Federal Aviation Administration Presented to: AABI Town Hall By: John Allen - Director, FAA Flight Standards Date: 15 February 2012 Flight Training: A

Federal AviationAdministration

Presented to: AABI Town Hall

By: John Allen - Director, FAA Flight Standards

Date: 15 February 2012

Flight Training:A Vision for Our Future


AABI Town Hall – 15 February 2012

My Aviation Background

• I haven’t always been a bureaucrat

• Private pilot license in ’77 (AFROTC – Univ. Florida)

• T-37 AFUPT instructor from ’78 – ’82 (Willy)

• Flew C-141B & C for 20 straight years

• 18 years as an instructor pilot

• 13 years as an examiner pilot

• ATP (A-320 & L-300 type) @5,000 hours

• Started FAA career in AQP as one of first 2 ASIs

• Learned much from training innovators (ex. Capt Ted Mallory, Dr Bob Helmreich and many others)

• Still flying – FAA Citation Exel



Importance of the Aviation Sector

• Aviation sector is vital to our economy

• 11.5 million jobs

• $396 billion in wages



Context for the FAA’s Work

•

• Aviation is changing

• Pilot / AMT shortages

• Airframes, Airspace, Automation, Avionics

• Budget challenges

• Congressional (& staff) interest

• HR 5900



Challenge

• Demand is growing in emerging markets. Boeing study:

• Asia-Pacific will need 183,200 pilots over the next 20 years.

• Europe will need 92,500 pilots, North America 82,800, Latin America 41,200, the Middle East 36,600, Africa 14,300, and the CIS 9,900.

• Supply is constrained:

• Aviation consultant Tarver estimates that airlines will need to hire 42,090 pilots over the next decade

• The civil pilot training community will thus need to produce over 2,000 pilots per year.



Challenge

•

• Airmen (pilots & AMTs)• Training time, expense (HR 5900) = looming shortages

• Changes in military “pipeline” (including UAS)

• Creative approaches to pilot / AMT training needed



Challenge

•

• Earning potential• Even after spending $150,000…

• Minimally qualified for the lowest rungs on the aviation career ladder.

• None of these jobs is likely to pay more than $30,000 per year -- and that income may be intermittent.

• Depending upon the career path, it will next be necessary for the pilot to accumulate over 1,000 hours of flight time to climb to the next rung on the career ladder.



Challenge

•

• Earning potential

• There are also concerns about the cost for A&P mechanic training.

• Without a reasonable long-term payoff, what are the incentives to enter this essential field?



Training Needs

• Added to the economics challenge of developing new commercial pilots is the need to improve the training.

• The changing nature of aviation is requiring pilots with better training in aviation fundamentals, to include expanded curricula in:

• Recovery from unusual attitudes (including deep stalls and inverted flight)

• Power-off operations and energy management

• Aircraft management in the face of total automation and flight management system failures



Training

• Future pilots will also need enhanced skills in:

• Abstract thinking

• Decision-making

• Workload prioritization

• Communication / CRM

• Risk management

• Pilots with a 4-year degree from a college/university are more successful commercial aviation’s intensive training environments and commercial pilot evaluations (2010 Pilot Source Study)



U.S. Aviation Academy Program Vision

• Select deserving students into a rigorous four-year aviation-oriented scholastic and certification program that will produce pilots with:

• A bachelor’s degree

• A commercial pilot certificate with multi-engine & instrument ratings.




Curriculum would incorporate SMS and lessons learned from AQP, LOFT, and data from voluntary reporting programs.

• Existing aviation-oriented universities and part 141 training facilities will develop, conduct, and oversee the USAAP’s innovative education & certification programs.




• An independent board comprised of representatives from government, industry, labor, private donors, and academia will establish program standards and manage funding.




• Board’s proposed composition reflects stakeholders:

• Federal government

• Aviation industry

• Academia

• Prospective students




• Financing shared by stakeholders

• Federal government

• Aviation industry

• Academia

• Prospective students




• To graduate 2,000 students per year, the per-year USAAP funding by the DOT would be:

• Year 1 – 2,000 students starting: $45M ($90K-per student/4*2,000 )

• Year 2 – 4,000 students (2 classes): contribution is $90M



• Year 5 – on-going steady-state level is 8,000 students in 4 classes: contribution $180M



U.S. Aviation Academy Program Alternative Plan

• USAAP pays costs for pilot training and certificates (private pilot and commercial with instrument and multi-engine ratings) along with ATP Certificate Program

• Student pilots bear cost for undergraduate education

• Students attending USAAP-participating schools have priority to enter USAAP

• Significantly reduces costs to industry and government ($100M per year for 2,000 pilot graduates per year- 2,000 * $50K

• Graduates go to part 135 or 91 operators to build time and earn experiential hours toward ATP or ATP-like




• If this program is successful in developing and producing highly skilled pilots, it could serve as a template to produce aviation maintenance technicians.

• It could also address other professional skills gaps that may arise.



What Are The Next Steps?• Need data and analysis to determine how dire the pilot shortage

really is.

• Impact of automatic implementation of 1,500 ATP requirement on part 121 SIC to airlines

• Estimate over 13,000 pilots will need ATP and over 18,000 will need type rating

• Determine appropriate costs for a rigorous training and certification program to take student from “the street” up through ATP-like or ATP qualification

• Must formulate organization and message to garner industry, academic, political and public support

• Must find government funding mechanism (legislation?)

• Must identify legal method to establish education payoff notes



Questions? ([email protected])

Documents

Federal Aviation Administration Presented to: AABI Town Hall By: John Allen - Director, FAA Flight Standards Date: 15 February 2012 Flight Training: A