Aviation: A Rising Field
Today, flying is an
ordinary part of society, but when the first flights were taken, the first
airplanes built, the first airlines founded, they all shared a common goal: to
take aviation to new heights that it has never been before. Improvements to our
society has made it easier than ever to make like the birds and fly. The world of
aviation is ever growing, soaring to new heights each and every day through the
dedication, passion, hard work, and technological advancements of our time
therefore making it a great field of work to get involved in.
A pilot’s mission? “To
provide a safe, comfortable flight that stays on schedule” (Bruno). Ever since
I was a child, I have always been intrigued by the world of aviation and I had
decided that I wanted to become a commercial pilot when I grew up. Becoming a
pilot was my ultimate life goal and it was all I ever dreamed of. Similarly,
Dr. Randal J. DeMik, director of Lewis University’s master’s program in
aviation and transportation studies, also shared the same passion and
enthusiasm for aviation that I had as a kid. DeMik’s father was a private pilot
who owned his own airplane which caused him to become exposed to the joy of
flying early on in his life. At a very young age, “[he] began flying with
him...and knew that by the time [he] was 12 years old that [he] wanted to have
a career as a pilot” (DeMik). Dr. DeMik was later able to fulfill his childhood
dream by becoming a captain for United Airlines. Dr. DeMik has been a key
element in the backbone of aviation for many years, and someday I will become a
part of this new era of aviators, ready to represent the new faces of flight.
Although pursuing a
career as a pilot may have its turbulent moments, it will pay off in the
future. A major deterrent when students look into how to become a pilot is the
cost. With a total price tag of about $60,000 needed to complete all of the
necessary certificates to become a professional pilot, many see it as a waste
of both time and money. Another obstacle all pilots have to get through is
passing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) first class medical
certificate and completing initial training at their respective airlines. These
are things that can be so intricate that “even experienced pilots find that
they fail the standards of many airlines” (DeMik). This is one of the reasons
that we have seen less people want to get involved in aviation and therefore
leading to a lack of pilots in the industry today. On the bright side, however,
a captain at a major airline can earn well over $200,000 a year (DeMik). One
year’s salary can easily pay back all training expenses and is also enough to
support a family. If money isn’t enough, there are also a lot of benefits that
go along with the job. They include, but are not limited to, medical insurance,
retirement plans, and of course free travel, but not just for yourself, pass
travel can be given out by the airline to the family of the pilot as well
(DeMik). When thinking long term, the positive gains a pilot earns later on in
his or her career greatly outweighs the sacrifices that they may have to make
in the beginning.
The current trend shows
statistics that “point to a pilot shortage that will dwarf those [shortages]
that came before it” (Lee). According to the Boeing Company’s recently
published 2010-2029 World Market Outlook for pilots, it shows a movement that
will lead to a huge pilot shortage in the coming years. Boeing has been the
standard in the industry for studies such as these and have been well known for
its “accuracy in projecting commercial air service demand” (Lee). Boeing has
also concluded that the cause for the increased need in air transport can be
attributed to today’s economic activity level. They project that activity will
continue to increase at an average rate of 3.2% per year over the next 20
years. Consequently, air and passenger travel will also experience an average
growth of 5.3% per year. The escalation of the need for commercial travel then
creates a loop directly connecting itself back to the aviation industry. In
order to meet these demands, “the number of airplanes in the worldwide fleet
will [have to] grow at an annual rate of 3.2%, almost doubling from
approximately 19,000 airplanes today to more than 36,000 in 2029” (Lee). And in
another domino effect, more engineers will be needed to help design the planes,
more factory workers needed to build the planes, and most importantly, more pilots
to fly them. Boeing projects that “466,650 trained pilots and 596,500
maintenance technicians will be needed to fly and maintain the growing
worldwide fleet” (Lee). One day, I hope to be a part of those statistics.
The first step in
becoming a pilot is just like that of any other profession - training and
education. After completing a flight program and/or college (most airlines
require a college degree) a student will typically earn their certified flight
instructor (CFI) certificate. The progression for flight majors in college is
pretty much a standard and is uniform throughout. After obtaining their CFI,
one can find an introductory level job as a flight instructor while still in college
or shortly after graduation. A flight instructor will then usually work for one
to two years before getting recruited by regional airlines or corporate
companies. Young pilots will fly with these airlines for about two to five more
years. Flying for a regional or corporate airline is almost equivalent to
playing in the minor leagues for baseball. Aspiring baseball players are first
sent to the minor leagues to polish their skills and gain experience and when
they are ready, they are called up to the major leagues. It is at this point
many pilots will accomplish their dream of flying for a major carrier (DeMik).
When people hear the
word pilot, they often think about the person in control of the airplane they
fly on their business trips or family vacations, but what most people don’t
realize is that there are several different kinds of pilots out there. They can
do more than just transport masses of people and cargo. Some pilots choose to
fly in the military, others “work on fire and rescue missions or agricultural
projects, such as crop dusting” (Larson). There are also pilots that are
specifically hired to test out airplanes that come fresh out of the assembly
line and make sure that they meet the standards that go into certifying a new
aircraft. For example, at Boeing, test pilots are assigned to “[fly] new planes
through rigorous flight conditions to prove that they are airworthy and safe”
(Larson). Every system on the aircraft must be tested, from the engines to the
flight control software and to the entire electrical system. This type of pilot
job is appealing to some people because as an airline pilot they typically only
fly one to three different types of aircraft and they become experts with it.
They earn ratings based on the type of aircraft they are certified to fly “such
as single-engine or multi-engine and then the type of plane, such as the Boeing
737 or 747” (Bruno). Conversely, as a test pilot, one gets to be one of the
first (if not the first) pilots to take the plane to the sky and they get to do
it with a variety of different aircraft as well.
Aviation isn’t all about
the pilots, however. There are so many under the radar jobs and workers that
cooperate behind the scenes and go into making of a successful flight with each
and every one of them crucial to the making of a successful flight. From
takeoff to landing, employees are needed to direct aircraft traffic, to plan
their schedule, maintain aircraft, manage airports, and many more. With each of
those providing employment opportunity, it is just another reason why aviation
is such a great field to get in. Especially with the technological age that we
live in, everybody is looking for new ways to ease the stress and workload on
pilots and to make aircraft more efficient. Some even say that we are advancing
so fast that someday pilots won’t be needed at all and that all aircraft will
soon be fully automated making them “accident proof”, which then erases the
need for air traffic controllers as well. Eventually, mechanics and factory
workers will also no longer be needed with robots taking their place. I
disagree with this way of thinking because technology can always fail and
produce unwanted side effects and only humans are capable of fixing what they
made. Presently, “airliners don’t yet fly themselves (and the public doesn’t
yet support the idea), qualified pilots will be needed to fly all those new
airplanes” (Lee). If this still isn’t convincing, let me ask this simple
question: would you be 100% comfortable stepping onto an aircraft knowing that
there is no human being controlling it and that there is no one else on board
that knows how to fly? Flight is considered to be one of man’s greatest
technological achievements so it would make sense that technology can only
continue to improve it, but at the same time, because it started as a man-made
marvel, they should always have the final discretion when decisions need to be
made.
As a child, I thought
that I knew everything that there was to know about aviation. However, it
wasn’t until I was in high school that it really hit me - aviation isn’t all
about flying planes. It really is a diverse and expanding field and a great one
to get in to. I wasn’t just excited about someday having my dream job, but also
optimistic about working in an industry that has such a bright future.
Someone who also shares
my excitement about the growth and future of aviation is Kip Blakely, the
president of Guilford Technical Community College Foundation, Inc. He has also
been the vice-president of TIMCO, a leading company that provides fully
integrated aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul. At a recent TedTalk he
participated in at Greensboro, North Carolina, he gives an illustration where
three kids are playing outside when they notice a plane flying up above them.
The first child points out the beautiful piece of machinery and says, “I want
to design that plane”. The second child sees the engineering marvel and says,
“I want to build that plane”. And the third child glances at the soaring
masterpiece and says, “I want to fly that plane”. Aviation continues to grow
because “we can capture the minds of these students, and the parents, and the
counselors, and the teachers of what a great career opportunity students can
have. Aviation can take them anywhere in the world, and it will” (Blakely).
This is the future of flight.
Works
Cited
Blakely, Kip. “From
First in Flight to the Future of Flight: Kip Blakely at TEDx Greensboro.”
Online Video Clip. YouTube, 31 May 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.
Bruno, Lisa Doll. “Job
Hunt/Airline Pilot: [All Editions].” Newsday (1998) F10. Web.
DeMik, Dr. Randal J.
Personal Interview. 6 Nov. 2014.
Larson, Heather. “Fly
High”. Career World 37.2 (2008): 12-15. Web,
Lee, Marc C. “Pilot
Outlook 2010-2029: A Shortage Looms.” Plane and Pilot 47.4 (2011):
32-35 Web.
