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

Abstract

MaryJo Smith is the senior research scientist and CEO of Ypsilon Associates-independent consultants specializing in qualitative and quantitative research and statistical analysis. She earned her PhD in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Evaluation, Statistics, and Research from the University of Minnesota in 1999. In her role as an evaluation consultant, she is the ATQP Data Manager for two airline consortiums in Europe.Cody Christensen received a doctorate in Adult and Higher Education in 2013 from the University of South Dakota. He is an assistant professor and program coordinator of the aviation program at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD. His current research involves student safety, financial literacy, and agricultural aviation. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and was an airline captain for a regional airline before transitioning into academia.Thomas Carney is a professor of Aviation Technology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate with over 48 years of experience as a pilot. He holds MS and PhD degrees in Atmospheric Science. His primary research areas of interest include aviation meteorology, synoptic-scale dynamics and energetics, the use of aircraft for airborne research applications, and pilots' use of weather technology in the cockpit.Paul Craig earned a doctor of education degree in 1998 and is a professor of Aerospace at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN. He has been the Principal Investigator on four NASA research grants, including work with computerized flight decks, scenario based training, team dynamics, and decision making. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and is a Gold Seal Flight Instructor.Mary Niemczyk is an associate professor and Chair of the Aviation programs at the Polytechnic School of Arizona State University in Mesa, AZ. She has earned an academic degree in accounting, an MBA-aviation, and PhD in Learning & Instructional Technology. Her research interests center on improving instructional and learning strategies to enhance the performance of individuals in complex, ill-defined environments, such as aviation. AbstractThis report is the first article in a series called Pilot Source Study 2015. Public Law (PL) 111-216, passed by the US Congress in 2010, and the subsequent FAA Regulation, Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations Rule, abruptly changed the pilot hiring situation for US air carriers operating under 14 CFR Part 121. PL 111-216 became effective on August 1, 2013; thereafter, pilots were not eligible to be first officers in Part 121 air carriers unless they were certificated as Air Transport Pilots (ATP) with 1,500 hours of flight time, with some flight hour reductions for specified military and academic experiences. Recognizing that the rule had a notable impact on US regional airlines, the researchers visited 19 Part 121 regional airlines to extract data from their documents and records. De-identified background ...

The Relationship Between Motivation and Job Preferences in Commercial Aviation Graduates

“…Each of these programs yields slightly different candidates and have different minimum qualifications for becoming a regional airline pilot. The present research focuses on graduates of aviation degree programs, a group that makes up approximately 51% of pilots hired at regional airlines (Bjerke et al, 2016).…”

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

“…The first report of Pilot Source Study 2015 (Bjerke et al, 2016) described the backgrounds of the post-law pilots. This second report analyzes the performance of those pilots in airline training and operating experience to determine whether there is a difference in performance, based on pilots' backgrounds.…”

“…After Public Law 111-216 had been in effect for about two years, the ''Pilot Source Study 2015'' was commissioned to assess the effects of Public Law 111-216 on pilot hiring. The first report of the ''Pilot Source Study 2015'' was a study of the background characteristics of pilots hired after Public Law 111-216 went into effect (Bjerke et al, 2016). As part of this study, descriptive analyses were conducted on the background characteristics of regional airline pilots hired from August 1, 2013 to the date of data collection (defined as ''post-law pilots'').…”

“…In the first report of Pilot Source Study 2015 (Bjerke et al, 2016), the researchers described the backgrounds of pilots hired by the 19 Part 121 regional airlines since August 1, 2013-the date Public Law 111-216 became effective. The first report detailed the backgrounds of airline pilots hired in the post-law era and compared their backgrounds to those of pilots hired in the pre-law era.…”

Airline Pilot Supply in the US: Factors Influencing the Collegiate Pilot Pipeline

“…Faculty in that study also raised concerns related to pilot pay and students seeking career opportunities outside of the US. Although it was not the primary focus of the research, pay was also raised as a concern related to the pilot shortage in a recent article that explored the change in pilot background characteristics as a result of the FOQ rule change (Bjerke et al, 2016). In a study on pilot supply in the US, a career aspirations survey that targeted collegiate aviation flight students was conducted prior to the implementation of the FOQ rule change (Higgins et al, 2014).…”