Professional Organizations

It is extremely important to network with other professionals in your industry. One way to network in your profession is to join a professional organization. Joining professional organizations you will not only help you network with professionals in your industry, but it will also make your resume stand out from others. Two professional aviation organizations that I would suggested would be Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), and Airline Pilots Association (ALPA).

I am currently a member of AOPA, it provides me with great knowledge of what is currently going on in the Aviation Industry, more specifically the GA part of aviation. AOPA mission is as follows: "We protect your freedom to fly by…advocating on behalf of our members, educating pilots, non-pilots, and policy makers alike, supporting activities that ensure the long-term health of General Aviation, fighting to keep General Aviation accessible to all, and securing sufficient resources to ensure our success."

As I progress in my aviation career I would like to join ALPA. ALPA provides their members with important news about Airline Safety and Security. ALPA mission statement is "...to promote and champion all aspects of aviation safety throughout all segments of the aviation community; to represent, in both specific and general respects, the collective interests of all pilots in commercial aviation; to assist in collective bargaining activities on behalf of all pilots represented by the Association; to promote the health and welfare of the members of the Association before all governmental agencies; to be a strong, forceful advocate of the airline piloting profession, through all forms of media, and with the public at large; and to be the ultimate guardian and defender of the rights and privileges of the professional pilots who are members of the Association."

Belonging to these and other professional organizations will be assets in finding that life long career.

Flying Cheap

At the tail end of my career I would like to be a Captain for Delta Private Jets. 

Here is a Job Description for the Captain position at Delta Private Jets:

General Summary
Administratively responsible to the Chief Pilot and functionally responsible to the pilot-in-command of the assigned flight.

Responsibilities

• Must meet duty time limitations, rest requirements, be qualified, current, properly dressed, and possess all required certificates, licenses, and permits.
• Assist the pilot-in-command during all phases of flight in accordance with company policies and procedures.
• Assume primary responsibility for the safety of the passengers, crewmembers, cargo, and the airplane should the pilot-in-command become incapacitated or unable to perform his/her duties.
• Have primary operational responsibility for successfully completing the customer service portions of each leg as outlined in the policies and procedures manual.
• Review thoroughly and brief the pilot-in-command specifically on all customer service items including, but not limited to passenger pick up, passenger drop off, refueling, customs, private hangar pick up/drop off, private hangar communications requirements, and passenger catering.
• Must comply with all Federal Aviation Regulations, Company Operations Manual, Operations Specifications, Standard Operating Procedures, and Company Policies and Procedures.
• Perform all assigned and implied tasks using Crew Resource Management (CRM) principles.
• Update flight and duty records, determine eligibility for the next flight assignment and ensure any aircraft maintenance discrepancies are reported to the Captain and reported in accordance with Company Policies and Procedures.
• Participate proactively in safety and quality systems by identifying, reporting and mitigating hazards and quality issues; providing timely input to management; and applying systems processes to address quality and safety issues.
• Must maintain First Class Medical.
• Must be able to freely enter and exit all international borders.
• Perform other duties and/or special projects as assigned by the pilot-in-command, the Chief Pilot or higher authority.

You can read more about the Position here.

There are some safety and liability concerns with this job, such as getting adequate rest between trips and commuting long distances to catch flights.

I'd plan on to scheduling flights that would best for me, based on time amount of trips in a month. I'd also plan on living close to the airport that I am stationed at, even if that means moving away from my family and friends.

Professionalism, in my opinion, is when someone conducts their job with good judgment and in a professional, polite manner.

While watching the documentary, Flying Cheap, I noticed that Colgan exhibited a lack of professionalism. 1) The management team pressured pilots to fly while sick and/or fatigued. 2) The captain did not disclose that he failed past check rides and the management at Colgan failed to check. 3) Management, in an effort to save money, put contracted pilots in positions where they had to choose between making ends meet or facing other consequences. 4) Pilots sacrificed sleep to commute to airports because living near said airports was too expensive. 

Ways that I plan on maintaining a good level of professionalism include making sure that management does not push me into agreeing to flights that are dangerous to myself, the crew and passengers and making sure that I am not fatigued or stressed before a flight.

Most Wanted

The NTSB recently released their Most Wanted list, created to increase awareness of the most critical changes that are needed to reduce transportation accidents and save lives.

Three of NTSB's most wanted changes strictly pertained to aviation; (1) being the Unique Characteristics of Helicopter Operations, (2) General Aviation: Identify and Communicate Hazardous Weather, and (3) Strengthen Occupant Protection in Transportation.

One of NTSB's Most Wanted changes I would like to point out is one that I've witnessed and wondered how and why this issue has been ignored for so long: occupant protection. Currently, the FAA allows exemptions for children under the age of two, to travel unrestrained on the lap of an adult despite the FAA's requirement that we stow luggage, small bags, and even snacks and beverages during crucial parts of flight.

The NTSB has also left out some hot topic safety issues that are currently being discussed. These topics include; pilots landing at the wrong airport such as the Southwest and Boeing incidents, and the issue of pilots relying on too much automation. Such an incident that happened this summer when Asiana Flight to 214 crashed into the runway at San Francisco Airport, killing three. Here is an article about the topic: http://www.today.com/news/are-airline-pilots-relying-too-much-automation-1B11170594

Pilots today are relying too much on automation and are beginning to lose the necessary skills to pilot an aircraft. These two hot topics should have been included in the NTSB's most wanted list and have greater urgency because of the recent incidents as stated above.

There's great potential for new jobs, especially in the areas of management and safety administration in order to reduce the hazardous brought forth from the incidents.

BRAKES!!!!

Within the last 5 years have had many mishaps where pilots happen to land at the wrong airport. Most recently, Southwest landed one of their 737s at the wrong airport in Missouri. The airport at which they were suppose to land was about 7 miles north. Unfortunately, this is not a uncommon mistake.

Another Incident that of a aircraft that landed at the wrong airport was when a C-17 landed on the wrong runway. Video Can be Found here.

Aircraft landing at the wrong airport can present many hazards and complications. One of the most dangerous and most obvious would be an aircraft landing on a much shorter runway than what is needed, which could cause the aircraft to overshoot the runway and potentially damage or destroy property or worst, possibly injured or kill people. If the aircraft were to stop in such a short distance Aircraft could be damaged and not able to fly out of airport.

Many reasons such as fatigue, disorientation, loss of situational awareness and simple human error, can account for these mistakes. I believe most of these cases are isolated incidents, although some research should be done to identify if there are any other causes to be dangerous mistakes.

Southwest management decided to suspend the pilots involved in the incident until the investigation has completed. I agree with the decision to suspend the pilots of the Southwest flight. This was an incident that should have not occurred. The Southwest jet was carrying 124 passengers. The pilot should be sent for additional training to ensure proper training in situational awareness. Although, I do not believe the pilots involved in the incident should be let go due to this mistake.

Introduction

An open letter to my readers:

Hello,

First off, I am going to start by introducing myself. My name is Tom Simon, I am 25 years old and grew up in Sterling Heights, Michigan. I have been attending Eastern Michigan University for about 3 years now. I'm working on a Bachelor's degree in Aviation Flight Technology. I am a Private Pilot and currently working on my Instrument Rating. I am currently Vice President of Alpha Eta Rho, Sigma Chi, which is a Professional Aviation Fraternity.

I'm starting the blog for two reasons, one it is required for senior seminar and two I would like to share my story. Plain and simple... I would like this blog to help other students, whether they be Eastern Aviation students or traditional students wanting to know the processes of going about getting their certificates and how to deal with college being a aviation student.

 Tom Simon