Pilot Source Study 2015: An Analysis of FAR Part 121 Pilots Hired after Public Law 111-216—Their Backgrounds and Subsequent Successes in US Regional Airline Training and Operating Experience

Abstract

The study collected records for 6,734 FAR Part 121 regional airline pilots to determine the effect of pilots' backgrounds on their performance in regional airline training and operations. A previous report (Bjerke et al., 2016) compared the backgrounds of these pilots (post-law pilots) to the backgrounds of pilots hired between 2005 and 2011 (pre-law pilots). This report examines the performance of post-law new-hire pilots in initial training and operations as first officers for Part 121 regional air carriers. Post-law pilot backgrounds were measured against four performance measures: non-completions, extra training, extra initial operating experience (IOE), and extra recurrent training. Pilots who had the fewest non-completions and required less extra training were the recent college graduates (fewer than 4 years since graduation), pilots with fewer total flight hours (1,500 hours or less), and pilots who graduated from flight programs accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI). Pilots who required less extra IOE and less extra recurrent training were pilots whose previous employment was with a Part 121 air carrier, recent college graduates (fewer than 4 years since graduation), and pilots with fewer total flight hours (1,500 hours or less). Other background indicators of successful performance included the Institutional-Authority Restricted ATP (R-ATP); a bachelor's degree, particularly in aviation; and prior military pilot experience. The third report of this series will compare background and success factors between pre-law pilots and post-law pilots.

Pilot Source Study 2015: A Comparison of Performance at Part 121 Regional Airlines Between Pilots Hired Before the U.S. Congress Passed Public Law 111-216 and Pilots Hired After the Law’s Effective Date

“…The overarching goal of these studies has been to understand how pilot backgrounds affect their performance in the regional airlines. The first ''Pilot Source Study 2010'' (Smith et al, 2010) found that ''[s]tatistically, the best performing pilots were those who had flight instructor certificates, graduated from collegiate accredited flight programs, received advanced (post-private) pilot training in college, graduated with collegiate aviation degrees (any aviation discipline), and had between 500 and 1,000 preemployment flight hours'' (p. 73). The second ''Pilot Source Study 2012'' (Smith et al, 2013) continued the work from Smith and colleagues (2010) with a different dataset and reached similar conclusions.…”

“…In 2010 and 2012, teams of Pilot Source Study researchers, reacting to these changes and their potential impact, collected convenience sample data from regional airlines on the source characteristics (background) of newly hired pilots and the subsequent performance of those pilots in air carrier operations, in the era before the new law (Smith, Bjerke, NewMyer, Niemczyk, & Hamilton, 2010;Smith et al, 2013). At the time of publication, the 2010 and 2012 research helped answer the following questions: Where do regional pilots come from?…”

“…The second report examined the performance of the Post-Law new-hire pilots as they began their airline careers, following them from their initial airline training through becoming fully qualified regional airline pilots. This third report compares the performance of the Pre-Law pilots (using data from Smith et al, 2010; with the Post-Law pilots (using data from Smith, G. et al, 2016) who were subject to the new Part 121 pilot hiring rules. When PL 111-216 went into effect and the true implications were realized, many industry professionals registered concerns about unintended consequences of the Public Law that could have an adverse effect on training and the pilot supply.…”

Pilot Source Study 2015: US Regional Airline Pilot Hiring Background Characteristic Changes Consequent to Public Law 111-216 and the FAA First Officer Qualifications Rule

“…Prior to PL 111-216, the Pilot Source Study 2010 (Smith et al, 2010) collected data from six regional airlines. This study analyzed 2,156 records of pilots hired from 2005 to 2009 and found that more than half of those new-hire pilots had a baccalaureate degree with an aviation focus.…”

“…AABI is an organization of aviation stakeholders (e.g., educators, practitioners, industry representatives, airlines, and manufacturers) that evaluates the quality of collegiate aviation programs seeking accreditation. In order to provide critical data to the ARC, AABI initiated research studies that became known as the Pilot Source Study of 2010 (Smith, Bjerke, NewMyer, Niemczyk, & Hamilton, 2010) and the Pilot Source Study of 2012 (Smith et al, 2013). Information from those studies was important in providing factual data related to the potential effects of the Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations Rule (FAA, 2012), hereafter referred to as the FOQ Rule.…”