A Broader Perspective Re: 'Are you willing to pay for your own Type Rating?'

That was the title of the discussion on LinkedIn, within the PilotJobs group, that invited people to share their views. As expected many of the responses provided personal accounts and expressions of emotion. However, beyond the emotion and circular arguments, one response in particular appeared which summed up the state of the aviation industry with a level of eloquence that is hard to ignore.

The author of the response was Azard Hosein, a Freelance Multi-Engine IR Instructor from the UK. Like many, since 2006 Azard has experienced his fair share of the difficulties of the aviation industry and is determined to help his industry to improve. 

Speaking about his response Azard commented: "What really matters is how 'we', as an industry, respond to the forces that we are all being subjected to. I very much hope that my comments provide some form of inspiration, and confidence, within our industry, and show that our strength and ability to achieve change derives from a collective foundation involving all industry participants." 

Azard has kindly permitted me to share his response in full below, and it is certainly worth thinking about in the current climate. 

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Ours is a frustrated industry. 

There are arguments supporting both sides of the coin, but essentially it appears to boil down to one thing - a lack of trust and confidence in Pilots by Airlines. 

Lets face it :- For many years Pilots had it good - Join an airline, accept a bond, gain a type and six months later jump ship to the supposed greener grass, without a thought about the financial loss experienced by their previous employer. Therefore, is it any surprise that our airlines have seized the opportunity to turn the tables? 

The decision of the airlines to endorse self-sponsorship is further supported by challenging market conditions and the, until recently, fluidity of finance to support this practice. 

In the shadow of the lessons of other industries (e.g. media, banking) our industry should resign itself to the inevitable conclusion that self-regulation has regrettably failed. I'm sure that we can all think of examples within our industry that invoke feelings of disgust, shame and sadness. 

It is a failure of ourselves, a failure of the airlines and most importantly a failure of the regulators. 

In terms of our 'Industry' and it's problems - We must accept that as an 'industry' we worked against each other and broke it. It stands to reason therefore that as an 'industry' it is now incumbent upon us to work together and fix it. 

I would offer that our only remedy now exists in going to law and seeking proper regulation in order to ensure that a restorative mandate is allowed to prosper which allows for (non-exhaustively) (a) the restoration of the trust and confidence that has long evaporated; (b) the termination/major reduction of financial discrimination that is now a supposed accepted norm; (c) a reversal of current practices contributing to cumulative reductions in flight safety; (d) drastic improvements in recruitment practices and social mobility within aviation; (e) limitations in airline business structures designed to avoid statutory/regulatory obligations; 

To list but a few. 

Let us not attribute blame or judge those who must make their decisions in accordance with their own circumstances. Negative emotions directed towards our fellow colleagues serve only to reduce our collective credibility and perception of our professionalism. 

I appreciate that this thread's question asked 'Are you willing to pay for your own Type Rating?', however no matter which way you attempt to answer that question there is always one core question that surfaces time and time again, and that is: Our industry broken and how do we intend to fix it? 

How you respond to that question will define the future of our industry. The choice is yours.

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What are your thoughts? Please feel free to comment below. If you would like to view Azard's LinkedIn profile or connect with him on LinkedIn you can do so here.

Sensational Hurricane Infographic

I love stuff like this. With all the 'stats' and 'buzz words' flying around about Hurricanes' and Hurricane 'Sandy'  recently, I saw this graphic and thought that it would be really great to share this with you all to augment your understanding of these powerful (and enormous) weather events.

It is certainly worth learning about these weather systems and their influences on the weather that we, as Pilots, fly in.

Airbus Finally Pulls A340 Production

When I was a child, if my family was travelling I would always feel re-assured when I saw a McDonald's sign. For some reason the brand was comforting and, for me, served as a strong link to 'home'. In the same way aircraft are the same. Like McDonald's it didn't matter what country you saw an aircraft, or the livery it was painted in, the shape is the element that is instantly recognised. Concorde, the Boeing 747 and (although I hate to admit it) the A340 as well are examples of this type of idea.

The A340 is a shape that is instantly recognised. It's a big, single decker, with four engines (or hairdryers in the case of the A340-300). An extra long cigar, with four hair dryers, that flops around the sky.

Not unexpectedly Airbus have ceased production of their series of A340 aircraft. Whilst these aircraft have offered exceptional range they haven't always proven the most profitable for either Airbus or the Airlines using them. In fact the A330 is has proved to be a much more successful prospect and is quite capable of almost matching the A340 capabilities but with two engines instead (a major advantage).

I have long felt that the A340 was timed just a little premature. The early 200 and 300 series of the A340 had those 'hairdryer' CFM56-5C (31-34,000lb Thrust) engines mainly because of the regulations at the time. Shortly after the release of the Airbus A340, relaxed regulations allowed competitor Boeing to release the Boeing 777 with its two engine design, with an unfathomable thrust rating, and a fare carrying capability more that 30% greater than the A340-200. Two engines meant more economy and the choice was simple although the 777-200 was fairly limited in range to about 5240 nm compared with the A340-200 which allowed for 8,000nm.

Boeing knew this and released it's 777-200 ER and LR versions later which increased the range to 7,725nm and 9,340nm respectively. The A340, being only able to offer significantly less range and passenger carrying capability was essentially doomed and Airbus knew it, instead choosing to focus on the A330 for the future. The A330 has since become the most successful long haul jet that Airbus has ever produced. The A340-600  made a valiant attempt to save the A340 but it was simply out classed by the 777. 

It is unclear whether any one player will dominate the aircraft market on a global scale. There is a significant choice and no shortage of airline manufacturers who all have products to fill niche markets. In the meantime if you look up and happen to see an oversized cigar flying around a sky near you, then it's probably worth a second glance as it may well be an increasingly rare opportunity.

Not found an airline job yet? Try Smuggling!

Now, I'm not sure if this is desperation, stupidity or both - but it would seem that things are now so bad, within the UK airline industry, that one poor chap felt the need to resort to a little bit of smuggling to supplement his income. 

The man in question is none other than a Captain for British Airways and is now suspended, has been convicted of various counts of tax evasion and will, in all probability, now face dismissal from his job as a BA Captain.

Was it worth it? - Don't think so. (Although saying that, it must have had some kind of reward for this Airline Captain to risk everything for)

Of course I am not going to sit here and judge this man, and neither should you. However, this case raises an opportunity to highlight an important issue - the level of trust and faith vested in pilots. It therefore goes without saying that when Pilots abuse their position, especially in these types of circumstances, then the consequences are likely to be far more severe.

Ultimately, it is incumbent upon Pilots to remember their status and responsibilities, both inside and outside the flight deck, and hold themselves in such a way to ensure that the perception of them, and the trust placed in them, is not compromised or tarnished.

Original Article:

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/358709

Low fares = Another 4,500+ People Out of Work Within Europe.

Here we are again. It's Winter and 350 Pilots, in addition to another 4,150+ staff at Iberia that are likely to lose their jobs. Whilst this is very unfortunate it is another clear example of how airlines are simply not running their businesses properly due to their continual persistence to reduce low fares.

For some reason Airlines seem to think that if the customers want low fares then an airline must provide them. Put another way it could be said that if a child wanted to stick their fingers into a power socket then parents must allow them! It is irrational to bring up a child like that and similarly it is irrational to run a business like that (which is very much like a child in the considerations that businesses present).

Of course the point here is that acting according to one group's demands is not only irrational but possibly reckless.  Company directors are charged with the responsibility of acting in the best interests of their company at all times. It is not in any company's  best interests if you lower fares so much, to please your customers, that your business is consequently unable make a profit, can't pay it's bills and has to dismiss 4,500+ people.

Furthermore, lets think about what is happening with this recent news. This is 4,500+ people out of work in a incredibly difficult employment market. There are the families of those 4,500+ people who are also affected as a result of the reduction in household income. There are the children of those 4,500+ people who are affected because the psychological and economic effects of their parent(s) losing their job(s) without other work. There are the local business that rely on the revenue from the 4,500+ people who now will most likely not be spending their money until they find another job - which could be a very long time.

In a time when taxes are essential to economies, as a result of the European recession and austerity measures, there are now 4,500+ people who are no longer paying income tax or national contributions. This has further knock on effects as these taxes are used to fund everyday services such as schools, hospitals, emergency services and economic growth.

All of this because airlines can't run their business properly.

Airlines -Wake Up! - It is time to change the moment that you have to put even 1 person out of work, because you can no longer afford to employ them. If your management thinks that cost cutting and fare reduction are the business tools for the future at the sacrifice of good, hard working peoples livelihoods then they clearly know nothing about running an airline or a business, because the trend in business is to make the line go skywards - not the opposite.

We have all heard about 'the race to the bottom' and this is another clear example of it. Keith Bowman, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers told the BBC "Consumer demand for low-priced fares continues to apply pressure across the industry, with flexible labour laws now lying at the heart of the issue," This is clearly the sentiment and understanding of the market and the forces prevalent within it. The quest for 'low fares' is crippling, shrinking and devaluing an entire industry.

The question is: why do or should we tolerate it? We are fast becoming the age of intolerance. We no longer tolerate irresponsible banking practices. We no longer tolerate exploitation at the hands of the press. We no longer tolerate corrupt governments or frivolous fiscal policies. So why should we tolerate this airline industry  or the abhorrent practices prevalent within it which are reducing flight safety?

Before those of you with jobs continue to ignore the truth because 'you already have a job' or 'don't want to rock the boat' think again. Nothing is guaranteed and this applies to everything as well as your job. Your airline wouldn't hesitate to chop you if it suited their abhorrent practices. Use your loyalty wisely. Think about the greater good. Gather your courage and speak out. Your industry needs you.

Good luck to all those affected by IAG's impending decision. For the rest of us - think about what you can do to help not only yourself but your industry and your fellow pilots.

Resources:
Iberia to cut 4,500 jobs under IAG restructuring plan

BALPA Puts Airlines Who Exploit Pilots 'On Notice' (Finally!)

In a move that will hopefully motivate an entire work force to act, BALPA - the British Airline Pilots Association, made a key statement on 03rd November 2012 in which BALPA expressed its intention to tell British airlines 'enough is enough'.

Whilst positive news, it is certainly long overdue. One of the key reasons the industry has evolved insidiously, in this way, is because of BALPA's previous indifference to the practices of Pay2Fly, 'Self-Employed' Contracts and the reduction of terms and conditions to the extent that Pilots are forced to work other jobs just to make ends meet.

However, despite their previous inaction, BALPA's recent move is something which we all need to stand behind if we care about restoring the honour and the viability of the airline industry and the prospects for the people who rely on it. 

Flight Safety is being eroded and until now nothing has prevented this abhorrent practice. It is entirely clear how another Buffalo crash could happen within Europe, as a result of working practices and this is simply not an acceptable environment in which flight safety can improve.

See BALPA General Secretary, Jim McAuslan speaking out below and think about what you can do to help your industry and your fellow pilots.

Thank you BALPA!



BALPA Statement from their website (03/11/2012):

AIRLINES ON NOTICE TO STOP PILOT EXPLOITATION


British pilots have today unanimously agreed to say 'enough is enough' to the ever-growing use of 'contract pilots' in UK airlines.

At its Annual Delegates Conference, the British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA) heard from two young pilots, recently trained, who spoke of the struggle they have had to fulfil their dream of being an airline pilot.

BALPA General Secretary, Jim McAuslan, said:

'I have rarely seen conference so united, and so determined to tackle an issue.  

'Unlike in previous decades it is now normal for trainee pilots to have to pay for all their training themselves, with no guarantee job at the end of it, and then be forced onto different contracts from permanent  pilots with substandard terms and conditions.  And in certain circumstances pilots are forced to set up their own company so the airline can treat them as contractors, rather than employees, which they effectively are.

'The result is pilots not just on lower terms and conditions than permanent employees, but their effectively being exploited because of their love for the job.  Pilots should not have to sleep in airport car parks because they can't afford a hotel room; that's not good for flight safety. And it is simply wrong for recently-qualified pilots to have to service debts so huge that they have to pay £1,400 a month of their £1,600 salary in repayments.

'BALPA is not going to allow this situation to continue.  This unfairness needs to be tackled across the industry.  That's why today, permanent pilots in easyJet expressed their support to their 'FlexiCrew' colleagues who are on these other contracts.  The message is simple: easyJet plane – easyJet pilot.

'But this is not just about easyJet.  We will be working airline by airline to ensure this is tackled.

'We will be putting pressure on the regulator to ensure that their own rules around contract pilots are followed, which we do not think they currently are, and where we think they are insufficient, urging change.

'We will be considering all legal avenues to stop this practice.

'We will be looking at the tax implications of airlines' use of contract pilots, and ensuring our members have all the information they need to ensure they are protected.  We have already urged the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee to look into the tax issues around contract pilots.

'And conference did not rule out the use of industrial action to deal with this insidious threat to pilots' futures.'

The TUC's General Secretary-designate, Frances O'Grady, spoke at BALPA's conference yesterday and expressed her support for BALPA's many campaigns, including our desire to tackle the growing use of casual labour in aviation.


Transcript of BALPA General Secretary, Jim McAuslan's, public statement:


Hello my name is Jim McAuslan and I'm the general secretary of the British Airline Pilot Association.

Eight out of every ten British commercial airline pilots belongs to our association and between them they have fifty million hours of flying experience.

That's a pedigree that allows our association to speak with authority and that's a huge responsibility, one we take seriously and one of the reasons for this short information film.

In a recent independent poll we discovered that 95% of our members were proud to be a pilot. Proud because they manage hugely complex systems and fly million of people safely, 365 days a year to every corner of the globe.

95% are proud to be a pilot but only one in five would recommend it as a career to their children. Why?

Well getting the licence is challenging in itself but getting a job is even tougher and increasingly when a job does come along it's too often casual work on a zero hours contract.

Zero hours means no guaranteed work no reliable income no holiday pay no sick pay paying for your uniform, the list goes on, and now some airlines insist that you have to become self employed and set up your own offshore limited company to get any work.

That's not right it's not just and is not acceptable

So our association has five key messages:

Message one

To all of you who dream of becoming a pilot we ask you to think very carefully before you venture into this profession, do not make dreams your master. To those who are setting off on the journey we are offering free membership so that you can get a glimpse of real life and inside the profession before you start to try and rise the 70.000 pounds plus that will cost you to secure your basic licence, or the 30.000 pounds that some airlines are charging you to get experience on the real aircraft. 

A hundred thousand pounds plus is a huge investment in anyone's book so before you take off research the reality. To help you we will be producing testimonies from those who have recently [tried out] the path, it's very sobering.

Message two

To those who have their hearts set on the career our message is this:

BALPA is not prepared to see this continue. We are going to challenge employers challenge authorities and challenge politicians. We will use every legal avenue at our disposal we will expose shoddy practices wherever they exist,  because it is not right that a profession in which the public places so much trust should be treated in this way. You have our commitment we will tackle this.

Message three

To those in authority who regulate this industry we say wake up. There is a real concern that this is an accident waiting to happen, just as it did in Buffalo in United States in 2009. The American authorities have woken up to this trend and have made substantial changes in their industry. So we ask our authority will it take a repeat of the Buffalo in Britain for you to do anything? This is not scaremongering, independent researches support this analysis, and if you email us we can share that research. The conditions here in Britain today are almost identical to those laid up to Buffalo, sleep deprived flight crew who grab forty winks whenever they can in a rest room, who need to take second jobs to make ends meet, shelf stocking by day so they can fly big jets at night, pilots who turn up ill for a flight because if you don't you may not get any more work. So the authorities need to wake up

Message four

To airlines we say it does not have to be this way. We have reached agreements with airlines that do provide quality training with job certainty whilst operating in economic reality. Our message to employers is join us in securing decent careers, and stop this race to the bottom.

Message five

Finally to you the public, our mission as an association is to make every flight a safe flight. We take that seriously and we ask for your support in two ways: One if you can get an opportunity ask the airline you fly with what proportion of their pilots are on these contracts, they really should only be used in exceptional circumstances. And two if you get an opportunity to raise the matter with your MP, ask him a [at heart] to take on this interest and their concerns. 

You and your family deserve to fly safely.

Thank you

Finally: A Civil Aviation Authority Fees Calculator (and it's good) !

When I started flying (2006 ish) the topic of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) fees was an unspoken one. It's safe to say that nobody really knew what the fees were for a particular service. It was not uncommon for blank cheques and credit card numbers being floated around the CAA with a Carte-Blanche to charge you what they pleased.


I mean they (the CAA) put out a document detailing all the separate fees and one would diligently study it, finding the appropriate fee(s) and subsequently send payment in that amount, expecting their new licence, or substantial other papers, to be received back within the turnaround time of '14 working days'. 

Of course 9 times out of 10 there was some "issue" with your application and most of the time it was to do with fees. You would then wait another 14 days for the CAA to find something else wrong, and your licence would get stuck in a Civil Aviation Authority paradox.

However, times have changed for the better!

The CAA have finally developed a calculator that is available on their website:
http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=175&pagetype=65&appid=52&showworking=true

It enables you to go through exactly what you are applying for. Finally,after a logical and well thought out process, it provides a total which appears to add up to the correct amounts, from my checks of the Scheme of Charges document (here).

Hope it helps.