NTSB TO HOLD A PUBLIC FORUM ON PROFESSIONALISM IN AVIATION

[CD]

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NTSB PRESS RELEASE

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National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 19, 2010

SB-10-11

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NTSB TO HOLD A PUBLIC FORUM ON PROFESSIONALISM IN AVIATION

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(Washington, DC) The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a safety forum on professionalism in aviation beginning Tuesday, May 18, 2010. The three-day, en-banc forum will be chaired by NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman.

"NTSB's investigations into the midair collision over the Hudson River last August, the crash of Colgan Air flight 3407 in February 2009, and the October 2009 Northwest pilots' overflight of their intended airport provided the impetus for this forum because all of them clearly demonstrated the hazards to aviation safety when pilots and air traffic controllers depart from standard operating procedures and established best practices," Hersman said. "During the forum, we will gather information on the screening, selection and training of pilots and controllers and methods to reinforce professionalism and excellence."

Panelists participating in the forum will represent industry, government agencies, labor, academia, and professional associations. A technical panel composed of NTSB staff from the Offices of Aviation Safety and Research and Engineering, and the NTSB Board Members, who will make up the Board of Inquiry, will question the panelists.

Dr. Tony Kern, an internationally recognized human factors and pilot performance expert, is the forum's keynote speaker. The names of the participating panelists and the agenda will be provided in early May.

The forum, titled "Professionalism in Aviation: Ensuring Excellence in Pilot and Air Traffic Controller Performance," will be held at the NTSB's Board Room and Conference Center, located at 429 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C. The public can view the forum in person or by webcast on the NTSB's web site.

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[CanadianEh]

If only the pay was commensurate with this expected professionalism...

[JohnnyHotRocks]

....99% of the posts on AvCanada will be used as an example of UNprofessional behaviour....

[Oor Wullie]

....99% of the posts on AvCanada will be used as an example of UNprofessional behaviour....

What makes you think everyone is a commercial/airline pilot on here?

You couldn't possible expect our PPL's and RPP's or even GPL's to act in this 'professional' manner...

I also think you underestimate the power of anonymity...

[CD]

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NTSB PRESS RELEASE

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National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 5, 2010
SB-10-17

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NTSB PUBLISHES AGENDA FOR PROFESSIONALISM IN AVIATION FORUM

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(Washington, DC) The National Transportation Safety Board today published its agenda for the Professionalism in Aviation safety forum which will begin at 9:00 a.m., Tuesday May 18, 2010. NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman will chair the three-day, en-banc forum which is open to the public (there is no registration for attendees).

Following the Chairman's opening remarks and the keynote presentation, 10 panels composed of invited representatives from industry, government agencies, labor, academia and professional associations, will address subjects relevant to developing and ensuring professionalism in pilots and air traffic controllers.

Below is the forum's agenda of panel titles:

Tuesday, May 18
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* Welcome and Opening Remarks
* Keynote Presentation
* Screening and Selection Methods and Their Role in Developing Professional Pilots
* Structured Development of Professional Pilots
* Developing Excellence and Professionalism in Air Traffic Controllers Through Screening, Selection, and Training

Wednesday, May 19
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* Developing Professionalism and Excellence Through Operator Training
* Shared Responsibility to Reinforce Professional Standards in Pilots
* Shared Responsibility to Reinforce Professional Standards in Air Traffic Controllers
* The Captain's Role in Ensuring Professionalism

Thursday, May 20
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* Ensuring Effective Pilot-Controller Communications
* Ensuring Excellence Through Data and Information Sharing
* The Role of the Regulator in Ensuring Professionalism in Aviation
* Closing Remarks

Organizations and/or individuals can submit input for consideration as part of the forum's archived materials. Submissions should directly address one or more of the 10 subject areas (panel titles) of the forum and be submitted electronically as an attached document not to exceed 10 pages to: Professionalism.Forum@ntsb.gov. The deadline for receipt is June 3, 2010. Input received will be entered into the Safety Board's public docket on this forum.

For more information, including the complete agenda with speaker names and affiliations, see the forum website at:

http://www.ntsb.gov/events/symp-profess ... iation.htm.

The forum is being held at the NTSB's Board Room and Conference Center, located at 429 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C. and also webcast live on http://www.ntsb.gov.

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[VRC9170]

The NTSB should be able to solve the professionalism dilemma very easily.

You pay a professional salary, you hire a professional pilot.
You pay a MacDonalds salary and you hire a MacDonalds pilot.

V

[TA/RA]

I think it would be pretty awesome to be a McPilot flying the McPlane! Who wouldn't want to fly a 172 with flames painted down the sides!

[Brize]

Professionalism and performance is very much dictated by compensation, and/or opportunities for advancement within a working environment.

I suspect, if one was able to quantify pilot professionalism somehow over say the last 4 decades and graph that against overall average pilots standard of living (salary, debt, net worth, etc), over those same years the two would be directly correlated and the slope would be gradually negative. Furthermore, that standard of living would probably equal a standard of living held by a portion of the population that has little skill, education, training, and professional responsibility.

[Flybaby]

Pay peanuts, hire monkeys.

[Gino Under]

It's funny how most of the so-called "monkeys" keep this so-called "industry" going.
When you look at the Clarence Center crash, it comes down to - stupid is as stupid does and we can't fix stupid.

Professionalism is not based on wages alone, yet with consistency, the "monkeys" keep responding by saying things like, "Pay McDonalds wages, get McDonalds pilots". If most of us can figure that out then why do we continue to join "McDonald" companies to exercise the privileges of our licence?

Professionalism is how you approach your job. No matter what job that might be. That sounds like an individual responsibility to me.

[5x5]

Interesting opinions and not from a bunch of anonymous internet forum nerds. But does that mean it's any more credible?

Future airline pilots may be less experienced, less ethical, in short supply, NTSB told


JOAN LOWY
Associated Press Writer
3:52 p.m. CDT, May 18, 2010


WASHINGTON (AP) — There are signs that future airline pilots will be less experienced, less ethical and in short supply, a panel of experts told an aviation safety forum on Tuesday.

While there are more pilots than there are airline jobs today, the reverse is likely to be true as airlines recover from the economic recession and begin hiring again, experts on pilot hiring and screening told the National Transportation Safety Board. The coming shortage may likely fall heaviest on regional airlines, who generally employ less-experienced pilots at lower salaries, they said.

There are about 54,000 pilots working for major airlines, nearly 19,000 regional airline pilots and about 2,500 qualified pilots available for hire in the U.S. today, said aviation consultant Judy Tarver, a former pilot recruiter for American Airlines. She estimated that airlines will need to hire about 42,090 pilots over the next decade, due to retirements and anticipated industry growth.

Panel members said there are far fewer military pilots leaving for jobs with airlines. Fewer college students say they want careers in aviation because they see it as an economic dead end, and airlines are increasingly having to compete with corporations for pilots.

The comments came as the safety board began a three-day forum on how to get more pilots and air traffic controllers to consistently strive for a high-level of professionalism. The impetus for the forum is a series of high-profile incidents over the past year in which the conduct and judgment of pilots and controllers have been called into question, including the crash of a regional airliner near Buffalo, N.Y., that killed 50 people.

The safety board said the crash occurred after the plane stalled because the pilot pulled back, instead of pushing forward, on a key piece of safety equipment. But they also cited a series of errors and unprofessional conduct by the pilot and first officer leading up to the accident.

Paul Rice, a pilot and spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association, said he was skeptical that a willingness to break rules and flout authority among younger pilots is any different than past generations of young pilots.

However, he said he shared the panel's concern that there will be a shortage of experienced pilots at regional airlines, which account for half of all domestic flights and are the only scheduled air service to about 400 communities.

Roger Cohen, president of the Regional Airline Association, said any pilot shortage won't affect safety because pilots are trained, certified and tested.

Airline travel today is safer than ever before, but the Buffalo crash and other incidents are warning signs that safety may be eroding because of an attitude of "casual compliance" by a minority of pilots, said Tony Kern, a former Air Force lieutenant colonel and author of five books on pilot performance.

Link to article

[nottellin]

Roger Cohen, president of the Regional Airline Association, said any pilot shortage won't affect safety because pilots are trained, certified and tested.

Roger Cohen, he was the scrawny tanned idiot from flying cheap that mentioned lots of people make what pilots are making and live in major cities

[Coast-dog]

Professionalism is an attitude, not a title.

You can pay a village idiot $250K a year and it still won't change the fact that he's the village idiot.

There seems to be an ingrained sense of entitlement in many areas of aviation, and beyond.

[mag check]

Professionalism is an attitude, not a title.

You can pay a village idiot $250K a year and it still won't change the fact that he's the village idiot.

There seems to be an ingrained sense of entitlement in many areas of aviation, and beyond.

Bingo. Finally someone gets it

I had to laugh when I first read this thread, since the discussion went straight to wage.
Why people think that has anything to do with professionalism, I'll never understand.

[mbav8r]

You don't think pay directly correlates to the level of intelligence and professionalism that would be attracted to this industry. If either of my kids said to me, they wanted to be pilots, then I've failed miserably as a parent. "Pay peanuts, hire monkeys" We're talking about future candidates here are we not?
"Sully" said it best, with the current state of the industry how can we attract the best and the brightest.
Anyone with half a brain would steer clear of this industry, it's too late for me, but I got in when I thought we were treated as professionals, not the current puppy mill that is has become.

[mag check]

No, pay is not related to professionalism. Professionalism is like good airmanship, you got it or you don't.
It could be related like this: 2 construction flag men, making minimum wage, one just stands there, doing what he is told, smokes cigarettes, and turns the sign back and forth. The other, making the same money,(which is poor) is constantly thinking, positioning himself out of the rising/setting sun, so drivers can see him, doesn't stand on blind turns, keeps traffic flow moving, and if he is a smoker, smokes on his breaks only.
To me, that would be considered professionalsm, and it has nothing to do with money.

[tired of the ground]

Professionalism is directly linked to pay but it's just not in the tangible way that everyone seems to think.

If you have a group of poorly trained miserable pilots that are making terribly money, you will likely have a poor group of pilots with little professionalism. Now lets say you add 25%(random figure. It doesn't need to be a ton of money) to everyone's salary. You still have the same shitty pilots with little professionalism today.

Six months from now everyone knows that you pay 25% more than industry standard. You now have leverage. Your pilots have 2 choices. Shape up or be fired. They won't be able leave and make the same money at any other operator so they actually have incentive now to be the pilot you want them to. YOU WILL STILL HAVE TO FIRE PEOPLE. Now that you have vacancies, everyone and their dog will want to work for you. You have your pick at the cream of the crop. You can hire the best and the brightest and you've raised the bar once more. Your original pilots once again have to shape up or be fired. This cycle continues and you have a stellar work force. Stupid snags have disappeared, wear and tear on the machines has decreased and your customers are happier because the pilots care about their job (because they can't leave and make the same money) and keep looking for ways to make their job more efficient.

Years from now other companies see how your bottom line has improved and you've stolen their customers so they decide to out pay you now. This continues across the industry and becomes the industry norm. Becoming an employed pilot now becomes a highly coveted job and your pool of applicants are more and more qualified (better educated and better trained).

Many years from now you have a bunch of pilots who are very well trained and very professional. The industry becomes more efficient and the bottom feeder companies can not survive because these very well educated and trained pilots understand the consequences of working for no pay and will hold out for the good paying companies. There is a reason that you can't hire a lawyer or a doctor (or any professional that is highly specialized) for minimum wage.

[LegoMan]

Got this in an email thought I'd share the humor with the rest of you.

"...aviation consultant Judy Tarver, a former pilot recruiter for American Airlines, estimated that airlines will need to hire about 42,090 pilots over the next decade, due to retirements and anticipated industry growth"

Thats double what they said last year.

[iflyforpie]

What's so funny about that?

It doesn't sound too far off to me if it is talking about over ten years (~4000 per year) and all airlines worldwide.

40,000 isn't that large of a number...

[twinpratts]

Nothing...'cept they've been using that same line for the last 20 years