I feel as though my career aspirations have been narrowed down since the beginning of the semester. I believe I'm much more interested in working in the airline side of the industry rather than the airport management side, at least for the time being. I think the complexity and the opportunities available in the air carrier field are more attractive, and the opportunity to travel is also very appealing to me. Guest speakers that helped to make this clearer included Justin Patrick from ExpressJet, Amy Kienast, and the speakers from Kalitta Air. Each of them pointed out certain elements of the industry, and reinforced the highlights I learned over the summer interning at Republic Airways.
Goals:
1) Get hired in a full-time/management position of some kind at an airline, either regional or mainline.
2) Network extensively within the airline business, using all the tools available to me, including social media, industry events, etc.
3) Travel extensively and attempt to continuously learn about the industry at all times while doing so.
4) Complete my private pilot certificate and fly more often.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Space Tourism
The recent accident suffered by Virgin Galactic's SpaceShip Two was a major setback for commercial spaceflight/space tourism. One of two incidents in only a week's time involving commercial space companies, the other involving an Orbital Sciences rocket contracted by NASA to send supplies to the International Space Station. The SpaceShip Two incident occurred during a test flight of the company's launch system, including an aircraft known as White Knight Two, and the space vehicle, SpaceShip Two, which is carried to altitude and launched via the White Knight aircraft. The event happened shortly after the space vehicle separated from the carrier and ignited its rocket engine, killing one pilot and seriously injuring the second.
Virgin Galactic was originally founded in 2004, with the goal of creating a commercial spaceflight business involving both space tourism and scientific flight. It was the major leader in beginning the push for space tourism, and based its systems off of the successful testing done on Scaled Composites' SpaceShip One, the precursor for the craft involved in the recent accident.
FAR part 460 regulates human spaceflight, paving the way for progress in the field. These regulations are fairly straightforward in that they involve a lot of basic definitions and categorizations regarding spaceflight and its many special considerations. As for ICAO, there are not yet international statutes in place regarding civilian space flight, though the organization is involved in global discourse and development regarding the subject.
From the current state of affairs, it's clear that space tourism has to overcome a number of obstacles before becoming a major part of society in any way. Virgin Galactic must maintain their status as a leader in the field, and continue their flight test program in order to move forward toward offering commercial flights. Although the first flights by Virgin cost massive amounts of money and are as such reserved for rich thrill seekers and celebrities, they have the potential to pioneer the industry and move toward a more attainable space tourism market. Perhaps within a few decades there will be space tourism opportunities available to more than just the most wealthy.
In the space tourism industry, it seems in general that a highly technical background is desired for most job positions. Pilots, given the experimental and complex nature of the current programs, tend to be highly experienced test pilots, likely with an engineering background. Support staff and management come from a range of disciplines, but most are scientific, including physics and astrophysics, aerospace engineering, and systems engineering. The level of mathematic and analytical work involved makes the field highly focused on the technical and quantitative side of the aerospace workforce.
An article from HowStuffWorks regarding space tourism and its future: http://science.howstuffworks.com/space-tourism.htm
Virgin Galactic was originally founded in 2004, with the goal of creating a commercial spaceflight business involving both space tourism and scientific flight. It was the major leader in beginning the push for space tourism, and based its systems off of the successful testing done on Scaled Composites' SpaceShip One, the precursor for the craft involved in the recent accident.
FAR part 460 regulates human spaceflight, paving the way for progress in the field. These regulations are fairly straightforward in that they involve a lot of basic definitions and categorizations regarding spaceflight and its many special considerations. As for ICAO, there are not yet international statutes in place regarding civilian space flight, though the organization is involved in global discourse and development regarding the subject.
From the current state of affairs, it's clear that space tourism has to overcome a number of obstacles before becoming a major part of society in any way. Virgin Galactic must maintain their status as a leader in the field, and continue their flight test program in order to move forward toward offering commercial flights. Although the first flights by Virgin cost massive amounts of money and are as such reserved for rich thrill seekers and celebrities, they have the potential to pioneer the industry and move toward a more attainable space tourism market. Perhaps within a few decades there will be space tourism opportunities available to more than just the most wealthy.
In the space tourism industry, it seems in general that a highly technical background is desired for most job positions. Pilots, given the experimental and complex nature of the current programs, tend to be highly experienced test pilots, likely with an engineering background. Support staff and management come from a range of disciplines, but most are scientific, including physics and astrophysics, aerospace engineering, and systems engineering. The level of mathematic and analytical work involved makes the field highly focused on the technical and quantitative side of the aerospace workforce.
An article from HowStuffWorks regarding space tourism and its future: http://science.howstuffworks.com/space-tourism.htm
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Norwegian Air Shuttle: Flying Far and Flying Cheap.
Norwegian Air Shuttle is one of the largest low cost carriers (LCCs) in Europe, comprising of both short-haul, intra-Europe operations as well as long-haul routes. It is based in Norway, with a fleet of 100 aircraft including 737s in short-haul service, with A320neo aircraft on order for the future, and 787s in long-haul service. Today, as its international service seeks to grow with continuing 787 deliveries, the airline flies to 126 destinations total across 4 continents. The airline focuses on leisure and tourism routes within Europe, and continues that strategy in its fledgling international operations, flying to cities popular for European tourists, from New York City to Dubai.
What worries the US airline industry about Norwegian is not necessarily that it is growing, but rather how it's going about it.
The prime complaint of American companies and their industry groups, notably ALPA and Airlines for America, is how Norwegian is structuring its business. In addition, they are joined in their opposition by European flag carriers like Air France and Lufthansa. Norwegian has registered its international aircraft in Ireland under its Norwegian Air International, or NAI subsidiary, and is in the process of establishing its air operator certificate in the country as well. In that same vein, its flight crews are evidently to be hired on individual contracts, and hired under Singapore law, skirting Western regulations in what is seen as an effort to drive costs to an absolute minimum. The company plans to do this while continuing to be physically headquartered in Norway.
This strategy of picking countries with ideal regulatory conditions for each individual element of the business angers the Western airline industry, who have labeled it unfair and describe it as instigating a "race to the bottom" for airline business. Norwegian's quest to have the lowest costs, and in turn lowest fares, is of particular concern in the transatlantic market, where American and European major airlines are crying foul the heaviest. Such an entry into the market could potentially bring cost cutting in an already low margin industry to extremes, which aviation professionals see as a threat to employment and livelihood, while others even go so far as to suggest the potential for a considerable impact on aviation safety.
The US Department of Transportation recently denied, albeit temporarily, Norwegian's application for foreign air carrier operation into the US. The DOT essentially acknowledged the inherent complexity and controversial nature of the application and seeks to deliberate further on the issue. In the meantime, ALPA and company continue to lead the charge against the airline, in order to prevent what they see as a major threat to fair business in the particularly lucrative transatlantic market. It remains to be seen where the contentious issue will end up, but many within the industry are certainly waiting anxiously to see where Norwegian's quest for cheap flying goes.
An ALPA press release from its initial efforts to lobby the DOT to reject NAI's application:
http://www.alpa.org/Portals/Alpa/PressRoom/PressReleases/2013/12-17-13_13.68.htm
What worries the US airline industry about Norwegian is not necessarily that it is growing, but rather how it's going about it.
The prime complaint of American companies and their industry groups, notably ALPA and Airlines for America, is how Norwegian is structuring its business. In addition, they are joined in their opposition by European flag carriers like Air France and Lufthansa. Norwegian has registered its international aircraft in Ireland under its Norwegian Air International, or NAI subsidiary, and is in the process of establishing its air operator certificate in the country as well. In that same vein, its flight crews are evidently to be hired on individual contracts, and hired under Singapore law, skirting Western regulations in what is seen as an effort to drive costs to an absolute minimum. The company plans to do this while continuing to be physically headquartered in Norway.
This strategy of picking countries with ideal regulatory conditions for each individual element of the business angers the Western airline industry, who have labeled it unfair and describe it as instigating a "race to the bottom" for airline business. Norwegian's quest to have the lowest costs, and in turn lowest fares, is of particular concern in the transatlantic market, where American and European major airlines are crying foul the heaviest. Such an entry into the market could potentially bring cost cutting in an already low margin industry to extremes, which aviation professionals see as a threat to employment and livelihood, while others even go so far as to suggest the potential for a considerable impact on aviation safety.
The US Department of Transportation recently denied, albeit temporarily, Norwegian's application for foreign air carrier operation into the US. The DOT essentially acknowledged the inherent complexity and controversial nature of the application and seeks to deliberate further on the issue. In the meantime, ALPA and company continue to lead the charge against the airline, in order to prevent what they see as a major threat to fair business in the particularly lucrative transatlantic market. It remains to be seen where the contentious issue will end up, but many within the industry are certainly waiting anxiously to see where Norwegian's quest for cheap flying goes.
An ALPA press release from its initial efforts to lobby the DOT to reject NAI's application:
http://www.alpa.org/Portals/Alpa/PressRoom/PressReleases/2013/12-17-13_13.68.htm
Monday, September 29, 2014
Corporate Aviation
-In terms of the careers offered by corporate aviation organizations on the management side, there a fewer options than with the airlines. Many departments do employ dispatchers or flight followers, and these employees often perform other duties including crew scheduling and more. With most corporate departments having small fleets and fairly low numbers of employees, there is less specialization. Corporate flight departments don't have the same requirements that 121, or even 135 operators due in terms of employing a safety department, maintenance and maintenance control, dispatch, and so on, so they tend to assign these types of duties to pilots and other employees as secondary duties.
-Corporate flight departments can certainly save companies money when used efficiently and intelligently. While the direct costs associated with the corporate travel may be higher at face value, the big picture can be different. When considering the value of time, whether for high-level management, experienced operations management, or even highly skilled frontline employees, a company can save money by getting their key employees where they need to be at a moment's notice, without having to rely on airline schedules.
-A corporate flight department I had the opportunity to visit and learn about is FedEx. Located at their airline hub and nearby their corporate headquarters in Memphis, the department is home to a large number of aircraft. FedEx has 3 or more Learjets, several Challenger 600 and 300s, and two Bombardier Globals used primarily by senior executives. The smaller jets are widely utilized, from flying emergency parts and mechanics to stranded FedEx Express aircraft, to carrying operational managers to important sites throughout FedEx's global network, to the more traditional flying of high level managers to meetings, events, and so on. As for management hiring, they employ a handful of management personnel, primarily in the maintenance and flight following side. These tend to come internally from the airline side of the business, but are generally experienced in their areas and have a high level of expertise.
A link to the National Business Aviation Association's "Business Aviation Factbook": http://www.nbaa.org/business-aviation/fact-book/
-Corporate flight departments can certainly save companies money when used efficiently and intelligently. While the direct costs associated with the corporate travel may be higher at face value, the big picture can be different. When considering the value of time, whether for high-level management, experienced operations management, or even highly skilled frontline employees, a company can save money by getting their key employees where they need to be at a moment's notice, without having to rely on airline schedules.
-A corporate flight department I had the opportunity to visit and learn about is FedEx. Located at their airline hub and nearby their corporate headquarters in Memphis, the department is home to a large number of aircraft. FedEx has 3 or more Learjets, several Challenger 600 and 300s, and two Bombardier Globals used primarily by senior executives. The smaller jets are widely utilized, from flying emergency parts and mechanics to stranded FedEx Express aircraft, to carrying operational managers to important sites throughout FedEx's global network, to the more traditional flying of high level managers to meetings, events, and so on. As for management hiring, they employ a handful of management personnel, primarily in the maintenance and flight following side. These tend to come internally from the airline side of the business, but are generally experienced in their areas and have a high level of expertise.
A link to the National Business Aviation Association's "Business Aviation Factbook": http://www.nbaa.org/business-aviation/fact-book/
Sunday, September 21, 2014
What is NextGen?
NextGen, the FAA's comprehensive plan for revamping the National Airspace System, is a massive project. Affecting all aspects of aviation and how aircraft operate in the US, it involves a complete overhaul of the nation's ATC and navigational infrastructure. New technologies include ADS-B, a new digital surveillance method that is already taking hold across the world and allows for more accurate and reliable monitoring of air traffic by ATC, and many other advances including satellite-based navigational and communication technologies that allow for better situational awareness across the board.
A project the size of NetGen takes years to implement. While some items have already been put into service, and ADS-B is beginning to be installed on aircraft in the US, there is a long way to go. ADS-B will be required for flight in controlled airspace by 2020, and many other NextGen items will be implemented between now and that time as well. Some NextGen projects, as well as the overall timeline, are potentially at risk due to continuing political struggles regarding the federal budget; the FAA has been found to be behind on a number of NextGen elements, while efforts are underway to keep the project on a realistic track.
(http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2014/February/06/FAA-behind-on-NextGen-UAS-and-consolidation-hearing-reveals.aspx)
For GA, ADS-B brings benefits of increased situational awareness and safety, particularly in IFR flight where data links and improved surveillance technology help to create a safer and more reliable experience. On the other hand, ADS-B and its associated hardware is expensive to install in existing aircraft, and can require major avionics upgrades that many GA pilots and owners cannot afford.
In the commercial aviation community, the same types of benefits in the safety, situational awareness, and communication areas will be seen. In addition, traffic flows into major commercial airports will potentially be streamlined and made significantly more efficient, utilizing new technology to improve methods such as Optimized Profile Descents, among others. A challenge NextGen will pose for airlines and commercial operators will be the additional training and procedural changes that will need to take place in order to align flight operations with the FAA's requirements and changes.
NextGen, given its high potential to improve the efficiency and safety of commercial aviation, should be funded in part by the country's Part 121 and 135 operators, in addition to current taxpayer funding. This could be accomplished through user fees for commercial operators, although it would be a major political hurdle given the power of the airline industry in the government and its lobbying system. While user fees have long been the mortal enemy of the GA community, it may be a legitimate option for funding the massive improvements in the airspace system when directed at its commercial users.
As for my career, working in airport operations and planning will be affected by NextGen. Traffic flow will adapt to the new technologies NextGen provides, and airport operations will have to adjust to changing arrival and departure rates, different gate requirements, and taxi and sequencing requirements.
A project the size of NetGen takes years to implement. While some items have already been put into service, and ADS-B is beginning to be installed on aircraft in the US, there is a long way to go. ADS-B will be required for flight in controlled airspace by 2020, and many other NextGen items will be implemented between now and that time as well. Some NextGen projects, as well as the overall timeline, are potentially at risk due to continuing political struggles regarding the federal budget; the FAA has been found to be behind on a number of NextGen elements, while efforts are underway to keep the project on a realistic track.
(http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2014/February/06/FAA-behind-on-NextGen-UAS-and-consolidation-hearing-reveals.aspx)
For GA, ADS-B brings benefits of increased situational awareness and safety, particularly in IFR flight where data links and improved surveillance technology help to create a safer and more reliable experience. On the other hand, ADS-B and its associated hardware is expensive to install in existing aircraft, and can require major avionics upgrades that many GA pilots and owners cannot afford.
In the commercial aviation community, the same types of benefits in the safety, situational awareness, and communication areas will be seen. In addition, traffic flows into major commercial airports will potentially be streamlined and made significantly more efficient, utilizing new technology to improve methods such as Optimized Profile Descents, among others. A challenge NextGen will pose for airlines and commercial operators will be the additional training and procedural changes that will need to take place in order to align flight operations with the FAA's requirements and changes.
NextGen, given its high potential to improve the efficiency and safety of commercial aviation, should be funded in part by the country's Part 121 and 135 operators, in addition to current taxpayer funding. This could be accomplished through user fees for commercial operators, although it would be a major political hurdle given the power of the airline industry in the government and its lobbying system. While user fees have long been the mortal enemy of the GA community, it may be a legitimate option for funding the massive improvements in the airspace system when directed at its commercial users.
As for my career, working in airport operations and planning will be affected by NextGen. Traffic flow will adapt to the new technologies NextGen provides, and airport operations will have to adjust to changing arrival and departure rates, different gate requirements, and taxi and sequencing requirements.
Monday, September 15, 2014
"Flying Cheap" and regional carriers in today's airline industry
-As for the particular job I would like to end up at currently, it would be ramp management/ramp control at Delta Air Lines, preferably at DTW, ATL, or MSP.
-This job would involve managing the ramp in a hub environment, and directing ground personnel, equipment, and aircraft in order to ensure a safe, efficient, and effective operation. Such a job can involve being on the ground on the ramp, or in a ramp control tower, depending on location and specific position.
-Safety and liability concerns are a major part of any ramp job, and being in ramp management involves considering safe aircraft movement, vehicle movement, personnel activity, and numerous aspects of aircraft servicing that include risks that must be monitored and controlled. This complexity requires constant vigilance and thorough knowledge of airport operations to maintain a high level of safety.
Professionalism is having a respect for the job, the organization, the rules, and the customers you serve. It includes maintaining a level of knowledge and skill necessary to be proficient at one's job, and maintaining a respectable attitude under any circumstances.
In the "Flying Cheap" documentary, there are numerous examples of unprofessional behavior. One of these is the offer by Colgan management to alter the duty time records for a pilot in order to not delay and/or cancel a flight. This situation shows a lack of respect for rules and for safety, and is the type of thinking that undermines the safety culture of an organization. Another example found in the documentary is the tragic case of the captain of Flight 3407, who exhibited poor airmanship skills in attempting to recover from the dangerous attitude that led to the crash, itself a possible result of airline management overlooking his prior failed checkrides other warning signs.
In my career, I plan on maintaining the highest level of professionalism possible. One way I plan to achieve this is to maintain current knowledge of the aviation industry as a whole, by reading articles, publications, and news regularly; I believe this will allow me to maintain a better professional perspective in everything I do within the industry. Another method of maintaining professionalism I plan on utilizing is to set goals regularly, by evaluating my current position and activity and looking ahead as well, in order to keep my point of view current, realistic, and appropriate.
-This job would involve managing the ramp in a hub environment, and directing ground personnel, equipment, and aircraft in order to ensure a safe, efficient, and effective operation. Such a job can involve being on the ground on the ramp, or in a ramp control tower, depending on location and specific position.
-Safety and liability concerns are a major part of any ramp job, and being in ramp management involves considering safe aircraft movement, vehicle movement, personnel activity, and numerous aspects of aircraft servicing that include risks that must be monitored and controlled. This complexity requires constant vigilance and thorough knowledge of airport operations to maintain a high level of safety.
Professionalism is having a respect for the job, the organization, the rules, and the customers you serve. It includes maintaining a level of knowledge and skill necessary to be proficient at one's job, and maintaining a respectable attitude under any circumstances.
In the "Flying Cheap" documentary, there are numerous examples of unprofessional behavior. One of these is the offer by Colgan management to alter the duty time records for a pilot in order to not delay and/or cancel a flight. This situation shows a lack of respect for rules and for safety, and is the type of thinking that undermines the safety culture of an organization. Another example found in the documentary is the tragic case of the captain of Flight 3407, who exhibited poor airmanship skills in attempting to recover from the dangerous attitude that led to the crash, itself a possible result of airline management overlooking his prior failed checkrides other warning signs.
In my career, I plan on maintaining the highest level of professionalism possible. One way I plan to achieve this is to maintain current knowledge of the aviation industry as a whole, by reading articles, publications, and news regularly; I believe this will allow me to maintain a better professional perspective in everything I do within the industry. Another method of maintaining professionalism I plan on utilizing is to set goals regularly, by evaluating my current position and activity and looking ahead as well, in order to keep my point of view current, realistic, and appropriate.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Introduction
Hi everyone! My name is Andrew Poure, and I'm a senior in EMU's aviation management program. I've been interested in aviation as long as I can remember, and as far as I'm concerned I was born this way, though growing up near an airport probably helped the obsession grow.
I decided aviation management was the right major for me as I started college, coming to the conclusion that I had no real interest in being a career commercial pilot (I'd rather fly on my own time). I've always been awed by airports, since my earliest memories of traveling as a kid. The unique environment of a major airport fascinates me like nothing else, and creating a career where I can work in that environment is my number one goal.
As of right now, I have yet to decide whether working on the airline or airport operator side is right for me, and I see pros and cons of both paths. I'm keeping an open mind moving toward graduation in December, and hope to apply for a variety of different jobs. Numerous aspects of the industry interest me, with some of my favorite topics to learn about being airport operations, airline operations, fleet planning, route planning, and airport design and development.
I hope to continue a path toward success in the aviation industry with this AVT 422 class, and am excited to explore aviation in a different way with this blog.
I decided aviation management was the right major for me as I started college, coming to the conclusion that I had no real interest in being a career commercial pilot (I'd rather fly on my own time). I've always been awed by airports, since my earliest memories of traveling as a kid. The unique environment of a major airport fascinates me like nothing else, and creating a career where I can work in that environment is my number one goal.
As of right now, I have yet to decide whether working on the airline or airport operator side is right for me, and I see pros and cons of both paths. I'm keeping an open mind moving toward graduation in December, and hope to apply for a variety of different jobs. Numerous aspects of the industry interest me, with some of my favorite topics to learn about being airport operations, airline operations, fleet planning, route planning, and airport design and development.
I hope to continue a path toward success in the aviation industry with this AVT 422 class, and am excited to explore aviation in a different way with this blog.
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