America offers great opportunities for those who enjoy the freedom of flying a light aircraft, a corporate aircraft, a jet and on up to that of piloting an airliner.
Pilots who choose to make aviation a career have career paths available that may lead to becoming an airline commuter pilot which can lead to becoming a pilot on a main- line airline.
During the past sixty (60) years career path choices had been numerous until as recently as 2001.
When 9/11 occurred all of the citizens of America felt the consequences.
America had the wind knocked out of its central core where prosperity and opportunity had been the norm.
Those people involved in aviation have since experienced a severe hardship.
Since 9/11 aviation schools took in fewer student pilots and airline passenger revenue began to decline.
At the same time the cost of operating an airline increased.
Business owners who owned corporate aircraft stopped or reduced their flying activities.
The reduction in aviation activity directly affected aviation employment in all sectors.
Business owners formerly hired full-time personnel to crew aircraft and maintain the company aircraft; however, the aviation management business model has changed significantly.
In fact it has tilted toward part-time work as being more the norm than the exception.
A pilot or mechanic has become a service provider to be hired on an as-needed basis.
When I was employed with Amoco Oil during the eighties and nineties, a permanent job was the norm in business aviation.
Today an observer may find that aviation departments have dissolved, merged with other companies, downsized the fleet complement or turned over management to an outside organization.
All of these restructured aviation business models had employment consequences.
Aviation personnel may have had to turn their homes over to lending institutions, sell other assets, forego providing for their children's education needs, cancel family vacations and much more.
A prospective aviation career candidate may realize a bleak career based on the past ten years of economic performance in the United States and current trends worldwide.
As of 2012 a glimmer of optimism may be appearing, albeit scattered and fragmented, and aviation maybe sprouting its wings once again.
Contract work is ever so slightly increasing having been at practically zero growth.
I give aviation professionals and the various associations a tremendous amount of kudos for staying the course over the past ten (10) years in order to maintain aviation manufacturing growth by pleading to the I.
R.
S.
about over-taxation and aircraft ownership sharing while attempting to enhance aircraft utilization.
Business aviation, private aviation and charter have great safety records when compared to the mail run days.
Great strides have been made.
As always, continuous improvement is the name of the game but let's remember accidents will always occur in any industry or any other field of interest for many reasons beyond the scope of this article.
The aviation industry has had a terrific safety record by maintaining intelligent safety standards and good operating practices.
As recently as the past four years, organizations have been combating regulations that inhibit aviation manufacturing and commerce.
The regulations have become onerous even though they are designed with good intentions on the part of government officials.
Common sense cannot be regulated.
The T.
S.
A.
and F.
A.
A.
must simmer their regulation creativity and enforcement programs before aviation will return to its hay day of past.
Until then, head winds will exist preventing employment opportunities leading to barriers to those who may wish to enter aviation as a career.
Stagnation will continue and the cost of maintaining an aircraft will increase.
There has been much discussion recently on the quality and benefits of SMS (Safety Management Systems) on business aviation blogs, another program promoted by the F.
A.
A..
Europe and Bermuda require so much compliance from US operators that it interferes with common sense and logic of how to fly an aircraft.
Plug-and-play programs, SMS and ETS for example, have become acceptable to replace experience and common sense.
The proponents make money on these programs.
None of these programs are practical if fully implemented.
This is another over reach and/or lack of backbone by our officials to say enough is enough.
Let's get back to basics.
Pilots who choose to make aviation a career have career paths available that may lead to becoming an airline commuter pilot which can lead to becoming a pilot on a main- line airline.
During the past sixty (60) years career path choices had been numerous until as recently as 2001.
When 9/11 occurred all of the citizens of America felt the consequences.
America had the wind knocked out of its central core where prosperity and opportunity had been the norm.
Those people involved in aviation have since experienced a severe hardship.
Since 9/11 aviation schools took in fewer student pilots and airline passenger revenue began to decline.
At the same time the cost of operating an airline increased.
Business owners who owned corporate aircraft stopped or reduced their flying activities.
The reduction in aviation activity directly affected aviation employment in all sectors.
Business owners formerly hired full-time personnel to crew aircraft and maintain the company aircraft; however, the aviation management business model has changed significantly.
In fact it has tilted toward part-time work as being more the norm than the exception.
A pilot or mechanic has become a service provider to be hired on an as-needed basis.
When I was employed with Amoco Oil during the eighties and nineties, a permanent job was the norm in business aviation.
Today an observer may find that aviation departments have dissolved, merged with other companies, downsized the fleet complement or turned over management to an outside organization.
All of these restructured aviation business models had employment consequences.
Aviation personnel may have had to turn their homes over to lending institutions, sell other assets, forego providing for their children's education needs, cancel family vacations and much more.
A prospective aviation career candidate may realize a bleak career based on the past ten years of economic performance in the United States and current trends worldwide.
As of 2012 a glimmer of optimism may be appearing, albeit scattered and fragmented, and aviation maybe sprouting its wings once again.
Contract work is ever so slightly increasing having been at practically zero growth.
I give aviation professionals and the various associations a tremendous amount of kudos for staying the course over the past ten (10) years in order to maintain aviation manufacturing growth by pleading to the I.
R.
S.
about over-taxation and aircraft ownership sharing while attempting to enhance aircraft utilization.
Business aviation, private aviation and charter have great safety records when compared to the mail run days.
Great strides have been made.
As always, continuous improvement is the name of the game but let's remember accidents will always occur in any industry or any other field of interest for many reasons beyond the scope of this article.
The aviation industry has had a terrific safety record by maintaining intelligent safety standards and good operating practices.
As recently as the past four years, organizations have been combating regulations that inhibit aviation manufacturing and commerce.
The regulations have become onerous even though they are designed with good intentions on the part of government officials.
Common sense cannot be regulated.
The T.
S.
A.
and F.
A.
A.
must simmer their regulation creativity and enforcement programs before aviation will return to its hay day of past.
Until then, head winds will exist preventing employment opportunities leading to barriers to those who may wish to enter aviation as a career.
Stagnation will continue and the cost of maintaining an aircraft will increase.
There has been much discussion recently on the quality and benefits of SMS (Safety Management Systems) on business aviation blogs, another program promoted by the F.
A.
A..
Europe and Bermuda require so much compliance from US operators that it interferes with common sense and logic of how to fly an aircraft.
Plug-and-play programs, SMS and ETS for example, have become acceptable to replace experience and common sense.
The proponents make money on these programs.
None of these programs are practical if fully implemented.
This is another over reach and/or lack of backbone by our officials to say enough is enough.
Let's get back to basics.