December 2008 Archives

Recent fall in fuel prices will allow US based Airlines to make a profit in 2009 in spite of the Global Recession according to The Plain Dealer of Cleveland Ohio. US Carriers are expected to be profitable based on cheaper fuel, revised route networks and revenue from new fees such as checked bag fees. The Wall Street Journal is also reporting that “US Airlines are enjoying surprising success raising money at a time when other companies are struggling amid the credit crunch”. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is actually predicting that North American airlines will turn a profit of approximately $300 million compared to a cumulative $2.5 Billion loss forecast for airlines outside the USA.

Hands down, the best part of my job is helping fellow aviators achieve their career goals. I get a lot of testimonials from graduates of ATP's Regional Jet Standards Certification Program, and often there are nuggets like this one, from Airline Career Pilot Program graduate and former ATP instructor John Tatara:

Good Afternoon Paul,

It is John Tatara, and I just wanted to take a minute to thank you. I passed the PC (Proficiency Checkride) on the CRJ-900 with Mesaba and I'm just waiting for IOE (Initial Operating Experience). Adam also passed, and we both agree that the RJ Course helped a ton. I was able to concentrate on many other things since I already was very familiar with the RJ's systems and FMS. The profiles that were put together were very similar, and I would tell everyone to take the RJ Course to help their airline training go smoothly. Thanks again to you and everyone at ATP and Happy Holidays.

-John Tatara-

John and Adam(also an Airline Career Pilot Program graduate and former
instructor) both passed training at Mesaba, and recognize the edge that the Regional Jet Standards Certification Course gave them.

Hiring opportunities are still there, waiting for pilots to take advantage of.  John took our Regional Jet Standards Certification Course in September of 2008 when he was being told that there was no hiring going on in the airline industry. He was hired less than a month later in October, and you can read the results above.

Congratulations to John and Adam on their success at Mesaba.

You are likely to encounter a checkride of sorts early in your path to becoming an airline pilot, and take many of them along the way. Here are some things to keep in mind.

• 1 - Preparation is the Key to Success

Have your homework done early. Know what the standards are for all the maneuvers that you will be expected to fly, and practice adhering to them. You will have an idea beforehand of what you can expect on your flight. During training, learn how to execute what you need to do. During practice, hold yourself to the standard you would expect to see if you were the Examiner.

• 2 - Relax - The Hard Part is Already Over

Go to bed at the normal time the night before your checkride so that you wake up refreshed. Follow your normal morning routine and eat what you normally eat for breakfast. It is all right to be a little apprehensive, but remind yourself that you are well prepared. Mental review will put you into a cool and confident state of mind that will be obvious to your examiner.

• 3 - Have All Your “Stuff” Prepared and Ready

Running around at the last minute looking for your log book or test results is not conducive to maintaining that calm and confident state of mind that I mentioned. Make sure that you have absolutely everything that you will be asked for when you get to the training center. Having materials up to date, correctly filled out, and in proper order will start your checkride off on the right foot.

• 4 - Know Your Material and Your Limits

Examiners don’t expect you to know everything. They are trying to assess the state of your aeronautical knowledge. There is no excuse for not knowing the basics though; you should know the fundamentals of flight completely. Short answers to long questions only show a lack of knowledge; elaborate when responding but don't try to bluff anyone. The Examiner will not only be looking for the right answer, but will also interested in seeing if you understand the concept being discussed.

• 5 - Balance Your Attention

Never fixate on any one thing for very long during the checkride. Keep your attention moving around you in a calm and controlled manner so that you don’t miss anything. You need to maintain airspeed and altitude minimums according to the standards that you have been given. You also need to keep the aircraft within its acceptable limitations. Use your trim when able to take the workload off of you. This will help you concentrate more on flying the instruments and allow you to better demonstrate your control of the aircraft. When asked to demonstrate any maneuver, be sure to begin at your assigned altitude, heading and airspeed (according to the standards that you have been given).

• 6 - Acknowledge Your Mistakes

Nobody flies a perfect flight every time. If you make a mistake, acknowledge it and move on. Maintain positive control of the aircraft, and try not to overcorrect for any deviation. Most importantly though, remember this: whatever has happened in the recent past is no where near as important as what happens in the next thirty seconds. Never fixate or worry about anything that has already happened, concentrate on what you have to do next.

• 7 - Fly Safely and with Assurance

Remember throughout your ride that flying the aircraft comes before anything else. Make smooth adjustments to thrust, pitch and bank. If you don't fixate on the fact that you're being evaluated, you'll be more relaxed and fly more smoothly. Remember that you've flown these maneuvers many times in the recent past and that this is no different. To pass your checkride, you'll need to remain calm and focused.

By following the tips above, you will make a positive impression on your Examiner. You’ve succeeded at the flight training involved in gaining the proficiency necessary to be recommended for a checkride. That was the most difficult part. The checkride itself will only be another training event.

You have just received a phone call from the airline that you have been pestering for a job. They called to schedule you for an interview, and you only have two weeks to prepare for it. Now what?

Preparation is the key to success, and being prepared will make a good impression with everyone you meet during the interview process. Keep in mind a few basics:

• Honesty is the best policy.
• The Airline will complete a ten year background check on you.
• Be ready to explain any abnormalities that may appear.
• Focus on the big picture.
• This is a process.
• You will meet and speak with many people from different departments at the Airline.
• Relax and be yourself.

Do your Research:

• The Airline - Know a brief history of the airline, and be knowledgeable about current events affecting the airline also.
• Get “the Gouge" - Research all available resources to learn about the nature of questions presently being asked by interviewers.
• Interview Process - Learn about the agenda for the interview: Does this airline have a two day interview or one? Is there a Sim Ride? What kind of maneuvers are on the Sim Ride? Is there a technical interview? What does the technical interview focus on? What kind of IQ Tests are given?

Have your Records:

• First Class Medical - Have a current, official copy.
• Transcripts from High School and College - Again, current and official.
• Letters of referral - Preferably from other pilots whom you have flown with and/or worked with.
• Log Books - All columns added up and in agreement with each other.
• Driving Record - At least five years, preferably ten year copy of your record.

For Some Airlines:

• Have a copy of the results of your completed ATP Written
• FCC Limited Radio Operators License

Know your Material:

• Review FARs - With emphasis on Part 91 and Part 121.
• Review AIM and Jeppeson material - Be ready to answer Commercial/Instrument questions about: VDPs, weather interpretation, weather, speed limits, holding entries and speed limits, Airspace cloud clearances, MSAs, Jepp approach plates, enroute charts and terminal charts.
• Be ready to answer common HR type of questions - for example,
  Tell me about a time you made a decision in the cockpit that you regret?
  Tell me about a time you've been scared while flying? How did you handle it?
  A senior Captain informs you that he will not be using checklists on “his” flights, what would you do?
  
• Be prepared to take personality tests.
• Know systems for airplanes in your log book - Chances are that the interviewer has some experience in some of the aircraft that you have in your log book and will ask questions about it.

Being prepared gives you a relaxed feeling that will come across as confident in an interview. In the interview, keep your answers short and concise. Don’t try to bluff anyone, they have seen it all. Prepare yourself, go to the interview well-rested and relaxed, be honest and most importantly be yourself. Stay alert and learn from the experience, you may get the opportunity for a second interview.

Pinnacle Airlines announced that Passenger Traffic rose over 1.7 percent in November, and is up 4.2% in Year-to-date figures just announced. Pinnacle is in the process of expanding its capacity at this time, and said that capacity has increased 4.7% over last year. Expansion plans have increased the number of pilots hired late in 2008, and hiring is expected to restart in the first quarter of 2009.

A major aspect of the airline pilot career, sometimes overlooked by newcomers to the industry, is Seniority. Why do you want it? How do you get it? What does it mean? Let me break it down - Seniority rules when you're an airline pilot.

Seniority is key to:

• your monthly schedule.
• your vacation time.
• your crew base location.
• your upgrade wait time.

The day that you show up for your initial new-hire training, you will be given a Seniority Number. The sooner you're hired, the higher your Seniority Number, and the closer you are to gaining the benefits of real Seniority.

Schedules

The Scheduling Department at your airline will publish a Bid Packet containing all the monthly lines (trip schedules) for the next month. You will then bid, or select the lines that will work the best for you. Let the Scheduling Department know which lines you select, in order of preference. Then, bids are awarded according to Seniority. The most senior pilot in your base has his schedule awarded first; the next most senior pilot will then get his schedule awarded. When your Seniority Number comes up, you will be awarded the line that you requested - as long as it hasn’t been taken by someone senior to you. Once all lines have been assigned, Schedule Bid Awards are published.

Vacation Slots

Once a year, the Scheduling Department will also publish a Bid Packet for Vacation Slots. Methods vary slightly from airline to airline, but you will be given a choice of two-week time slots in which you may take vacation during the following year. The most desirable slots are usually those around holidays or summer, when children are out of school. Once the Vacation Bid Packet is published, you will pick out the slots that appeal to you, and bid on them in order of preference. Once all of the bids have been collected, the most senior pilot will be given their first choices of slots, then the next most senior pilot get their choices and so on down the Seniority List. A Vacation Bid Award is then published.

Domiciles

Every airline spreads their crew bases out across their route structure. These crew bases (called Domiciles) are usually located at airline’s different hubs. As is the case with Schedules and Vacation Slots, some Domiciles are more desirable than others. When you finish with initial training, you will have to give the Scheduling Department a Domicile Bid, in which you will list all of the airline’s crew bases in order of your preference. Seniority will then decided which Domiciles are awarded to which pilots.

Captain Upgrades

When you are first hired you start as a very junior First Officer (FO). As time passes you will gain Seniority and start winning the more desirable lines, Vacations and Domiciles. Eventually, your Seniority Number will entitle you to upgrade to Captain. When this happens, you will be asked to return to the Training Center for additional training and the all-important check-ride. Once completed, you will be granted an increase in pay and responsibility. Your title will also be transitioned from a very senior First Officer to a very junior Captain, with all the same seniority requirements that went along with being junior as a new FO.

Seniority rules in the Airline Industry. It is important to do whatever you can do to be hired first. You will then enjoy your Seniority, while those who took more circuitous routes to an airline career will have to wait their turn.

Hi, I'm Courtney, Flight Instructor Coordinator at ATP. One of my jobs is helping our Airline Career Pilot Program graduates get jobs as flight instructors. Usually I'm recruiting to fill the ATP ranks, but lately I've been talking with other flight schools around the country to help our graduates with CFI job placement.

As regional airline pilot hiring has slowed, CFI positions have become harder to find. The good news is that there are CFI jobs out there, and flight schools love ATP grads with all their multi-engine experience. We all know that building experience as a CFI bridges the gap between training and getting that first airline or corporate job.

Airline Career Pilot Program graduates who have applied for a CFI position with ATP and have been accepted onto the waiting list will now receive this assistance in CFI job placement. And the best part is you get to keep your position on the ATP waiting list, so that you can return to build multi-engine instruction experience as soon as a position becomes available.

Feel free to contact me for more information at courtney@allatps.com.

Delta Airlines has announced that it will stop flying popular routes between Washington D.C’s National Airports and New York’s La Guardia Airport in fuel squandering MD-88 aircraft. Delta will begin transitioning those flights to Regional Jets flown by Republic Airlines’ subsidiary Shuttle America. The transition to ERJ-175s will begin on January 5th of 2009, and is scheduled to be completed by March 28th.

The move signals the new trend for Major Airlines to transition flying away from larger inefficient aircraft to more fuel efficient Regional Jets. Replacing the larger capacity airplanes with jets of a smaller capacity requires more flights to move the same amount of passengers, which translates into a need for more pilots to fly them.

Phase 1: Research and Planning

• The Decision

Deciding to become an Airline Pilot begins with a lot of research and self examination. Talk to people in the Airline Industry about the reality of day-to-day life as a pilot to see if it matches up with your concept of what it would be like. Read as much as you can about the kind of lifestyle you will be living. Research the different career paths available within the Airline Industry. Talk to your loved ones to get their input into the decision.

• Career goals

Set realistic goals for yourself based on your age, education, life experience and family situation. Aim high but focus on being realistic, choosing a goal somewhere between being a Flight Instructor and the Commander of the Space Shuttle. One thing is for certain, setting a goal is the only way you are going to achieve it.

• The Plan

Having decided on a goal, the rest is a matter of logistics. You need to plan for the economics of flight training. You need to plan to put in the necessary time for flight training and acquiring your Airman Certificates and Ratings. Once you have graduated from training you will need to flight instruct to build the kind of quality flight experience that will qualify you for a job with the airlines, and it is never too early to start planning for that eventuality.

Phase 2: Execution

• Training

Get the best, most affordable and reliable training you can get that achieves your goals in the shortest amount of time. Select a school offering a fixed cost for training so that you won’t be drained dry of money before reaching your goals. A school that follows a curriculum whereby you end up with your Instructor Ratings is also very important as you will need to build more quality flight experience after you complete your training. Graduating with loads of Multi-engine time is also preferable as M/E time is essential to getting an airline job.

• Experience

If you complete your training with Certified Flight Instructor, Multi-engine Instructor and Instrument Instructor Ratings you can begin your career as a Professional Pilot immediately. You can also log the time in your own log book, while your student is paying for the flight time and is paying you for instruction. In this way you can also refine your own flying skills as you teach what you have learned to others. It is also important to get some quality Jet Transition Training to ready you for success in the application process and new-hire training at the airline you will be applying to.

• Application

Once you have built enough hours of quality flight experience required by the airline that you want to go to work for it is time to apply. Carefully research which airlines you are interested in going to work for based on the quality of life offered, pay scale, pilot bases and time required to upgrade to Captain. Once you have made your choices find out how to make application and go for it.

• Success!

You’ve been hired! You will soon be receiving a package from your new airline containing training material which you will need to become familiar with before arriving at the Training Center to begin. Diligently prepare for this initial training as you will be subjected to a lot of fast paced training while you are there. Simply put, the more prepared you are when arriving at the Training Center; the better you will do while you are there.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, so come up with a plan and get started!

CEO Doug Parker said that the demand for airline seats is getting better and predicts more improvement into 2009. Parker said that demand in January looks to be a major improvement over the demand they saw in November.

He also said that US Airways’ $15 first checked-bag fee, which has accounted for a $400-500 million increase in revenue, has caused a drop off in checked bags which has actually improved baggage handling performance by twenty percent at US Airways.

Major Airlines applied those types of fees when the price of oil was approaching $145 a barrel and they haven’t taken them off as the price of oil has receded. As the Major Airlines become more profitable we can expect them to expand. As they do, they will most certainly broaden the role of their Regional airline partners.

The Major Airlines will begin hiring pilots from the Regionals, and the demand for pilots will increase. Low-time pilots will not only replace those hired by the Majors, but also fly the new aircraft ordered to meet Regional Airline expansion goals. This is great news for anyone pursuing a career as an airline pilot.

A very wise person sent me this article from US News & World Report and it spoke optimistically about job prospects for Airline Pilots stretching into the year 2016. The article leans heavily on data from a detailed report from the US Department of Labor and the Bureau of labor Statistics , and states that “Employment of aircraft pilots and flight engineers is projected to grow 13 percent from 2006 to 2016, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

Both articles are filled with a lot of information about the Airline Pilot profession and make for informative reading for anyone thinking about pursuing a career as an Airline Pilot.

Recently while flipping through my newly arrived January issue of Flight Training Magazine, I came across an article that reinforced what airline experts have been saying a lot lately. If you want to be an Airline Pilot it is very important to begin to train now, while the Airlines are in a cyclical downturn in hiring.

Wayne Phillips, the author of the article, uses a Hockey analogy to perfectly illustrate his point. When thinking about the future, consider the puck. When hockey powerhouse Wayne Gretzky was asked why he was so successful, he replied, "A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.”

In other words, don’t worry about hiring in the airline industry right now because historically it is always changing. Anticipate where the airline industry is going to be a year from now and be prepared to meet it there. The time to acquire high-quality airline-specific flight training and flight experience is right now. That "hiring puck" will be coming back into play soon and you should be ready.

In June of 2008 the price of a barrel of oil began to climb inexplicably from the price range it had occupied for years to over $145 per barrel in July. Airlines in turn accelerated plans to park antiquated fuel-guzzling airplanes such as the MD-88, older 737s and even 747s, and looked for other ways to cut costs.

While their cost-cutting plans were being put into place, the price of oil was already coming back down. Airlines have had to take hits for late ill-timed attempts at fuel hedging, but most of that was in the 3rd quarter, clearing the way for fourth quarter profitability and clearer sailing in 2009.

Airlines will continue to charge the extra fees (Checked-bag fees, Aisle Seat Fees, etc.) put in place during the tough times. These fees, which once barely offset the extreme fuel prices, are now hugely profitable. As oil prices continue to decline and the economy returns to life, the profit margins of the major airlines will continue to grow.

Over the next year Airlines will start expanding again for competitive reasons and when that happens they will try to go after some of the smaller markets abandoned in 2008, but will avoid the same mistakes made in the past when gas guzzlers were placed on those routes. The Major Airlines will assign that flying to their Regional Airline partners who will fly to those smaller cities in fuel-efficient New Generation Regional Jets such as the CRJ-700/900 and CRJ-1000, or the EMB-175 or EMB-195.

At that time, there is sure to be a severe pilot shortage and the demand for pilots will be very high due to:

• Major Airlines who will begin to hire pilots from the ranks of Regional Airlines as they expand.
• Presently furloughed pilots being hired for lucrative jobs overseas in emerging airline markets in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Rim.
• An extreme shortage of students presently training for airline pilot positions.

Forward looking aviators who begin to train now will be in great demand when they are ready to join the ranks of the airline pilots who are now flying for Airlines that have emerged from these recent tough times.

I hear this question a lot: What will a typical day be like when I'm an airline pilot?

Most of your days as an airline pilot will be typical - which is a good thing. In all professions, a routine is the key to success. Flying halfway across the country at 30,000 feet is no different. Well, maybe it's a little different.

Check In: You'll arrive at the airport at least an hour before your first flight. The first thing that you will want to do is get checked in with your airline. Usually, you'll just need to log in on the computer, but it's important to do. Delays along the lines of hours have happened simply because a pilot forgot to check in.

Weather Briefing, Clearance, Passenger and Cargo Manifest: You need to print out a weather briefing for the whole day, as well as a more detailed report for the first flight. You'll also download all other information that you and the crew will use, such as a clearance (permission to fly a certain route to your destination) and information about how your aircraft will be loaded with passengers, cargo and fuel.

Captain's Briefing: The Captain will want to brief you about the aircraft, and your itinerary.He'll go over, among other things,

• details about the first flight
• weather that you will face en route
• special passenger needs
• and special cargo.

Prepping the Aircraft: After speaking with the Captain, you'll head out to the ramp to board the aircraft. You're the first crew member on board. Drop off your equipment in the cockpit, plug in your headphones, turn on the interior aircraft lights. The flight attendants will start to prep the cabin. You'll inspect the outside of the aircraft to make sure it is safe to fly for the day.

Preflight Walk-around: Your preflight inspection will take you around the aircraft. Use your checklist, and if you find anything unusual you'll notify the Captain or call a company mechanic.

More Systems and Checklists: After you are done with the “walk-around” you will go back into the cockpit. You'll help the Captain check all of the internal systems and go through several more checklists. Once everything is checked out, you'll have the gate agents begin to load the passengers onto the aircraft.

Almost Ready to Go: Once the passengers have all found their seats, the you will go through some more checklists. The aircraft’s doors will be closed, and you'll start the engines. Another checklist or two have to be done as you taxi out to the runway for take-off.

In the Sky at over 300 knots: You and the Captain will take turns flying each leg of the trip. When the Captain is flying the aircraft, you will talk to Air Traffic Control (ATC) on the radios, help with the navigation of the aircraft, perform in-flight checklists and perform other necessary duties.

Landing: As you get close to your destination, you will help the Captain get the aircraft ready to perform an approach into the airport and land safely. After landing, you will talk to ATC ground controllers and taxi to your new gate to drop off the passengers. Once the passengers are all safely off of the aircraft, you will get off also and take a break while the aircraft is cleaned, restocked with food and drink, and refueled.

The Day Continues... Then you will do it all over again! A typical day will have 3 or more legs to be flown in it, and then you will go to a hotel where you will overnight to eat and rest up for the next day’s activities. The next day, you're headed to new cities in different weather and with new challenges. No two days are alike! Even though there is a routine, each day is filled with experiences that you can only enjoy as an airline pilot.

Pinnacle leads even the Major Airlines in on-time performance and has been the leader for 24 of the last 34 months. Pinnacle has done this by paying attention to the details and monitoring over 1800 performance criteria on over 1,000 of its daily flights as opposed to 4 metrics monitored by most airlines.

If you've recently visited an airline career forum on the internet, you've probably been bombarded with the same bit of advice repeatedly: "Nobody is hiring pilots right now, so don't even try to get a job as an airline pilot." Information like this is frequently spread on the internet by anonymous individuals who have very little first-hand knowledge of airline hiring or career advancement.

A person who has recently been hired in the industry sees this claim, thinks it makes sense and then parrots it, spreading it to a new audience. Soon, everyone is jumping on the "Nobody is Hiring" bandwagon. Unfortunately, these forums are what you come across when you are thinking about a career in aviation and are looking for information. But let me ask what may seem like an obvious question. Should ANYONE make life-altering decisions based on this sort of shortsighted advice?

As someone who has been in the airline business for a long time, I can share some lessons learned from real experience. If you were to place Airline Pilot Hiring on a graph, it would look like a sound wave. It is always moving up or moving down but it is never moving on a flat line.

If you get hired by an airline at the peak of the hiring wave there won't be many people who hold seniority numbers lower than yours.

This means that you:

• Will not get the most desirable schedules each month when they are bid on.
• Will lose out to more senior pilots when bidding for the crew base you want.
• Will lose out to senior pilots when bidding for vacation schedules you want.
• Will probably sit on reserve for a long time.
• Will face a furlough each time the cycle takes a downturn.

These are only a few of the problems associated with being junior, and they won't go away until more pilots are hired who will then be junior to you. This won’t happen quickly if you are hired at the peak of the hiring wave.

If you are hired at the bottom of the wave on the other hand, when all the guys are posting on your favorite forum that "nobody is hiring", then you:

• Will greatly reduce your chances of ever being furloughed.
• Will not live life on perpetual reserve.
• Will shorten the time waiting for the crew base you want.
• Will reduce the time waiting for good schedules.
• Will soon have the vacation slots you want.

This was the case for me. A long time ago I had sold a fairly lucrative business and had to switch careers due to a very tightly worded non-compete agreement. My father, who was a pilot at the time, asked me why I didn't go into aviation since I had always dreamed about it. My response was that "no airlines are hiring". He then told me about the cyclical nature of the airline business and how to take advantage of it. He told me that then was the perfect time to begin training for an airline job and that if I got busy with it, I would be ready when the next upswing in hiring came along. It seemed counterintuitive at the time because I didn’t have enough experience to see that there were cycles to airline hiring, but I was getting this advice from someone who knew what he was talking about.

I took the proceeds from the sale of my company and started training. Within a year I had earned my Private, Instrument, Multi, Commercial Multi and had become a CFI. It proved to be a formula for success. I was only an instructor for 6 months before I got my first job flying tourists from Las Vegas up to see the Grand Canyon. I was then offered a job flying for a Continental Connection carrier who flew skiers from Denver to Ski Areas in Colorado. Shortly thereafter I was hired by a large Part 121 operation. After training, I was on reserve for a total of 3 weeks before being transferred to the crew base I desired in Florida. Once there, I was also awarded a "hard line" and was no longer on reserve. Life was good, and that was only the beginning.

During my entire career in aviation I have led a charmed life. I was never furloughed and had quickly gotten a great crew-base and a schedule with a lot of time off. I attribute all of this to getting hired at a time when "nobody was hiring".

The first regional jet produced in China succesfully completed it's maiden flight today, helping China gain a competitive position against foreign aircraft makers.