My stated goals in the introductory blog were to gain knowledge and graduate at eastern and I am on my way to doing so. I have decided to follow the aviation career path of a dispatcher and have just recently gained employment at USA Jet as a flight follower. Speakers who I really enjoyed hearing their stories were Aubrey Grohowski, and Dewey Davenport because they had nontraditional career paths. Live does not go the way you plan it to most of the time and It was a breath of fresh air to know that as long as you stick to whatever you are passionate about that good things can happen to you. I would have liked to of had a true blue career dispatcher to share their story, but our instructor fills that role well enough. My career goals in the short term meaning weeks will be to obtain a dispatch certificate, and longer term will be to remain at a company and move up the corporate later to middle management in five to ten years. I have enjoyed learning about aviation in the university environment and look forward to learning business practices and aviation in the business environment in the future, for aviation is an always changing industry.
Friday, December 5, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Little Airlines
Two airlines that are entering the market with new business models are La Compagnie and WOW. They are different in their strategy, but effective in their way of expanding and offering lower cost for different markets. La Compagnie will use 757 in an all business class model to provide cheaper business class to more travelers, and WOW will offer ULCC model which will allow all coach travelers to travel for much reduced cost. Both are oceanic carriers that will give the big three, united, American, and Delta a run for their money. They are able to do this via reduced staff, outsourced labor, and information technology.
“La Compagnie, Yvelin’s new carrier, runs 74-seat, all-business-class 757s between New York City and Paris, charging about $2,000 round-trip vs. $5,000 to $11,000 for the same seat on a larger carrier.”
“Iceland-based WOW Air is trying to make that concept fly in the transatlantic market, albeit with a higher level of service. “The rise of the ULCC has been very successful when you look at Europe and the U.S.”
La Compagnie is a company with one aircraft (757) and with only one approved route from Paris to Newark. They have a good model, but they need to be able to scale. This growth is essential to have a profitable business plan, because all of their eggs are in this one 757’s basket and any down time will result in lost profit, which is unlike delta where they have many spare planes to replace planes on routes.
WOW is much bigger with 6 aircraft and 17 destinations that’s headquartered in Iceland. The destinations are throughout Europe and has a low staff of 170 and has plans to expand. With the ordering of 320 and 321neo this is an aggressive strategy with plans to increase from 90k to 450k to 720k passengers by the end of 2014.
WOW has the better business plan based on growth, but La Compagnie has the ability to grow faster if the usage rate is high because it’s geared to higher paying passengers and therefor would not need to add as many aircraft as WOW based on their market demographic. Both offer reduced prices for their respective market, and one has a faster growth strategy in the short term, so I would pick WOW as the winner in the short term, but if La Compagnie has success then they could make more profit in the midterm.
Globally air travel is turning into a commodity and that scares the shareholders of American airline companies. Commodity pricing and service reduce profits and this isn't just a trend in airlines, but in manufacturing, servicing, and maintenance. All the categories are betting outsourced because it’s cheaper. The airlines started the outsourcing in the beginning with regional's to reduce prices and increase routes via unprofitable routes in the US and are now seeing this trend come to oceanic routes and they do not like this because it was the last frontier of high profit economic routes. Competition reduces profits and increases benefits to the consumer that’s why WOW is increasing growth plans and the big three are opposing such carriers. I see that in the future their will continue to be more entrants and more competition and even more aircraft with different design and business models that will saturate routes and turn travel into a commodity.
http://wowair.u
https://www.lacompagnie.com/en/
“La Compagnie, Yvelin’s new carrier, runs 74-seat, all-business-class 757s between New York City and Paris, charging about $2,000 round-trip vs. $5,000 to $11,000 for the same seat on a larger carrier.”
“Iceland-based WOW Air is trying to make that concept fly in the transatlantic market, albeit with a higher level of service. “The rise of the ULCC has been very successful when you look at Europe and the U.S.”
La Compagnie is a company with one aircraft (757) and with only one approved route from Paris to Newark. They have a good model, but they need to be able to scale. This growth is essential to have a profitable business plan, because all of their eggs are in this one 757’s basket and any down time will result in lost profit, which is unlike delta where they have many spare planes to replace planes on routes.
WOW is much bigger with 6 aircraft and 17 destinations that’s headquartered in Iceland. The destinations are throughout Europe and has a low staff of 170 and has plans to expand. With the ordering of 320 and 321neo this is an aggressive strategy with plans to increase from 90k to 450k to 720k passengers by the end of 2014.
WOW has the better business plan based on growth, but La Compagnie has the ability to grow faster if the usage rate is high because it’s geared to higher paying passengers and therefor would not need to add as many aircraft as WOW based on their market demographic. Both offer reduced prices for their respective market, and one has a faster growth strategy in the short term, so I would pick WOW as the winner in the short term, but if La Compagnie has success then they could make more profit in the midterm.
Globally air travel is turning into a commodity and that scares the shareholders of American airline companies. Commodity pricing and service reduce profits and this isn't just a trend in airlines, but in manufacturing, servicing, and maintenance. All the categories are betting outsourced because it’s cheaper. The airlines started the outsourcing in the beginning with regional's to reduce prices and increase routes via unprofitable routes in the US and are now seeing this trend come to oceanic routes and they do not like this because it was the last frontier of high profit economic routes. Competition reduces profits and increases benefits to the consumer that’s why WOW is increasing growth plans and the big three are opposing such carriers. I see that in the future their will continue to be more entrants and more competition and even more aircraft with different design and business models that will saturate routes and turn travel into a commodity.
http://wowair.u
https://www.lacompagnie.com/en/
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Cargo
The new rules for pilots combine all 121 flights except cargo, which include domestic, international, and unscheduled. The new rules changed the work rest cycle of pilots so that they could be safer while carrying passengers. The change include affirmation of documents stating that the pilots are fit for duty, and if they are not fit to fly then the airline would be required to drop them from the flight. The new rules provide for 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep of the 10 hours off for rest. Which is a significant because the before the rest period was 9 which could be reduced to 8 hours but that also included travel to the hotel and could result in 6 hours of sleep. With the new rules only certain hours can be flown per week, month, and year.
The cargo pilots are exempt so they fall under the old rules of 8 hours between flight duty times. During the formation of the new rules the cargo carriers had the weight to swing the rules in their favor by saying it was going to be such a financial burden to enforce the new duty rules that they were exempt. Unfortunately, the up and coming pilots do not have the same weight to through around for exemptions of financial hardships for learning to fly and reach 1500 hours before becoming a pilot for an airline.
I’m sure the reasons for not implementing the rules for cargo operators included such reasons as value of life, public perception, and cost. Cost is usually the most important factor when it relates to a business so this is one factor that does have a lot of weight. Businesses do not survive if they are not competitive, and sure they could all be competitive on the same field if rules were implemented, but they are not just competing with themselves they are competing with different modes of transportation that is far less regulated. To that extent the other modes of transportation are also far less safe per mile than aviation so to say that all rules should be applied to all aviation pilots is unfair, because passengers are far more important than cargo, but cost is more beneficial to shippers of cargo than extra rest that requires more pilots in a decreasing pilot pool. Therefor I do not believe cargo operators need to be subjected to the same rules.
Managers would be required to manage more pilots that work less hours which would negatively impact the business. If work rest periods for all forms of transportation were on the table to increase the safety of the nation then that would be a regulation to get behind because it would be fair. A pilot is not like a bus driver he/she has vast amounts of training and is paid a large wage comparatively so to reduce his hours while increasing a bus drivers hours at a lower wage and reduced safety is a very competitive business I would hope to avoid.
http://aviation.about.com/od/Regulations/a/Faa-Final-Rule-Pilot-Duty-And-Rest-Requirements.htm
The cargo pilots are exempt so they fall under the old rules of 8 hours between flight duty times. During the formation of the new rules the cargo carriers had the weight to swing the rules in their favor by saying it was going to be such a financial burden to enforce the new duty rules that they were exempt. Unfortunately, the up and coming pilots do not have the same weight to through around for exemptions of financial hardships for learning to fly and reach 1500 hours before becoming a pilot for an airline.
I’m sure the reasons for not implementing the rules for cargo operators included such reasons as value of life, public perception, and cost. Cost is usually the most important factor when it relates to a business so this is one factor that does have a lot of weight. Businesses do not survive if they are not competitive, and sure they could all be competitive on the same field if rules were implemented, but they are not just competing with themselves they are competing with different modes of transportation that is far less regulated. To that extent the other modes of transportation are also far less safe per mile than aviation so to say that all rules should be applied to all aviation pilots is unfair, because passengers are far more important than cargo, but cost is more beneficial to shippers of cargo than extra rest that requires more pilots in a decreasing pilot pool. Therefor I do not believe cargo operators need to be subjected to the same rules.
Managers would be required to manage more pilots that work less hours which would negatively impact the business. If work rest periods for all forms of transportation were on the table to increase the safety of the nation then that would be a regulation to get behind because it would be fair. A pilot is not like a bus driver he/she has vast amounts of training and is paid a large wage comparatively so to reduce his hours while increasing a bus drivers hours at a lower wage and reduced safety is a very competitive business I would hope to avoid.
http://aviation.about.com/od/Regulations/a/Faa-Final-Rule-Pilot-Duty-And-Rest-Requirements.htm
Sunday, October 12, 2014
UAS
Civilian use of unmanned aerial vehicles are vast and the best uses of this ability have yet to be thought of because this industry is still in the beginning stages, it’s were the aircraft were in the 1920 and is about to hit the golden age. The first uses that come to mind are aerial survey and application of chemicals for agriculture, this will allow farmers to understand their crops better and to better treat the land to reduce cost and increase production capabilities. After solving our food problem they may turn to a defensive posture to spot and combat fire that could encroach upon residents or financial assets. Delivery of fire suppressants without the loss of life that fire fighters encounter day to day would be supper beneficial. Delivery of essentials goods in a timely manner would also be a great purpose among many others. Currently UAS’s are not given permission to operate and though court decisions are also not banned from operations in US airspace. Many who have had action taken against them defeated the FAA in court because of their lack of policy regarding UAS’s in US airspace. The congress has set a date for the FAA to integrate UAS’s in the airspace, but just recently the FAA disclosed that they do not believe they will meet that deadline.
I believe it is inevitable that UAS’s will be integrated into the NAS. It would stifle a multibillion dollar sector if they were not allowed inside the NAS. I believe that there is need for a tiered approach based on weight to allow very small (below 500lb) UAS’s to be able to fly in the first place based on sensor integration so to not over burden a small UAS with lots of weight. This would allow small low flying craft (below 1200ft) to effectively complete their mission without flying high or heavy. Then for high (above 1200ft) heavy (above 500lb) class they would be able to load many different sensors to allow multiple systems with backup so as to not fail. If a small class was able to demonstrate capabilities of the large class then they as well would be able to fly high. Problems arising from the integration include flying aircraft that have not passed testing and would thus be unreliable so a system would need to be in place to test and if failure were to occur rely on mitigation of obstacles as to not harm people or property. Furthermore this system should not be government based but businesses that are agnostic to politics and companies but are certified on behalf of the FAA for a speedy certification. As for perception problems if the government lays down the rules and is for the most part an overseer of the development and not an active determiner of the winners and losers of certification then the perception of UAV’s can be positive with humanitarian and civil services allowed to help people with the uses of such capabilities.
The capabilities of UAV’s for the military as much like the introduction of GPS because of its usefulness in data collection. It gave the commanders on the ground much more flexibility and information then they had before allowing them to evaluate the situation in real time and determine force needs for a particular mission. The integration of UAS’s is not efficient though using the air force as an example the justification of buying 401 reaper aircraft was weak to say the least. Although they will be used they may have over bought and later reduced the contract by 55 units. DOD acquisitions is not always in accordance with force structure or best practices for procurement and is often more or less congressionally influenced by jobs in the state of the representatives who sign such bills. Ethical U.S. soldiers do not die for the most part when a drone strike occurs, so as an American this is ethically the right thing to do as a commander as oppose to sending in troops with the possibility of taking on casualties. The enemy may not think it is ethical, but they are the enemy so they don’t get a say. The bad press is usually in regards to civilian deaths that are a result of poor intelligence and inability to resolve images to the quality necessary to make an accurate determination. I believe the visual capabilities of the UAS’s will improve and need to in order to stop such travesties in the future.
http://www.dodbuzz.com/2014/10/01/audit-air-force-didnt-justify-reaper-fleet-size/
Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services (IIS) is currently seeking a Full Time onsite Remote Pilot Operator (RPO) for the Detroit Metropolitan ATCT (DTW), located in Detroit, MI.
http://jobs.raytheon.com/jobs/remote-pilot-operator-detroit-metropolitan-atct-dtw-job-detroit-michigan-4-4814320
I believe it is inevitable that UAS’s will be integrated into the NAS. It would stifle a multibillion dollar sector if they were not allowed inside the NAS. I believe that there is need for a tiered approach based on weight to allow very small (below 500lb) UAS’s to be able to fly in the first place based on sensor integration so to not over burden a small UAS with lots of weight. This would allow small low flying craft (below 1200ft) to effectively complete their mission without flying high or heavy. Then for high (above 1200ft) heavy (above 500lb) class they would be able to load many different sensors to allow multiple systems with backup so as to not fail. If a small class was able to demonstrate capabilities of the large class then they as well would be able to fly high. Problems arising from the integration include flying aircraft that have not passed testing and would thus be unreliable so a system would need to be in place to test and if failure were to occur rely on mitigation of obstacles as to not harm people or property. Furthermore this system should not be government based but businesses that are agnostic to politics and companies but are certified on behalf of the FAA for a speedy certification. As for perception problems if the government lays down the rules and is for the most part an overseer of the development and not an active determiner of the winners and losers of certification then the perception of UAV’s can be positive with humanitarian and civil services allowed to help people with the uses of such capabilities.
The capabilities of UAV’s for the military as much like the introduction of GPS because of its usefulness in data collection. It gave the commanders on the ground much more flexibility and information then they had before allowing them to evaluate the situation in real time and determine force needs for a particular mission. The integration of UAS’s is not efficient though using the air force as an example the justification of buying 401 reaper aircraft was weak to say the least. Although they will be used they may have over bought and later reduced the contract by 55 units. DOD acquisitions is not always in accordance with force structure or best practices for procurement and is often more or less congressionally influenced by jobs in the state of the representatives who sign such bills. Ethical U.S. soldiers do not die for the most part when a drone strike occurs, so as an American this is ethically the right thing to do as a commander as oppose to sending in troops with the possibility of taking on casualties. The enemy may not think it is ethical, but they are the enemy so they don’t get a say. The bad press is usually in regards to civilian deaths that are a result of poor intelligence and inability to resolve images to the quality necessary to make an accurate determination. I believe the visual capabilities of the UAS’s will improve and need to in order to stop such travesties in the future.
http://www.dodbuzz.com/2014/10/01/audit-air-force-didnt-justify-reaper-fleet-size/
Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services (IIS) is currently seeking a Full Time onsite Remote Pilot Operator (RPO) for the Detroit Metropolitan ATCT (DTW), located in Detroit, MI.
http://jobs.raytheon.com/jobs/remote-pilot-operator-detroit-metropolitan-atct-dtw-job-detroit-michigan-4-4814320
Monday, September 29, 2014
Corporate vs. Airline
As a management student trying to fulfill a position at a corporate company I would expect that the person should be employed with multiple roles inside the company especially small companies. Dispatching, scheduling, and maybe even maintenance management would be possible area that an employee would find him or herself involved in. I would expect the in a bigger corporation that personnel will higher skilled and subject matter experts in their careers. Employees in the airline environment at regional I would expect to fulfill specific roles but get paid less than mainline carriers. It may be easier to get jobs at regional to start than in corporate or mainline carriers. Therefore I believe that as it relates to pay both mainline and corporate would offer higher salaries and regional would offer less money and benefits.
Some argue that corporate aviation is for the wealthy to spread their legs and not worry about interaction with common folk, but many businesses depend on aviation in the corporate world to secure deals that would otherwise go to first come first serve or imminent business transactions. Much can be gained in face to face transactions and personnel professional communication via fast traveling transportation can allow a company to further transactions that may have otherwise not happened due to geographical differences. Both arguments are based on sound conclusions taken in specific cases, but if you would take the negative and the positive as a whole then the positives outweigh the negative. I agree that when the need is to impress the client and secure a business deal in a timely manner than corporate aviation is a necessity not a luxury.
Pentastar aviation is headquartered in Waterford, MI and has a fleet of aircraft including Gulf-stream G-V, Gulf-stream G-IV, Falcon 2000, Citation Sovereign, Citation XLS. For dispatcher you need a certificate and for flight you need ATP. They offer medical, dental, disability, life insurance, 401K, paid holidays and time off.
http://www.pentastaraviation.com/
Some argue that corporate aviation is for the wealthy to spread their legs and not worry about interaction with common folk, but many businesses depend on aviation in the corporate world to secure deals that would otherwise go to first come first serve or imminent business transactions. Much can be gained in face to face transactions and personnel professional communication via fast traveling transportation can allow a company to further transactions that may have otherwise not happened due to geographical differences. Both arguments are based on sound conclusions taken in specific cases, but if you would take the negative and the positive as a whole then the positives outweigh the negative. I agree that when the need is to impress the client and secure a business deal in a timely manner than corporate aviation is a necessity not a luxury.
Pentastar aviation is headquartered in Waterford, MI and has a fleet of aircraft including Gulf-stream G-V, Gulf-stream G-IV, Falcon 2000, Citation Sovereign, Citation XLS. For dispatcher you need a certificate and for flight you need ATP. They offer medical, dental, disability, life insurance, 401K, paid holidays and time off.
http://www.pentastaraviation.com/
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Next Gen
Next-gen is a remarkable program to upgrade the nations airspace with new technologies, and has a huge potential for safety, noise abatement, airport access, and efficiency. Also you have the benefits of electronic charts certified by the FAA for you to use your I pads and tablets. Key components of the next-gen system involve transitioning the air transportation system from a heavily relents on ground based systems to a network of ground and satellite systems, and one of the major components will be ADS-B.
ADS-B stands for automatic dependent surveillance broadcast and will be used by pilots and controllers to understand where aircraft are located and other information to better conduct the flight in a safe manner. Data link will allow the controllers and other operations personnel the opportunity to help the pilots in any task they request without increasing congestion on the voice network. The weather related delays that account for half of the know delays in the system can also be reduced with the addition of weather broadcasting inside the cockpit which gives the pilot clear understanding of the current and forecast weather in a timely manner.
The effects of next gen will be positive for both GA and commercial aviation because both will be able to have this advanced technologies and increased safety. Cost will be reduced by industry, the assumption that it would be to costly for GA pilots was an argument that was very valid five years ago, but new companies with reduced priced systems have came along to compete against the other companies and thus far have reduced cost significantly to the point that your life is worth the addition of ads-b for $200-$1000 box. If you are not willing or able to spend the money you can still fly, but must remain outside A, B, C airspace and above 10,000 Ft. As far as the user fees that should be paid for by the government in taxes and not out of the users of the system because everyone uses the airspace whether its for shipping packages or passenger services.
Next gen will affect my career as a dispatcher by giving the pilot up to date data and the ability to make traffic flow more efficiently around weather and delays. This increased opportunity to communicate with out regard to congestion of the network is an ever lasting benefit.
Reference.
http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsid=8145
ADS-B stands for automatic dependent surveillance broadcast and will be used by pilots and controllers to understand where aircraft are located and other information to better conduct the flight in a safe manner. Data link will allow the controllers and other operations personnel the opportunity to help the pilots in any task they request without increasing congestion on the voice network. The weather related delays that account for half of the know delays in the system can also be reduced with the addition of weather broadcasting inside the cockpit which gives the pilot clear understanding of the current and forecast weather in a timely manner.
The effects of next gen will be positive for both GA and commercial aviation because both will be able to have this advanced technologies and increased safety. Cost will be reduced by industry, the assumption that it would be to costly for GA pilots was an argument that was very valid five years ago, but new companies with reduced priced systems have came along to compete against the other companies and thus far have reduced cost significantly to the point that your life is worth the addition of ads-b for $200-$1000 box. If you are not willing or able to spend the money you can still fly, but must remain outside A, B, C airspace and above 10,000 Ft. As far as the user fees that should be paid for by the government in taxes and not out of the users of the system because everyone uses the airspace whether its for shipping packages or passenger services.
Next gen will affect my career as a dispatcher by giving the pilot up to date data and the ability to make traffic flow more efficiently around weather and delays. This increased opportunity to communicate with out regard to congestion of the network is an ever lasting benefit.
Reference.
http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsid=8145
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Flying Cheap.
The specific job that I would be looking for in this industry right now would be aircraft dispatcher, or flight follower. I'm interested in cargo operations, but would consider any other organization such as regional, corporate, or even the US Navy. I would enjoy working for federal express or UPS because they provide job security and good benefits. This career field is very demanding in time and knowledge and it would be very rewarding knowing your having a direct effect in this industry and the safety of each flight you dispatch. Average day would consist of an intense 8 hour shift on a busy day with lots of multitasking and coordinating of flights followed by a hand off of notes to the on coming shift as you leave for the day.
The safety liability concerns that I would be concerned with on a day to day basis would relate to the safety of the flight and passengers as well as the people on the ground. Specifically emergency situations that can not be planned for where as a dispatch I may be one of the people tasked with finding a solution to such a problem. Mitigation of such disasters would require me to keep up to date with industries best practices and always be vigilant of the unexpected.
Professionalism to some means to be in a profession, but to me it means to do the right thing even when no one is looking. To have core beliefs and values and not compromise when these are challenged. In the documentary "Flying cheap" a lack of professionalism lead to the crash of Colgan Air in New York, due to chit chat in the cock pit in the critical stage of flight as well as the wrong response to the stall warning, stick shaker, and stick pusher. These wrong actions may well have been avoided if they were solely focused on the landing phase of flight. Another instance where lack of professionalism was displayed was when one of the managers for Colgan Air said that he would alter a pilots hours so that he could make a flight legally.
I plan on attending conferences and keeping my subscription to Aviation Week so that i can ever expand my level of knowledge and stay attuned to this ever changing industry.
The safety liability concerns that I would be concerned with on a day to day basis would relate to the safety of the flight and passengers as well as the people on the ground. Specifically emergency situations that can not be planned for where as a dispatch I may be one of the people tasked with finding a solution to such a problem. Mitigation of such disasters would require me to keep up to date with industries best practices and always be vigilant of the unexpected.
Professionalism to some means to be in a profession, but to me it means to do the right thing even when no one is looking. To have core beliefs and values and not compromise when these are challenged. In the documentary "Flying cheap" a lack of professionalism lead to the crash of Colgan Air in New York, due to chit chat in the cock pit in the critical stage of flight as well as the wrong response to the stall warning, stick shaker, and stick pusher. These wrong actions may well have been avoided if they were solely focused on the landing phase of flight. Another instance where lack of professionalism was displayed was when one of the managers for Colgan Air said that he would alter a pilots hours so that he could make a flight legally.
I plan on attending conferences and keeping my subscription to Aviation Week so that i can ever expand my level of knowledge and stay attuned to this ever changing industry.
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