MY 2 CENTS By Randy Rowles
HEY FAA, IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE!
Aviation Management Experience Deficit
The general aviation industry is hemorrhaging pilots to the airlines, and it doesn’t appear that this practice will slow soon.
For decades, helicopter pilots were not a targeted market for the airline industry, but times have changed. Qualified and highly skilled helicopter pilots have their own path to airline selection from both military and civilian backgrounds. This situation has placed a strain on the helicopter industry to obtain and retain qualified aviation management personnel.
Early in my career, I was given an opportunity to apply for a Part 135 chief pilot position. This was an exciting opportunity, but I did not meet the regulatory requirements for the position. My employer, fully supportive of my selection for the position, applied to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for an exemption. That exemption would provide the path for my appointment to the chief pilot role. I was interviewed by the FAA and found satisfactory, and my career within Part 135 management began.
At the time of my Part 135 chief pilot appointment, I was well rooted in the rotorcraft industry and planning for a long career with helicopters. My flight experience was approximately 2,000 flight hours, but with only two years as a Part 135 pilot-in- command. With a minimum requirement of at least three years of pilot-in-command experience within the past six years to be eligible for the chief pilot role, this was an issue requiring the exemption request. To be clear, I had been fulfilling the role of chief pilot from a workload perspective for some time, so the FAA interview that occurred to facilitate my exemption was rather anticlimactic.
Today, with qualified staffing shortages plaguing the helicopter industry, are the requirements to hold aviation management positions realistic?
The chief pilot is not required to be more proficient than any other Part 135 pilot. The chief pilot’s role is to provide a management interface with the FAA regarding the pilot staff as directed by the director of operations. Pilot mentorship and guidance to enhance the operational safety of the organization
and to support good aeronautical decision-making is a positive attribute and critical capability to this role.
The FAA has held that proficiency checks are the preferred method of evaluating pilots under Part 135. Although an hour metric is required in accordance with 14 CFR Part 135.243(b), it is the pilot’s ability to pass a proficiency check that earns the ability to fly as a Part 135 pilot-in-command. Of course, this makes complete sense.
Why then does the chief pilot position require so many years of experience? Many very competent pilots have moved into management roles, as I’ve described, rising only to their own level of incompetence. Why? Because of a complete lack of training for their new role. This must change.
Is it possible for a pilot not meeting the current regulatory experience requirements to fulfill an aviation manager role, such as Part 135 chief pilot, safely and effectively? I may be biased, but I say — Yes!
My enthusiastic claim does not come without the realism that not all pilots will be capable of making this leap without maturing in the industry first. There are exceptions, but with severe shortages of qualified helicopter pilots and aviation managers, the adverse effect on our industry is becoming more and more apparent if we don’t provide early management opportunities and training. As described, Part 135 has a path for an exemption for aviation managers lacking required experience. This exemption may be applied for at the local FAA office level.
The Part 141 pilot training industry is finding its own set of challenges for its management cadre as well. Pilots meeting FAA experience requirements for Part 141 aviation management staff, including chief and assistant flight instructor positions, are becoming very hard to find and retain. By the time a pilot achieves the requirements to hold one of these positions, he has surpassed the minimum requirements for airline selection or a more advanced helicopter position as well.
10
Jan/Feb 2023
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
