The two aviation groups that come to mind that I should consider joining are AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) and the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association).
The first one, AOPA is certainly the most important one, and may even be the most important group in all of aviation to join. Founded in 1939, AOPA is a group made up of pilots that are usually fighting for pilot rights. This can mean anything from permits that operate airports to major rule changes by the FAA. Most importantly, they are probably the biggest advocators for GA aircraft, something that the FAA has neglected since Sept 11th. GA aircraft operations still play a vital role in aviation, from the sales of aircraft to the current problems with GA aircraft making up the majority of crashes. http://www.aopa.org/About-AOPA/Governance/Mission-and-History-of-AOPA.aspx
The EAA is nearly as important but from a different standpoint. While AOPA defends pilots rights, EAA helps ensure that pilots can create and fly hand built aircraft that don't need to meet FAA specifications. Now if you haven't heard about experimental aircraft, it can be quite scary to learn about. They are aircraft that are mostly homebuilt by hand over usually the space of many years, that don't need to meet rigorous FAA regulations in order to fly. Does this mean that they are poorly built, or might not fly? The answer is somewhere in between a yes and a no. I would consider a majority of pilots are professional enough to know their limits, to know what will work and what won't, and that if any homebuilt aircraft are completed, and that they do test flights over a proper area (which can be easier said then done) to insure that any problems won't result in the death of any bystanders. The EAA allows pilots to build their own aircraft, something that just comes natural to anybody interest in their industry. http://www.eaa.org/about/
As for the benefits of these groups, they touch on different things. AOPA as stated defend pilot rights. This means that anything that could be unfair or unjust to pilots, wither it be new FAA rules or certain airline operations is fought against by not just a few pilots but a 100,000 strong group. AOPA also offers discounted insurance rates, lawyers and insight into aviation.
The EAA on the other hand I think will help because of the people that are part of the group. Talking to pilots that have built their own aircraft adds a different perspective on flying, and some of the stories that come along with it can help new pilots. One time at the Great Lakes conference last year, I had the privilege to sit in on one pilots tale about his home built aircraft. To make a long story short, he managed to crash this aircraft 3 times, and walked away from all three of them. Hearing what he did in those situations, what he did to build the aircraft, and the ins and outs of experimental aviation gave very good insight on emergencies and the possibility of owning an affordable aircraft. I also think its important to be able to allow people the chance to come up with something new, something that hasn't been done before but isn't tied down to regulations.
These two groups I believe are the most important to join. I am part of one of them so far, but the other will have to wait a few years, for various reasons!
Monday, February 17, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
Future thoughs and Fling Cheap.
To start off todays blog, what an eye opener "Flying Cheap" is. I understood that the regionals were bad when it came to salaries, and worker hours, but I didn't know the extent of it until seeing this, and it makes me re-consider many things about how the aviation industry really works.
Getting back to that later, I have two jobs that I would be interested in. The first one is business jets. Its an area that is completely different from the majors, with no set schedule, the opportunity to fly some awesome business jets, and the possibility to see many different locations including overseas. That being said, because of how many companies actually operate business jets, its too hard to focus on just one, and because there are individuals that have their own private jets, the options can be endless. That is why I will focus on the second job, which would be cargo operations, specifically a captain at Fed Ex. https://fedex.pilotcredentials.com/index.php?a=qualifications
A captain at Fed Ex seems like it would entail flying the daylight hours, while the less senior pilots would get the night hours. That's all that I was able to find without digging too deep. I think it goes without saying who Fed Ex is.
Fed Ex is a hard job to get into. It requires over 1,000 hours in large jets or turboprops alone, along with the basic ATP license. Most of the hours would be at different times of the day as well, but I think it has a couple things going for it. The pay is just as good, sometimes better then the majors, the aircraft are older types, which may seem odd but the chance to fly an MD-11 is just too hard to pass up, and lastly would be that cargo doesn't talk back if a landing is rough.
There are risks to flying cargo however. Most of it will probably be at night until you move up. While this isn't inherently dangerous, it still upsets a humans Circadian rhythm, which is basically the bodies natural rhythm for rest. Because of this, fatigue can set in much sooner then flying a day shift. The second risk I can see, and have found a little bit on aviation forums is the possibility that the crew will either take more risks, as they are only risking their own lives. The third risk I can see is that the FAA has yet to mandate the current fatigue rules from the majors over to cargo. While cargo pilots may just be flying boxes around, that doesn't mean the pilots aren't flying basically the same aircraft in the same environments, including crowded airports.
To switch gears now back towards "Flying Cheap", lets talk about professionalism. I define professionalism as somebody who acts with the upmost respect towards either their co-workers or their customers, as somebody who knows their industry inside and out and who can accept valid input from others.
To point this out, its quite obvious to the entire audience that Roger Cohen is about as unprofessional as anybody could be. When there is concrete proof that pilots were paid below poverty wages at Colgan, he starts to state averages instead of addressing the issue. Its clear that he either does not care one bit about the people that work for him, or he is completely oblivious to the issues that are presented. The second would certainly be the captain that altered his co-pilots weight data sheet to reflect an incorrect weight so that the aircraft could fly. Regardless of how late an aircraft can run, the safety of all involved in a flight should not come down to a single captain deciding he is above the regulations and rules, and the fact that he got absolutely no punishment for this act is beyond wrong.
To end on that note, there are two things I would do to stay professional in aviation. The first is that ones self integrity is of up most importance. This involves making decisions that not only reflect on you but on the fraternity of pilots around you. As pointed out, the captain who lied about the weight data is an example of somebody who has lost their integrity, and as a result makes pilots around the world look extremely stupid. The second is listening to those around you. You never know in the future when you may be somebodies boss, or that they may be yours. If you choose to ignore others valid input, there is the chance that either they ignore yours when they are above you, or you ignoring something important that could lead to major consequences, especially in this industry.
Getting back to that later, I have two jobs that I would be interested in. The first one is business jets. Its an area that is completely different from the majors, with no set schedule, the opportunity to fly some awesome business jets, and the possibility to see many different locations including overseas. That being said, because of how many companies actually operate business jets, its too hard to focus on just one, and because there are individuals that have their own private jets, the options can be endless. That is why I will focus on the second job, which would be cargo operations, specifically a captain at Fed Ex. https://fedex.pilotcredentials.com/index.php?a=qualifications
A captain at Fed Ex seems like it would entail flying the daylight hours, while the less senior pilots would get the night hours. That's all that I was able to find without digging too deep. I think it goes without saying who Fed Ex is.
Fed Ex is a hard job to get into. It requires over 1,000 hours in large jets or turboprops alone, along with the basic ATP license. Most of the hours would be at different times of the day as well, but I think it has a couple things going for it. The pay is just as good, sometimes better then the majors, the aircraft are older types, which may seem odd but the chance to fly an MD-11 is just too hard to pass up, and lastly would be that cargo doesn't talk back if a landing is rough.
There are risks to flying cargo however. Most of it will probably be at night until you move up. While this isn't inherently dangerous, it still upsets a humans Circadian rhythm, which is basically the bodies natural rhythm for rest. Because of this, fatigue can set in much sooner then flying a day shift. The second risk I can see, and have found a little bit on aviation forums is the possibility that the crew will either take more risks, as they are only risking their own lives. The third risk I can see is that the FAA has yet to mandate the current fatigue rules from the majors over to cargo. While cargo pilots may just be flying boxes around, that doesn't mean the pilots aren't flying basically the same aircraft in the same environments, including crowded airports.
To switch gears now back towards "Flying Cheap", lets talk about professionalism. I define professionalism as somebody who acts with the upmost respect towards either their co-workers or their customers, as somebody who knows their industry inside and out and who can accept valid input from others.
To point this out, its quite obvious to the entire audience that Roger Cohen is about as unprofessional as anybody could be. When there is concrete proof that pilots were paid below poverty wages at Colgan, he starts to state averages instead of addressing the issue. Its clear that he either does not care one bit about the people that work for him, or he is completely oblivious to the issues that are presented. The second would certainly be the captain that altered his co-pilots weight data sheet to reflect an incorrect weight so that the aircraft could fly. Regardless of how late an aircraft can run, the safety of all involved in a flight should not come down to a single captain deciding he is above the regulations and rules, and the fact that he got absolutely no punishment for this act is beyond wrong.
To end on that note, there are two things I would do to stay professional in aviation. The first is that ones self integrity is of up most importance. This involves making decisions that not only reflect on you but on the fraternity of pilots around you. As pointed out, the captain who lied about the weight data is an example of somebody who has lost their integrity, and as a result makes pilots around the world look extremely stupid. The second is listening to those around you. You never know in the future when you may be somebodies boss, or that they may be yours. If you choose to ignore others valid input, there is the chance that either they ignore yours when they are above you, or you ignoring something important that could lead to major consequences, especially in this industry.
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