Southwest is the place for me.

For me this assignment was one of the more difficult assignments. I have been asking myself for quite sometime now what I want to do when I graduate. I have recently considered switching majors to management as well as a few others. My job with National Airlines helped me to realize some things about myself and my plans for the future. First of all I learned that I am not a fan of international travel. Especially with on-demand carriers. I would like to start a family in the not so distant future and the thought of being stuck on the road in foreign countries for extended periods of time with little more then a few hours notice does not mesh well with my plans for the future. Discovering this really helped narrow down where I would like to go. I would prefer not to be on-demand and also would like to only travel domestically. This cut out most cargo companies and also most major airlines.
What I have found is that Southwest airlines seems to fit exactly what I have been looking for. Not only do they fit my plans for the future In December 2010, Southwest Airlines topped the list of the 50 best U.S. places to work by Glassdoor.com. This is only one of many awards received by Southwest Airlines. More can be seen at this site: http://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/history/fact-sheet.html This was supported by what I experienced when providing contract maintenance to Southwest airlines at Detroit Metro. Their pilots and staff were consistently the happiest people I dealt with. This went all the way up through management. When dealing with maintenance control there focus was always how they could help you perform your job better. They weren't there to tell you how to do it. Through this experience I began considering Southwest as my career goal.
So now as I sit and type this assignment I have sorted out my goal once again. To work towards the minimums required to apply with Southwest. ATP, 1,500 hours turbine total time, and 1,000 hours Pilot in command turbine time.

Aviation's best kept secret wears blue vests

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 208 million times per week at more than 8,600 retail units under 59 different banners in 15 countries. With fiscal year 2010 sales of $405 billion, Wal-Mart employs more than 2 million associates worldwide. Roughly 76 of these employees are pilots for their corporate flight department and another 40 are mechanics. There flight department currently consists of 20 aircraft. 14 Lear 31's, 4 Lear 45's, a Lear 40, and a Global Express BD-700. They fly mostly regional and divisional vice presidents to and from there stores and the head quarters in Arkansas. They also fly purchasers to insudstry shows and companies Wal-Mart buys their merchandise from.
Pilot's fly mostly weekdays and most are round trips. They have 11 days off a month and at least one four day weekend a month. It averages to 15 flight days a month. Pilots are only expected to do two overnights a month. All flights are scheduled pilots do not carry pagers and are not "On Call"  Salary starts at $50,000 a year with 10% bonus and company stock for a First Officer with a guaranteed 3 year upgrade. First year captains salary is $74,000 a year with 10% bonus and company stock. 
Wal-Mart does not post minimums for flight positions. They say they hire people not log books. However it is generally accepted you must have 3000 hours with some turbine experience to be competitive with other applicants. The interview process is an all expense paid interview and once hired you will be recuurrent trained at flight safety twice a year.
As of now there are no job listings for pilots at Wal-Mart Aviation. The last hiring was 3 pilots in April. I could not find any management positions either although it seems the hired a flight planner in July of this year. You can keep an eye on their website for future job openings it also offers minimal information about the department http://walmartstores.com/Careers/7687.aspx Many furloughed pilots have gotten jobs at Wal-Mart and decided not to leave when called back to the majors. As one employee stated Wal-Mart is Aviation's best kept secret.

To infinity and beyond........ or maybe just to Mars.

A recent airline publication's cover reads "The New Space Economy is Getting Real." Without any research I think this has something to do with Richard Branson opening his spaceport just days ago in New Mexico. This has been the next step since Burt Rutan made the first private space flight in 2004.

     For years space travel has been limited to government agencies such as NASA and equivalents from other countries. However Burt Rutan opened the doors when he designed and built Spaceship One. With NASA's aging shuttle fleet, recent accident of shuttle Columbia as well as the current economy they were forced to cancel all future shuttle missions. For the time being they will rely on Russia's space program for all future trips to the international space station. When NASA cancelled there shuttle program they invested that money in private companies to develop their own shuttles. The hope is to use private shuttles for trips to and from the international space station in 5-7 years. For more on this and the reaction of Rick Mastracchio visit this Link: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2011-04-28-shuttle-future_n.htm

     So what will space travel look like for the next 25 years. It appears it will be the new “IT” tourist destination according to the hopes of billionaire Richard Branson. He recently opened his new spaceport in the New Mexico desert. For more on the space port you can check out the website http://www.virgingalactic.com/ Branson is hoping people will be willing to cough up $200,000 for a 5 hour trip into space and experiencing 5 minutes of weightlessness. Though he is the first it seems he is not the only one with these plans. It seems there are a few others working on building their own gateway to space.

     With all of this privatized space flight you might be asking yourself where does this leave NASA? Well NASA seems to feel they have conquered low orbit space flight. They are looking beyond Earth’s orbit. There are plans in the works for a deep space flight to an asteroid and eventually Mars. NASA’s website http://www.nasa.gov/about/whats_next.html is quite informative with some of their plans as well as the rocket they plan to use in getting there.

     It seems the purpose of space exploration is still the same as when it started not so long ago. Exploration and seeking a better understanding of the universe we live in. I feel it’s good that we as a human race have such a thirst for knowledge and understanding. It has led to so many great discoveries and inventions in the past. Is this not how man learned to fly?

     So what does all this mean to us aviation graduates, Pilots and managers alike? It could mean more job opportunities. Pilots may eventually be able to get another rating maybe it will be labeled “low orbital space flight”. I think this will open up many new door ways for aviation managers. I think many aspects of the industries will be very similar and those that know aviation will be able to move seamlessly into space flight management. No matter what happens it's a very exciting time to be alive and experience all of this technological growth.

Europe calls ICAO lazy and tries to earn money in the name of global warming.

In a shocking move the European Union has attempted to stretch its power globally. In there latest proposal they have stated airline carriers will be required to pay for emission credits for flights originating or terminating in the the E.U. This doesn't sound too bad however they want carriers to pay for the entire duration of the flight, Not just those portions within E.U. airspace. For example: a U.S. carrier flying from New York to a Destination in the E.U. would pay for carbon credits for portions of the flight flown in U.S. and international airspace. Now this is obviously stretching the power of the E.U. far beyond their borders.
My first problem with this is obviously the fact they are stretching there governing power beyond their borders. There claim is emissions effect the entire world and this gives them the power to make such a regulation. They have also stated this is in response to ICAO's lack of emissions regulations. While the U.S. government and carriers fight this ruling the E.U.'s Issac Valero-Ladron has stated the ruling is already set in stone. My second issue is they are doing this over a widely unproven and in many cases considered dis proven issue. for more on that, this link can get you started. http://www.falconium.org/node/337.
So why is this E.U. doing this? My personal feeling is that it has much to do with their continued financial crisis.http://www.ira.com/debt-crisis-continues-eu-finance-ministers-have-no-answers This would bring in more money from many foreign countries. Thus increasing money being brought into there economy. The E.U. has also been grey on how the money brought in from this regulation will be spent. Saying It will be given over to European and third world countries for research into environmental aviation technologies. These countries will report to the E.U. and it is the E.U.'s "intention" to make these reports public. Their intention makes me nervous. So they intend to release the reports but are not sure even after they have gone on record saying the regulation is set in stone. This brings me to a few questions. Shouldn't you know where the money is going and how it will be handled before you take someone's money? Secondly what third world countries have the money to spend on researching Aviation Emissions? Not many third world countries have a basis of aviation travel to do research on nor the technology or facilities to perform such research. My feelings are that this must not be allowed to stand. If this passes what is next? Where does this stop? Does this make it ok for countries to enact regulations beyond their borders? The U.S. clearly feels this is unjust as they have released legislation banning U.S. carriers participating in these taxes. http://transportation.house.gov/news/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1357.
We will all have to wait and see how this works out. It will be interesting and could open many doors for more legislation beyond borders if this stands.

Follow the yellow brick.....blog?

I found this blog while poking around the internet. I found it interesting that whoever writes it has many pictures and reports of things that  are not released to mainstream media. Such as a pelican strike damage on an EMB 145 and a lightning strike that took out a windscreen. He even goes on to describe how a pilot for American Airlines declared an emergency simply so he could select a different runway. If you would like to follow this blog here is the link. http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/unusual-attitude/

When dreams become reality. Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Boeing began work on there 787 back in the mid 1990's. It was born from there scrapped Sonic Cruiser program and started with the idea of building 50% of it's structure out of composites (There previous best i believe was 15% on the 777) and having a 25% fuel savings. Targeted as a replacement for there aging 767's the aircraft was designed towards the point-to-point philosophy of travel rather than the traditional hub and spoke method.
On top of the radical concept of using such a high percentage of composites for weight savings they also came up with the idea to use wild AC electricity throughout the aircraft. Instead of using a constant speed drive on the engine driven generators they would be directly connected. This would change output frequency with engine rpm and would be rectified at the load. This system saves weight by doing away the the heavy constant speed drives as well as being able to use smaller wire in the power feeders. This may not seem like much but when you think of the miles and miles of wire used in an aircraft it can save a lot of weight by using smaller wiring.
The final new breakthrough is the no bleed system. this aircraft will use no bleed air in running aircraft systems. This makes the aircraft more efficient and also simplifies systems.  My experience in working on airplanes is that the bleed air systems are one of the most common systems to fail. For more on this you can read this link http://boeing.net/commercial/aeromagazine/articles/qtr_4_07/article_02_3.html
These breakthroughs have the potential to not only save fuel costs but also save on maintenance costs by doing away with some of the most expensive and troublesome systems. This revolutionary idea has the ability to change how aircraft are designed and built in the future. While airbus may have built something bigger they used standard construction material in methods, While Boeing went above and beyond to make a truly smarter system and aircraft.

NexGen the best is yet to come

Nex Gen is the new initiative by the FAA to streamline our air traffic control system while increasing safety. It includes switching from a radar based system to a GPS based system. Increasing accuracy as well as coverage area. It also includes changing from analog based voice transmission to digital voice transmission as well adding a way to send digital instructions that can be integrated with the aircraft systems. Finally they are developing a new network structure to properly handle all of this digital information for more information you can go direct to the source and read more here http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/.
     All of these are an excellent upgrade to our aging system. However this leads to the question who is going to pay for all of this. These upgrades were initially expected to cost $40 billion. However they are now quoted at costing upwards of $160 billion. Obviously this is no chump change. Many have said the airlines should pay while they retaliate that everyone should pay. So who in the end should pay?
     The FAA is government funded with our tax dollars and one of its tasks is to maintain and upgrade the ATC infrastructure. So they are one part that will help pay. The problem is with our current economic situation they cannot afford to pay for the whole thing. That leaves commercial carriers and general aviation. That leaves the rest of the bill to be picked up by the three parties left. Commercial aviation, users of commercial aviation, and general aviation.
     I persionally feel the cost should be distributed between the three parties. I would group users and Commercial aviation together as most likely any cost to commercial aviation will most likely be passed on to the users. So this ultimately leaves two groups left to pick up the tab. I think the split should be percentage based with commercial aviation paying most of the difference. Commercial aviation is the cause of most the of the congestion at major airports as well as on high altitude airways. They need the systems more then general aviation and also make a profit using aviation. Finally a portion should still be paid by general aviation as they will still be using the system. I would think somewhere between a 75 25 split would be sufficient although they could be tailored depending on the amount and also the method of payment either through user fee's or surcharges to passengers.

Airport security makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

     Airport security has drawn a lot of attention as of late. If you ask almost anyone who has flown recently, they usually have at least one complaint about airport security. They either had to wait in line for an inordinate amount of time or they feel they were wrongly chosen for a pat down or full body scan. There have been many complaints filed and even a few lawsuits for people feeling they were groped by airport security. There are even a few YouTube videos of two and three year old children receiving pat downs. Many people feel that this is a necessary evil to flying. If you want to get there you have to submit to these inspections. However many people feel this is in fact unconstitutional and completely unnecessary.
     I did some research today and found how many terrorist's the TSA's screening methods have stopped. The number I continuously came up with was zero. I could not find one documented or reported case wear a terrorist was stopped and arrested during the screening process. A few people claiming to be from the TSA said they have stopped people but the information is classified and wont be released to avoid mass panic. My response to this is one of confusion. Currently the TSA is one of the most widely criticized and disliked agency's in the U.S. It has been constantly criticized for it's methods of body scans and pat downs. If just one instance was released of how it stopped a terrorist plot no one would have a real reason to complain, It had in fact saved lives. So are these searches necessary for all people. In my opinion, No.
     I feel the security system has enacted these policies to help work around the handicap placed on them by our government. It is considered wrong to profile. It has been successfully implemented in many countries including Israel. A rather simple method that when done correctly could speed up most peoples time in the security lines. Now I'm not talking about profiling based solely on race or ethnicity. I'm talking about behavioral profiling. (for more on this you can read this link Airport Security Solution: Profiling Travelers?) With a few questions trained experts can read a persons behavior too determine if they are a threat or not. Now this may be controversial but I feel profiling isn't a bad thing even when done on the basis of age, race, sex, or ethnicity. For example I don't search out bears in the wilderness because they have attacked people in the past. Is this not a form of profiling? Profiling when based off statistical analysis of passed events and those involved in them can be a very effective tool. Now many say this is wrong and against the constitution. However is having your genitals touched and scanners showing your body without clothes to complete strangers any better? The current method hasn't even proven to be effective while other more streamlined methods have in many countries around the world.

Is automation in aviation dulling pilot’s skills?

A recent accident has turned the media’s eye to the topic of automation in aviation. The recent Air France 447 crash has been traced to pilot error recognizing and handling the aircraft after an automation failure.  Is the main cause of this truly too much reliance on automation or a lack of training on recognizing automation failures?  Many believe automation in the cockpit has dulled pilot’s skills.

Personally I don’t believe automation is to blame. Automation is excellent in the cockpit. It makes the job of flying the airplane easier and safer when used appropriately.  It allows the pilot to divert some of their attention to other aspects of the flight and gain situational awareness. However as with many other things it can be abused.  If the automation is used so the pilot may divert their attention away from the flight altogether then the automation has now become a negative factor.

I recently interviewed a captain of a cargo aircraft. He had some interesting incite for me. When I asked about automation he said the part that worried him the most was many of the first officers have a tendency to fixate on it. When an autopilot begins doing something wrong or unexpected many of them try to fix the autopilot instead of disengaging it and flying by hand until the problem can be identified and resolved. This is troublesome as it goes against the age old pilot rule of flying the airplane first. This supports my belief that pilots are lacking training in dealing with automation and the proper procedures for when it fails.

Finally I believe much of this stems from the more modern aircraft used in flight training. I am currently conducting my training in a G1000 equipped Cessna 172. I started in an old 1970’s steam gauged 172. I have found the training in the older aircraft was key in developing many skills and building confidence and comfort with my own abilities to find my way and maneuver the aircraft without the aid of advanced autopilots coupled with GPS systems and other automated systems. I have the confidence that if the autopilot does something unexpected I can disconnect it and resume the flight by hand with little more than a slight feeling of being inconvenienced. Much of this comes from situational awareness and knowing where you should be is where you are and exactly where you are headed. I think training programs need to be rewritten and refocused to integrate automation. For more on this you can read Teaching Automation.

In the case of Air France 447 I feel the pilots ultimately lost situational awareness. The aircraft began stalling and the autopilot disengaged. The pilots were not following the instruments and failed to execute a proper scan interpret the scan and recognize the aircraft’s nose high low airspeed stall. Had the pilots been properly monitoring the aircraft they should have caught the declining airspeed and high angle of attack before it developed into a stall. This can be avoided with proper training in dealing with automation and how to adapt when it fails.

Introduction

     I got in to aviation because of my brother. When I was fourteen I flew with him from Ann Arbor, Mi. to Coeur D'alene, Id. in a Cessna 310. I was instantly hooked. The flying came easy to me, holding altitude and heading were extremely easy to me as well as maneuvers and navigating. At the time I set my goal to go to college for aviation after high school. However, in my sophomore year of high school I learned of an aviation mechanic program put on by our school, as well as the Michigan Institute of Aviation and Technology. I signed up and started the program in my Junior year of high school. I graduated high school having completed half of the program. I then took another year after high school to finish the program and receive my Airframe and Power Plant Mechanic's license. Shortly after I enrolled in Eastern Michigan University's Aviation Flight Technology program.
       I have now completed most of the aviation program and I'm on the verge of receiving my Instrument rating. I have held numerous jobs to help pay for college, including Contract maintenance at Detroit Metro Airport for airlines such as Southwest, Delta (pre Northwest merger), Continental, Air France, and Lufthansa. I then began working as a Flight Mechanic for National Airlines out of Willow Run Airport. I spent a lot of time in places such as Quartaro, Mexico, and Shannon, Ireland. So far I have managed to remain debt free through college. My ultimate goal is to pay for all college and flight time out of pocket without student loans. I feel this will give me more flexibility when accepting entry level flight positions.
      My goals for the future are to finish my degree and find a job flying. Through my experience, my ideal job would be with a scheduled carrier. I prefer knowing when I will be home and when I will be flying. My overall goal is to eventually fly for Southwest Airlines. I believe in their business model and feel their core beliefs align nicely with my own. For now I will continue working hard and paying my way through college to work towards these ultimate goals.