Aviation Organizations

Aviation Organizations

Finding a good job in the aviation industry is difficult. Yes, jobs may be on the rise, but it might not be based on what you know. More and more jobs are becoming available to people who have an “in”. Whether that “in” is an employee working for the company already, or possibly someone they met while they were involved in aviation related association. All through my collegiate career, we have been told to join associations and be involved in the industry. The reason behind this idea is to get your name out there so people know who you are. “If you are interested in furthering your career, joining a professional association is a good start” (Cherwin, 2015). If people you meet in an association think highly of you, they will likely give you a good recommendation or even help you find a job. “Joining a professional organization is a great way to learn about different aviation careers from people who actually work in aviation” (Professional Organizations, 2015).

With my major in Aviation Management, there are two associations that really stick out, and likely will join if I am employed in the aviation industry. The first one I would look into would be the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). According to the AAAE, if you are a member you can become certified in specific categories inside an airport, they offer job opportunities, and they provide training and professional development for members. The second association that I would consider joining would be, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) or possibly a state specific organization like Michigan Aviation Association (MAA).

The main mission or function for AAAE is to train and certify employees or future aviation employees. According to Kenneth Szymanski, becoming a member of AAAE is one of the smartest decisions you can make, if you want to have a career in aviation. Being trained and certified is very important, especially for future employees. Most new management personal will come out of college with a bachelor’s degree, but that does not mean that they are certified or ready for the responsibilities of that position. However, if you have your bachelor’s and become properly certified, not only will you be more desirable when applying for a position, but you will also know what it rakes to meet those job requirements. The reason I would consider becoming a member of a state specific association like MAA, is because; you will stay current on the different regulations and news that is happening in the aviation industry in that state. NBAA would be an association I would consider joining if I were to receive a position in business aviation. NBAA offers a Certified Airport Manager (CAM) program (Certified Aviation Manager Program, 2015), and if you are a member you receive a number of benefits, such as: Representation, Networking, Education and development, along with Access to Industry Experts (Member Benefits, 2015).

As I mentioned before, finding a job in aviation is not necessarily based on what you know, but whom you know. Belonging to an association will allow you to network, and create friends, who are already in the aviation industry. Being able to network yourself will increase your probability of finding a job. Not only will finding jobs become easier, but also have the opportunity to become certified. In my opinion, I find this extremely important. It should make you more desirable and it will also increase your knowledge about the industry.

References

"American Association of Airport Executives." American Association of Airport Executives. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <https://www.aaae.org/>.

"Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Program." Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Program. National Business Aviation Association, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nbaa.org/prodev/cam/>.

Cherwin, Kelly. "Why Join a Professional Association?" Why Join a Professional Association? HigherEdJobs, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <https://www.higheredjobs.com/articles/articledisplay.cfm?ID=157>.

"Member Benefits." NBAA.org. National Business Aviation Association, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbaa.org%2Fmembership%2Fbenefits%2F>.

"Professional Organizations." Professional Organizations. North Central Texas Council of Governments, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nctaviationcareers.com/content/professional-organizations-0>.

Szymanski, Kenneth. 2014 Non-formal interview

The Business of Aviation

The Business of Aviation

Most business men/women have heard the cliché, how do you make a small fortune? Well for the aviation industry, that saying is incredibly true. New businesses typically open up every day, but how often do you hear of a new airline opening?

The reason you probably do not hear to much about airlines opening up is because it does not happen often, due to the regulations and the ability to adapt to changes. One reason that Delta Airlines has become such a successful company is because of their size. “Delta serves people in every continent besides Antarctica” ("Why is Delta Airlines Successful?") Another airline that has seen great success is Southwest. Southwest is one of the leading budget carriers, and they have had their success because of their focus about the customers and employees. “Southwest offers a bags fly free policy as well as complimentary peanuts” (El-Erain, 2014). Offering these services to passengers keep the customers happy and returning for business.

The aviation industry is an industry that seems to be somewhat unpredictable. It may seem like an airline is successful, however that airline could become bankrupt of bought out by another airline in no time. The smaller budget/low cost carriers are constantly being bought out by larger airlines, and also changing ownership due to the company going bankrupt. Over the past 12 years, 10 major U.S. airlines have been cut, merged or gone bankrupted, leaving only four major carriers left (The runway to the final four).

Not only is the airline industry unpredictable, it also has minimal profit margins, and those may be part of the reason airlines are not opening up as often as other business. According to an article from CNN, airlines make less than six dollars per passenger (Irvine, 2014). When you compare the profit, that the airline makes, to the price of a ticket, you can see that they do not make enough money to make a mistake. If an airline makes a decision at the wrong time, it could become devastating for the company. The aviation industry only shows 2.4% in their profit margin. In comparison to that, “U.S. private companies reported an average net profit margin over the past six months of 7.6%” (Harrison, 2013).

There are ways for the aviation industry to become profitable, however they must be willing to adapt. If they cannot adapt, it is likely they will either be bought out, or the airline could become bankrupt. As we have seen, if an airline wants to stay successful they have to make the right decisions at the correct time, and they must keep the customers content, and wanting to travel with the company again.

REFERENCES

Bhaskara, V. (2014, April 22). Southwest Airlines Opens for Business - Customers. Retrieved March 28, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/airchive/2014/04/22/southwest-airlines-opens-for-business-customers/

El-Erain, M. (2014, June 13). The Secret to Southwest's Success. Retrieved March 31, 2015.

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-06-13/the-secret-to-southwest-s-success

Harrison, J.D. "U.S. Private Companies Squeezing More Profit out of Every Dollar Sold." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2013. Web. 30 Mar. 2015. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/us-private-companies-squeezing-more-profit-out-of-every-dollar-sold/2013/03/26/a41c3338-9645-11e2-9e23-09dce87f75a1_story.html>.

Irvine, Dean. "How Airlines Make 'less than $6 per Passenger' - CNN.com."CNN. Cable News Network, 3 June 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/03/travel/how-airlines-make-less-than-6/>.

"The Runway to the Final Four." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2015. http://money.cnn.com/infographic/news/companies/airline-merger/

"Why Is Delta Airlines Successful?" Delta Success Story. Delta Airlines, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2015. <http://www.deltaflights.org/delta-airlines-success.html>.

Issues Regarding U.S. Aviation and the Global Market

Issues Regarding US Aviation and the Global Market

1.              Safety of Global Aviation

The aviation industry has never been safer than it is today. It seems like every year the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) come out with new suggestions and regulations to continue this safety trend. These suggestions and regulations are great to keep the industry safe, but are the International Carriers being held to the same requirements, and is there anything else that we could do to make it safer overseas?

Statistics have shown that the aviation industry is continuing to become safer and safer. However, in the past year, there have been some devastating losses when it comes to international flights. The two major accidents in the past year were from Malaysia Airlines. With these two aircrafts going missing, is there anything that we could possibly do to prevent this from happening in the future? The answer to that question is yes. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other governments are currently working on ways to close the gap. One way ICAO is doing this is by developing a deployment of anti-aircraft weapons. Just like we have deployment of weapons for chemical weapons, and nuclear warheads, we could create a category for aircrafts. Another way that ICAO is looking to increase safety over seas is by implementing a better data-recording query called Global Aviation Data Management (GADM). This query will collect data from flights, airports, air navigation services, along with airframe and engine manufactures. GADM will ve crucial for the future safety in aviation, with the data collected, we will be able to analyze the data and figure out what is going wrong.

2.               FAA Certification of new products

If a company in the aviation industry wants to implement a new product into the market, they have to have it approved and certified by the FAA. The process of this approval is very important. With the FAA having to approve every new product, we know they are going to be safe, which is important when it comes to the aviation industry. However, with the FAA’s lack of resources, they cannot keep up with the growth of the industry. The approval process for the FAA could take anywhere from one month to eighteen months, depending on what type of product is being approved.

With the approval process of the FAA being so time-consuming, the US Aviation industry is missing out on potential business opportunities. Because the approval process takes so long, companies are taking their business overseas because they can be approved quicker.  If we want the US to continue to be the leader in aviation, we need congress to approve more resources for the FAA. If there are more resources available to the FAA, the process of approval for certification will speed up, and business will not feel the need to go elsewhere to get their products approved (Bunce, 2012).

3.              Expanding foreign Markets

A final issue that the U.S. aviation industry is dealing with is the rapid expansion of the foreign markets. The foreign markets are becoming larger each and every day. China, Brazil, and Dubai are the three main foreign markets that are rapidly growing, and becoming more competitive. With the growth of markets overseas, the United States is gong to continue to find new ways to compete with the foreign markets, otherwise we will lose the lead of the aviation industry.

One major issue with the expansion of the overseas markets is the rate of pilot hiring’s. When the Domestic U.S. carriers are already seeing a shortage of pilots, the overseas growth could make that shortage even worse. United States pilots working for companies overseas are looking more lucrative. If a pilot were to go overseas for a job, they have the ability to make triple what they would in the U.S. (Wang, 2012). If this type of compensation influences pilots, the current domestic pilot shortage will continue to increase.

Works Cited

Bunce, Pete. "Hearing: The Global Competitiveness of the U.S. Aviation Industry: Addressing Competition Issues to Maintain U.S. Leadership in the Aerospace Market | GAMA - General Aviation Manufacturers Association." Hearing: The Global Competitiveness of the U.S. Aviation Industry: Addressing Competition Issues to Maintain U.S. Leadership in the Aerospace Market | GAMA - General Aviation Manufacturers Association. N.p., 18 July 2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. http://www.gama.aero/node/11517

Shankman, Samantha. "3 Biggest Challenges Facing the Global Aviation Industry." Skift. N.p., 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.  http://skift.com/2014/10/14/3-biggest-challenges-facing-the-global-aviation-industry/

"The FAA and Industry Guide to Product Certification." (2004): n. pag. AIA and GAMA, Sept. 2004. Web. 15 Mar. 2015. <https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/design_approvals/media/CPI_guide_II.pdf>.

Wang, Jasmine. "China Lures U.S. Pilots Tired of 14-Year Wait for Captain's Seat." Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 27 Feb. 2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-02-27/china-lures-u-s-pilots-tired-of-14-year-wait-for-captain-s-seat>.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are becoming more and more popular for military use, but also for civilian usage. Currently, there are not many civilian companies that are using UAV’s. However, there are a few companies (government, universities) that hold a permit from the FAA to fly private drones.  UAV’s are currently being used for; Hurricane Hunting, 3-D Mapping, Protecting Wildlife, Agriculture, and Search and Rescue (Handwerk, 2013).  According to Handwerk, the uses of drones have been very effective and have excelled in these areas of work. According to the FAA website, there are a handful of regulations that are required to abide by for civilian recreational use. However, if UAV’s are being used for non-recreational operations, you must receive authorization by the FAA.

            I believe that it is only a matter of time before UAV’s will be integrated with the National Airspace System (NAS). In my opinion, integrating UAV’s and NAS is inevitable. Civilians using UAV’s, regardless of the reason, will push the boundaries and will eventually require cooperation between NAS and the operation of UAV’s.   If UAV’s are integrated in the NAS, there are bound to be some communication and safety issues. One major communication concern would be being able to interact with Air Traffic Control (ATC). If UAV’s are unable to communicate efficiently with ATC, the chances of and accident or incident increase drastically. As for safety risks, if UAV’s are integrated into the NAS, other aircafts will need to know where a UAV is located. If they do not, there is a chance for mid-air collisions, causing accidents to occur. I believe if drones develop a system so they can communicate with ATC, and a way for ATC to track them, this will help eliminate the safety risks, and will allow UAV’s to be integrated into the NAS safely.

            The use of civilian UAV’s is relatively new. With that being said, the military have used UAV’s, quite effectively for over a decade now. Since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centers, “over 95% of all non-battlefield targeted killings have been conducted by drones” (Drones, 2014). The uses of drones have been so effective to the military because they are able to conduct surveillance. “In 2008, the CIA began a policy of signature strikes against targets outside of named kill list” (Drones, 2014). The signature strikes policy now allows drone attacks based on an individuals pattern of life or their suspicious daily behavior. Financially, the use of drones is cheaper than the use of military jets. The cost to build a military drone is between 5 million and 14.4 million dollars. In the United States, the cost of a military fighter jets vary on price, but range between 60- 100 million dollars per unit. So,, not only are drones cheaper, but they are also safer for the pilots. There is no chance of the pilot being gunned down in a drone.

            While doing some research for different jobs involving UAV’s, I found this website specifically for UAV careers. A lot of the jobs on this listing database were deployment and military jobs, however, there were quite a few civilian jobs. A civilian pilot job that I found was for Textron, the leader of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. This position was a Instructor pilots for a Gray Eagle UAV. As for management careers, I did not find a job listing. However, I would have to imagine that the manager would be responsible for making sure that the pilots are trained correctly, the scheduling for crews, making sure that the pilots are staying current on their ratings and performing proficiently.

References

Batey, A. (2014, September 2). The low-cost fighters to serve tomorrow's air forces. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140903-low-cost-fighter-jets-take-

Top of FormBottom of FormCivil Operations (Non-Governmental). (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2015, from https://www.faa.gov/uas/civil_operations

Drones - ProCon.org. (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2015, from http://drones.procon.org/#background

Handwerk, B. (2013, December 2). 5 Surprising Drone Uses (Besides Amazon Delivery). Retrieved February 28, 2015, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/12/131202-drone-uav-uas-amazon-octocopter-bezos-science-aircraft-unmanned-robot/

Model Aircraft Operations. (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2015, from https://www.faa.gov/uas/model_aircraft/

Weibel, R., & Hansman, J. (2005, March 1). SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS FOR OPERATION OF UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES IN THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from http://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/34912/Weibel - ICAT Report - UAV Safety.pdf