This Episode Features A Presentation By Captain Paul Rice, Air Line Pilots Association (Part 4 Of A Series)
The session devoted to discussing the Pilot Supply was, as indicated earlier, exceptionally produced and wholly on target. The session was presented by Moderator Peter J. Wolfe, Executive Director, Professional Aviation Board of Certification (PABC), and augmented by presentations delivered by Kit Darby, President, AIR, Inc, Captain Paul Rice, First Vice President, Air Line Pilots Association, International, Ron Levy, University Aviation Association, John Dixon, Director of Pilot Recruitment for American Eagle.
The third presentation was presented by Captain Paul Rice of ALPA... who, of course, bring their own type of expertise and concerns to this discussion. Rice discussed the 'Historic' Career Paths taken by many newer airline pilots, which basically breaks down into two segments -- Military v. Civilian. Rice also chatted about the current state of Entry Level Pilot Positions in terms of the Equipment Types being flown by 'Express' Carriers versus the 2 and 3 Pilot Crews at 'Network' Carriers. He further extrapolated the issues among Network Carriers and Express Carriers to define where the Pilot Shortage is, at present, and where it is likely to be some five years hence.
In examining Express Carrier operation and the influx of new First Officers, Rice discussed the need for additional operational training and experience, as well as a review of SOPs and CRM. In taking on the role of Captains at Express carriers, Paul opened up some discussion on training and mentoring of new First Officers, and the ever-present 'Exodus' to Network Carriers...
Rice's notes on future pilot training brought some clarity to issues surrounding 'Traditional Cockpits' v. Glass Cockpits, the use of Flight Management Systems, and the role of Flight Simulators. In examining traditional civilian Pilot Training concepts, Rice examined 'Experience Based' v. 'Performance Based' training issues and offered warnings about 'Short Term' training fixes. Rice also discussed the growing topic of ICAO Multi-crew Pilot Licensing (MPL).
So... are you getting the picture that there are items to be concerned about in terms of where our future pilots are coming from? You should be. The situation is troublesome, answers are few and aviation safety can only be negatively impacted if the situation is not dealt with. Not sure about that? Well... load up Part Four of our series on Understanding the Pilot Shortage and see if you don't agree that this is an issue that needs urgent attention.
Click Here To See the Aero-TV Special Series: Understanding The Pilot Shortage (Part 4)
E-I-C Note: This is the third in an extensive series on this topic... each of which will be presented every Monday (barring special programming requirements for breaking news or special event coverage) until completed...
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