, it is easy to image the amount of money flow experimental aviation creates.

     I find experimental aviation to be a vital role in my career because I hope one day to have a job in some aspect of experimental aircraft. Wether that job may be a representative for a specific company or simply a transition training flight instructor, I hope to see myself surrounded by this wonderful aspect of aviation as my career.

General Aviation in China

     General Aviation in China has not yet caught up to par with countries such as the United States. However, it is growing at a rate that might surprise some. Prior to the mid 90's, Chinese GA was almost non existent. According to Export.gov, GA in China started to increase every year after 1996. But why is this? Why is GA in China finally starting to boom?

     One very notable aircraft manufacturer, Cessna, is having the new model Cessna 162 Skycatcher assembled by Shenyang Aircaft Corp. based in Northeast China. Interesting enough, when this information came public, several confirmed purchases demanded there deposits back. So why is Cessna, a company who profited over $30 million in 2011 deciding to build there new light sport aircraft over sees? One would presume that such a well established American company would keep their production in the United States. Many say that because of the decrease labor costs of oversees production that the lower cost of the aircraft will benefit flight schools and new aspiring pilots. Others however say that this is detrimental to the U.S. economy and all the possible jobs it would create if this aircraft were to be built in America. I for one, agree with the latter.

     Now, enough about the Skycatcher... back to the boom of GA in China. One reason I believe that this is happening is because of the population boom. Today, the population of China is almost 1.5 billion people. Compare this to 1970 when the population was 830 million. This is still a great number, but almost half of what it is today. With such an increase in population size, people and products have a higher need for transportation and delivery than as of 40 years ago. Another reason I believe the Chinese GA scene is growing is because of the government's realization of GA importance. In previous times, airspace and flight was so extremely restricted in China. Now it is more loose and accommodable, making flight training and recreational flights easier.

     So what does this huge growth in Chinese GA mean for Americans? Well, it could be looked at both ways. A pilot may see that career opportunities are now expanding giving more opportunities for oversees jobs. An engineer on the other hand, may see that the several U.S. aircraft manufacturers now producing aircraft oversees as a job threat. It really is all based upon your outlook. I do not believe that the growth of GA in China to be a threat to myself personally, however if I were an aspiring mechanic or engineer hoping to snag a job assembling aircraft, I would probably feel a little bit different.

Brief History of Comair

     Comair was a regional airline formerly operated by Delta which ceased operations on September 29th of this year. Headquartered in Cincinnati at KCVG, Comair's first aircraft were two Piper Navajos. In 1984, Comair became a Delta Connections Carrier. In 2001, just 2 years after Comair became fully owned by Delta at a price of over $2 Billion, the Comair pilots went on strike which grounded the entire fleet of aircraft for almost 3 full months. Because of opening a new base at JFK in 2006, Comair had the worst record of on time flight in the entire United States. In 2010 Comair stated it would start decreasing it's fleet by removing all of the Bombardier CRJ100/200 series aircraft. Finally on September 29th, Comair ceased operations for good.

     So why did Comair cease operations? Well, according to Delta, the company plans to reduce it's fleet of regional aircraft from 350 to 125 or fewer, and focus more attention towards mainline flights.

     You may be thinking, what is the overall status of the regional airlines industry? Well it is not very good. With some closing operations and others frequently furloughing pilots, it is quiet obvious that they are not very successful right now. According to USATODAY, the average salary of a regional airline co-pilot is roughly $21,000. In my opinion, this is absolutely pathetic considering the amount of training that a person has to go through to become a pilot.

     It seems as though since a lot of the major airlines are ceasing their regional operations, jobs for regional carriers will be very hard to come by, and even if you get one, chances are you won't keep it for very long!

     Now heres a good question, are any regional airlines hiring currently? According to AirlinePilotCentral, ExpressJet is currently hiring. With minimum requirements of 1200TT and 50ME, the guaranteed 75 hours a month at $23 an hour does not sound very enticing.

Airline Flying... Is it for everyone?

     In today's economy and current airline prices, much more people can afford to fly than when airline flight became increasingly popular in the Early to mid 1900's. According to Wikipedia, the average price of a domestic ticket price dropped by 40% since 1978. Say a ticket in 1960 cost $75, in todays current economic state that $75 ticket would be worth almost $550! Keep in mind that the average minimum wage in 1960 was only about $1 per hour.

     Now comes this great question; should the majority of the general public be able to afford airline travel, or should it be reserved for the rich and famous? I personally believe that airline travel has become a normal in today's society, kind of like owning your own car and television. Everyone has it and everyone does it. If the airlines were to up the prices of tickets to prices that only the upper class could afford, would the increase in price make up for all the tickets no longer bough by the lower and middle class? What about the drastic decrease in flights that are made daily throughout the United States, or what about all the jobs that could potentially be lost because of this? Not only affecting pilot positions, but air traffic control services, maintenance facilities and so on would all have to make cuts. In my opinion, the increase in ticket price would not even come close to making up for all the money lost in other aspects of aviation.

     Many people today chose to fly places rather than to take other means of transportation. This is simple, flying is now a relatively cheap form of transportation and is much quicker than others in most cases. With time accounted for driving to the airport, going through baggage check and security, boarding the flight and flying to your destination, you could spend maybe an average of 5 hours on flights halfway across the country. Now think about how long it would take you to actually drive halfway across the country. It would be significantly longer. Not the mention the wear and tear you will be putting on your vehicle. Their are a few reasons why this is true. For one, a large airliner can hold over 400 passengers sometimes. Although the price to operate a large airliner is great, it is divided up between all the passengers. The price to drive a car is much smaller, but the cost must be covered 100 percent by the few occupants it holds.

     So what would really happen if the airlines were to raise their prices high enough that only the upper class could afford? Most likely they would all lose tons of money and fail. This of course being my personal speculation. I also believe that this may to lead to several government bailouts which our country is not in the position to be handing out with now.

     So basically, I believe that airline prices should be affordable to all!!

Does New Public Law Reek Bad News For Upcoming Pilots?

     Public Law 111-216 deals with new regulations which may directly affect young pilots aspiring to fly for any 121 carrier, as well as a few other regulations such as duty time and rule making procedures, as well as others.

     Currently, First Officers on Part 121 Air Carriers are not required to hold an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate. This may be a read flag to the general flying public, but this is good for new pilots. This means that newly appointed Commercial Pilots can build enough time to meet the requirements of a specific carrier, apply, and hopefully get accepted. With the new regulations that PL 111-216 states, First Officers on Part 121 Air Carriers will indeed need to hold an ATP certificate. Although the REGS do not specifically mention anything on second in command requirements, they clearly state that no person may act as pilot in command unless he or she holds an ATP certificate.

So, what does this mean for aspiring pilots who want to work for a 121 operation? Well, this leaves few options. One could be that you become a CFI and instruct until you reach 1500 hours. Don't like that route? Well, you could find yourself a job working for smaller companies hauling cargo at strange hours of the night. Don't like that either? Well another option could be to purchase your own aircraft and fly around until you reach 1500 hours. But really, is that a realistic approach? Not for most.

But their is hope! PL 111-216 states that individuals that come from the military with flight training or those who come from a collegiate aviation program will have reduced minimums to receive an ATP certificate in order to be hired at a more reasonable amount of hours. According to AOPA, the new Public Law will allow military pilots a 750 hour ATP time requirement and college graduates from certain programs a 1000 hour ATP time requirement at a reduced age of 21. Although the Public Law is not specific in the requirement, it does however have a set of guidelines to be follow. The law states that a team of representatives from across the aviation industry will set guidelines on flight hours required, recurring training requirement, training courses which can be credited towards flight hours and so on.

What does this mean to me? Well, this new law could really go either way. Even though many students hope to fly for a regional or major fresh out of college and fight training, that is a relatively rare occurrence. Most young pilots end up flight instructing, banner towing or something a long those lines first. I personally am not too worried, as in I plan on flight instructing for a little while before I venture into a more advanced flying career.

What can be done about U.S. airline taxes?

     Competition between airlines both domestic and foreign is high in today's economy. Some people believe that the rampantly increasing prices of aviation can be reduced, but can they?

     According to Molly Martin, the airline industry is the most heavily taxed industry in the United States today. Today their are almost 20 taxes imposed on airline travel that will increase the price of your ticket a very significant amount, sometimes being that the taxes will actually supersede the price of your ticket. According to an article by USA Today, a certain Jet Blue flight from Boston to New York is just over 100 dollars, and another from Boston to London on Virgin Atlantic is actually less than 100 dollars, but the taxes for these flight add up to over 600 dollars, three times the amount of the actual airfare. Would the general public find this appalling? Most would agree that yes they would, but if all of these taxes were removed for more affordable airfare to the average American, what would the deficit that would be caused mean for the U.S? What the average public does not realize is that part of these taxes are going towards the so called "aviation infrastructure". This includes things such as the GPS system, ground based navaids, air traffic control, airport maintenance and so on.

     To give a better idea on how much the "aviation infrastructure" costs, we can examine the cost of upkeep on the VORs around the country. According to Flyingmag.com, upkeep and maintenance of all the thousands of VORs across the country cost over $110,000,000 per year. This is where some of those taxes come in to play. The average American does not understand the outstanding cost of aviation as a whole, and all of the different aspects that cost money.

     So, what can be done about the high cost of airline travel? Well, this is difficult to answer, however their are a few ideas that I have. First, I believe that foreign air travel to the U.S. should heavily taxed. If foreign air carriers are making money off of flying to our country, why shouldn't we make money off of them flying to our country? Secondly, I believe that people should travel more. How would this possibly help you may ask? It is simple, the more business that operators receive, the more money they make, which in turn could lead to lower ticket prices. I personally believe that these are a few solid ideas that could help the airline industry. If the price of aviation and airline travel is reduced, more and more people will begin to utilize it more frequently and therefor creating new jobs and assuring job security for those current.

     I am one who believes that although airline travel and aviation as a whole is expensive, it is a necessity in the world today and I am a firm supporter of the advancement and upkeep of the industry.

     

ASES

During time-building towards my commercial certificate, I decided to obtain an ASES rating. Jack Brown's Sea Plane base in Winter Haven, Florida was my choice. Comprised of about 5 hours of training and a short check ride with the on staff examiner, this rating was by far one of the more exciting I have received! The course comprised of a lot, but a few of the main points were normal water, rough water, & glassy water take off and landings, sailing, determining wind and water taxiing.

On to a few pictures...

Highly recommended to anyone who is interested in experiencing the joy of flying off of water!

Tailwheel Fun!

My tailwheel training began in a Rans S6 Coyote with my first solo being almost a year ago. The S6 is so fun to fly and landing is pretty easy compared to other conventional gear aircraft (from what I've heard). My instructor and friend Ron Miller did my training, being a great choice from his thousands of hours of tailwheel experience.

Their are a few things I quickly learned are important during take off and landing phases of flight. The first being that coordination is key. For a quality wheel landing (landing on the mains only), I found that rudder control must be slight and quick, almost as like you are dancing on the pedals. Large deflections of rudder are your enemy! In the Rans, I would shoot final anywhere from 50-60. By having a relatively slow final approach speed, the Rans was a great trainer.

On to some videos...

Not the best video, but better than nothing!

As well as flying the Rans, I also have a significant amount of my flight time in a Vans RV-8. The RV-8 is slick, fast and quite agile. Unlike the Rans, this plane is a handful during the take off and landing phases of flight. Shooting final at about 90 (MPH) with touchdown around 80, this plane really took a test on my measly skills. I do not have any videos, but heres a few pictures...

To anyone interested in exploring other types of flying, it doesn't get much more exciting than learning to fly conventional gear!

Why I love aviation

Their are many reasons why I love aviation and everything related to flying. Because of my dad being a private pilot I grew up around aviation and it has always been a huge part of my life. I lived on a private airpark in Central Florida called South Lakeland Airpark (X49) for most of my childhood. Their my family had a house and hangar with all the different airplanes that my dad owned over the years. I can remember my first airplane ride with my dad being when I was just a few years old and throughout the years by the time it came time to go to college I had probably over 100 hours flying around with my dad.

Fast forward to today, I am a commercially rated pilot. As well as single engine land, I am also rated for single engine sea, instrument airplane, and have a tailwheel checkout in 2 different aircraft. Currently I am working on becoming a CFI and soon to follow after that I will start working on multi engine land.

My main passion for aviation is with experimental aircraft and more specifically with tailwheel aircraft. I personally believe that experimental aircraft have several great qualities; they are cheaper to buy and operate than certified aircraft, easily accessible, and can even be built by amateurs. Along with the cost factor, many fast and aerobatic capable aircraft can be had for very good prices, which is also why I love them so much.

I haven't quite decided what I want to do career wise in aviation, but I know that I am not going to be extremely picky. I would absolutely love to be a professional aerobatic pilot but that is probably more of a dream than a reality.