Plan A vs. Plan B

It has never been a better time to be an airline pilot.  Legacy carriers such as Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines are hiring hundreds of pilots every year.  Regional airlines are offering huge incentives to attract new pilots.  Which regional to choose is totally up to you.

Plan A:  Pilot/First Officer at United Airlines

a. Job Title First Officer, United Airlines
b. Job Description Safely deliver passengers to their destination comfortably and on-time.  Effectively display teamwork and professionalism.   Ensure the safe, reliable and efficient operation of the aircraft.  Operate in accordance with FAA regulations and company policies.
c. Required Education and Experience High school diploma, Bachelor's degree from an accredited university is preferred.  Unrestricted FAA ATP, first-class medical certificate, current passport, and FCC restricted radiotelephone permit.  1,000 hours of fixed-wing turbine time.
d. Starting Salary First year pay is $86 an hour.  Per diem:  $2.35 domestic, $2.80 international.
e. Potential for Pay Increases 3% in January 2018 and 4% in January 2019.  5 cent raise to per diem every year.
f. Domiciles IAH LAX ORD DEN SFO EWR IAD GUM CLE
g. Schedule and Time Off Schedule varies month-by-month, based on seniority.  Average is 11 to 14 days off per month.
h. Benefits and Perks 401k, international override pay, healthcare, standby travel for eligible family members, profit sharing.
i. Quality of Life At every airline, expect poor QOL in the beginning.  Weekends, holidays and reserve are the norm.  With seniority and monthly line, expect an increase in QOL.
j. Upward Mobility/Progession With time, pilots can bid for captain and/or different aircraft.  Other positions include:  line check airman, instructor, management, or chief pilot.
k. Retirement Required at age 65.  Company contributes 16% to 401k.

Career Path
Most pilots at United Airlines come from the military, regional airlines or the corporate world.  I chose the regional path simply because I was too old for the military, and I wanted more time at home with my family (corporate pilots can sometimes spend weeks away from home).  The biggest piece of advice that I can give you when choosing an airline is live in base.  I've been commuting for over 3 years now.  You'll spend less time at home and more time at the airport/crashpad.  Plus, there's the added stress of jumpseating.  With virtually all of the regional airlines hiring, choose one based on domicile location.


Entry Level Position

a. Job Title First Officer, Trans States Airlines
b. Job Description Perform SIC duties, PIC duties should the captain become incapacitated/unavailable.  Comply with Federal Aviation Regulations and company policies.  Assist the captain in providing a safe and compliant flight every time.
c. Required Education and Experience High school diploma, Associate's degree is preferred.  FAA commercial certificate with instrument and multi-engine ratings.  ATP or Restricted ATP eligible.  Current FAA first-class medical certificate.  Current passport and FCC radio operator's permit.  Legal right to work in, and travel freely in and out of the United States.
d. Starting Salary First year pay is $36.35 an hour.  Per diem is $1.90 an hour.  $30,000 signing and retention bonus.
e. Potential for Pay Increases Annual cost of living adjustment at 1.5%.
f. Domiciles RDU IAD STL ORD DEN
g. Schedule and Time Off Schedule varies month-by-month, based on seniority.  As a reserve pilot, expect 11 days off per month.  Line holders can earn as many as 15 days off per month.
h. Benefits and Perks 4 commuter hotels per month, performance bonuses, paid airport parking, monthly uniform allowance, health insurance, tuition reimbursement, referral bonuses, flight benefits, and 401k.
i. Quality of Life Expect poor QOL in the beginning, especially on reserve.  As a line holder, QOL increases significantly.
j. Upward Mobility/Progression Upgrade times are currently at 2 years, and fluctuate over time.  Other opportunities include:  line check airman, instructor, and chief pilot.
k. Retirement Required at age 65.  401k ($0.50 for $1.00 up to 6% contribution).

Plan B:  SAP BW Developer

a. Job Title SAP Business Warehouse Developer
b. Job Description Responsible for the design, development and delivery of SAP BW models and reports.  Analyze and support SAP Business Warehouse/Intelligence Reporting solutions for multiple business units.  Work with business owners, such as financial and purchasing, to define reporting requirements.  Create workbooks using SAP BEx Analyzer.  Design and develop data extracts from SAP and non-SAP systems.  Design, develop and test Data Store Objects (DSO’s), Info Cubes, Multi-Providers and Info Packages.  Knowledge transfer and technical support for the SAP BW/BI system.
c. Required Education and Experience Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent.  5 to 7 years of technical SAP BW experience.  Experience writing technical and functional documentation.  SAP programming language (ABAP) is desired.  Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
d. Starting Salary $84,616 a year.
e. Potential for Pay Increases The potential is there.  Some developers can earn as much as $120,000 a year.
f. Domiciles Not applicable.
g. Schedule and Time Off Typical schedule is Monday through Friday, however, some work from home may be expected.
h. Benefits and Perks Health, dental and vision insurance, LTD, STD, and profit sharing.
i. Quality of Life Expect high QOL from the very beginning.  Many organizations provide a company-issued laptop and phone.  Only disadvantage is some work from home may be expected.
j. Upward Mobility/Progression There are many opportunities for developers.  They include:  senior level, consulting and management.
k. Retirement Many developers are able to retire at an early age.  Retirement plans and profit sharing are abundant.

Career Path
The opportunities for jobs in computer science and technology will continue to grow.  There are many different fields in IT (Information Technology), I simply chose SAP BW Developer based on my prior experience.  Many aspects of the job I loved, especially the design and development of data models and reports.  Parts of the job I did not care for included:  documentation, meetings, and working from home.  A great way to enter the field of IT is first level support, or help desk.  That's what I did.

Entry-Level Position

a. Job Title Help Desk Specialist
b. Job Description Provide technical assistance and support related to computer systems, hardware, or software.
c. Required Education and Experience High school diploma.  Extensive knowledge of computers and printers.  Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.  Good communication skills, both written and verbal.
d. Starting Salary The national average is $42,052 a year.
e. Potential for Pay Increases In order to see a significant pay increase, new opportunities in IT should be sought.
f. Domiciles Not applicable.
g. Schedule and Time Off Typical schedule is Monday through Friday, with weekends and holidays off.
h. Benefits and Perks Healthcare insurance, LTD and STD.
i. Quality of Life Expect decent QOL, there are many opportunities to learn and grow in this position.
j. Upward Mobility/Progression The opportunity is there, work your way up the corporate ladder.
k. Retirement 401k is available at most employers.

In Closing
While I feel that my career in aviation has been very fulfilling thus far, you need to have a back-up plan just in case.  The economy, wars, and loss of medical certificate can take you out of the sky real quick.  I don't regret making the decision of changing my career from IT to aviation.  I love my job, with the only exception of being away from my wife and kids.  I recently upgraded to captain (March 2017) and I'm back on reserve, which is not very enjoyable.  However, I know that if the industry continues its current path, bigger and better opportunities will be abundant.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me:  jmankowski@gmail.com

In Closing

This is my last post of the semester.  I have thoroughly enjoyed this class and wish everyone the best of luck in their future endeavors.

At the beginning of the semester, my career aspirations included:  working as a full-time flight instructor; within 1 to 2 years, apply at the regional airlines; and hope to fly for the majors one day. 

Has my career plan changed?  No, I still want to pursue the same path.  While I’m open to anything, I strongly believe that I will enjoy teaching others how to fly.  I cannot wait for that opportunity to arise.  And flying for the airlines is in my blood.  Working at Detroit-Metro airport has been my favorite job to date. 

Having Izzy Novak, Dan Coogan and Alex Wall in class and sharing their experience has only strengthened my decision to become an airline pilot.  I enjoyed hearing their stories and how they got to where they are today.

What was the most interesting blog topic?  I had a great time researching SpaceX.  I love astronomy and space exploration.  There is so much that we don’t know as a human race.  Seeing a private company send rockets into space, and in the near future humans, is fascinating to me.  I can only hope that one day my children will have the opportunity to go into space.  In contrast, the least interesting blog topic was the rise of general aviation in China.  I suppose I’m not as interested with what is happening in China as opposed to the United States and other countries around the world. 

As far as guest speakers, I gained the most information from Theresa Whiting.  With me being a newly certificated flight instructor, Theresa had a wealth of knowledge that I can use every day.  I can see why she was named 2011 Flight Instructor of the Year for the FAA Great Lakes Region.  She really focuses on the fundamentals of instructing, and emphasizes the importance of teaching something right the first time.  Above all, make it enjoyable.  Most of us are here simply because we love to fly. 

I believe that flight instruction is going help me grow professionally.  They say that you don’t master something until you’ve taught it.  With aviation, you never stop learning.  Every time you step foot into an airplane a lesson is to be learned.  After graduation, I will continue to take classes to further my career in aviation.  This field is constantly changing, and you have to be ready for anything because there will be competition.  There are many options:  FAAST, clinics, or college credits, I’m open to it all. 

Thanks for reading!  I’m sure we will cross paths in the future, whether it is the flight deck, the airport, or the classroom. 

Aviation and the Environment

In this week’s topic, we are discussing the EU ETS, or European Union Emissions Trading Scheme.  We are all aware that airplanes pollute the environment, and each year there is more concern over global warming.  What is the EU ETS all about?  How does it work?  And how will it make an impact on aviation?

The EU Emissions Trading Scheme was launched in 2005 in efforts to combat climate change.  Currently, it covers more than 11,000 factories and power stations in 30 countries.  Each year, these factories and power stations must monitor and report their CO2 emissions because leftovers are returned to the government.  Emission credits are given to each installation over several years, called a trading period. If the emissions exceed what is permitted by its credits, the factory can purchase trading credits from other installations or countries.  If the factory has reduced its emissions, it can sell the leftover credits for money or “bank” them to cover future emissions.  This encourages companies to develop new technologies to reduce carbon emissions.  By 2020, the EU ETS foresees a 21% reduction in greenhouse gases.

Under EU ETS, all airlines would have to buy allowances when flying into European airports or through European airspace.  The United States and other countries are heavily opposed to this.   Reason being, the tax would include flying over our own airspace, not just into Europe.  For example, the emissions being calculated would include the entire distance from New York to Paris, not just over European airspace.  China has gone as far as threatening to cancel Airbus orders because of this. 

The United States passed a bill preventing its airlines from participating in the EU ETS.  They are more focused on a global solution to reduce emissions, and would prefer to work through the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization).  The European Union announced that it would hold off on enforcing its law for one year to give the ICAO enough time to implement a global solution. 

The ICAO has made significant progress on standardizing aircraft CO2 emissions.  They have created an effective CO2 metric system.  It is a measurement of aircraft fuel burn performance and represents the CO2 emissions produced.  The CO2 metric system is based on three elements associated with aircraft design:

• Cruise point fuel burn performance;
• Aircraft size; and
• Aircraft weight

 

The purpose of the CO2 metric system is to reduce emissions by encouraging fuel efficient technologies into aircraft design.  Please click here for more information on the three elements which make up the CO2 metric system.  Because of this system, the CAEP (Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection) has moved one step closer towards developing an ICAO CO2 Standard.

I believe that a global solution is necessary to reduce aircraft emissions.  However, I feel that penalizing an airline by making them pay is the wrong solution.  ICAO has the right idea; we need to focus more on inventing new technologies to reduce CO2 emissions rather than turning this into a global marketplace.

NextGen: The Future of Aviation?

What is NextGen?  Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen, will change how flights are operated and managed in the National Airspace System (NAS).  It will improve safety, reduce delays, and save fuel.  It is already being implemented, with enhancements to satellite navigation and digital communications.  In class this week, we are discussing the “four major pillars” of NextGen.  These include:  economic impact, sustainability, flexibility and safety. 

Of these four major pillars, which ones (in order) are most important to me?

• Safety.  First and foremost, safety should be the number one priority in aviation.  The new NextGen systems are designed to make the NAS the safest in the world.  Satellite based navigation provides far more accuracy than ground based stations.  Weather and airspace data will be real-time, providing pilots and crew with much needed information. 
• Economic Impact.  The United States economy is always of concern.  Many citizens are worried about the future of our economy, and how we can generate more jobs.  NextGen technologies will enable airlines to burn less fuel and operate more efficiently, all while adding more than 10 million jobs.
• Sustainability.  We, as the human race, need to take care of our environment. NextGen will help improve the global environment, by reducing fuel burn and decreasing aircraft exhaust emissions.  Some of these new technologies will allow aircraft to operate more quietly, making airports more neighborhood friendly.
• Flexibility.  With NextGen technology, aircraft will no longer have to rely on ground based systems.  With satellite-based navigation, operators will have more options when travelling within the National Airspace System.  PBN, or Performance Based Navigation, allows more direct, fuel friendly flights.

How are we paying for NextGen technology?  The U.S. government is handling most of the cost today.  However, the government is proposing “User Fees” to help with the rising expenses.  How should these fees be applied, if the government passes a bill?  I think it should be based on how much you use the NAS, and what type of aircraft you fly.  The entire general aviation population should not have to pay the same user fees.  The President has proposed a $100-per-flight fee on commercial and general aviation, which I believe will negatively impact the industry. 

How will NextGen affect my career?  Once I reach the airlines, I strongly believe we will rely on NextGen technology every day.  We already see much of this technology being used today, especially with GPS navigation and instrument approaches.  Due to rising costs, Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) will be replaced by WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) and LPV (Localizer Performance with Vertical Navigation).  LPV provides the same accuracy as ILS, with minimums as low as 200 feet AGL.  VOR, or Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range, will be replaced by satellites.  Highways in the sky will be altered forever.  So may argue the reliability of GPS, especially with solar flare disruptions.  I think technology will overcome this challenge, and increase reliability in the near future.  It will take some time, but this is the beginning of what is to come.