The Future of Commercial Aviation

Here I am at 35000 ft over the North Atlantic and wondering where our industry is headed.  Many of you are looking for a bright career with an airline and I have to wonder if it will be there, and if so for how long.  The reason I’m thinking about this issue is that United is trying to sublease our jobs to a third carrier that doesn’t even exist and the only possible reason is airline managers in the US would rather have a shell company and hire and fire employees to keep costs down.  I just left England where a refinery fired (“sacked” in England) five workers, and the details in this case really don’t matter, it’s what the remaining workers at the refinery feel and how they act that’s important.  Well the remaining workers went out on a Wildcat strike and you know what?  I bet those five get their job back! 

We in the US need to sometimes look elsewhere for inspiration, and whether it’s the French, Italians, or the English they know how to use the tools available when there has been an injustice.  I’m not sure why so many US airlines have trouble running their airline, but not many are well run. Southwest has had its problems but they seem to work through them. I can tell you that the managers at United (or most other major carriers) do not seem to do well at working through large demanding issues.   Time and time again small missteps have led to large problems, and when questions come up, the answer is “well the past is the past lets move on”.  If those of us in the flying business had the same attitude we would still be driving airplanes into rocks on a weekly basis.  We take the opportunity to learn from not just our own mistakes, but our colleagues’ mistakes.  I know most of us would just like to see an airline run efficiently and effectively, executing a business plan and adapting to change and many of our passengers would like the same. 

This is a dynamic industry that requires a solid game plan and the ability to change when the situation requires, those of us in the Air Force have always been told “flexibility is the key to air superiority”.   This is also true in the airlines. This industry has changed enormously in the last decade and it will change in the next.  Only time will tell if it’s for the better or worse. 

 

Joshua Martin                                                                                                                                                    

United Airlines

Bring Aviation to Elementary Schools

As part of The Foundation’s commitment to promote aviation careers, we’ve decided to work with disadvantaged schools in the New Jersey area initially, to educate kids about what it takes to become a pilot. We are planning to take this message to the schools beginning in September 2009. As we tried to come up with creative ideas and the best way to present the information, we discovered a New Jersey base company that creates educational materials for kids. CATAVIA KIDS was created by Teresa Villareal, an aeronautical engineer, who attended MIT, and has an impressive resume, working with Boeing for many years, she became aviation consultant before deciding she wanted to start her own company to educate kids about aviation. After we contacted Teresa, she was enthusiastic about we were doing and offered to donate copies of her Black Box CD ROM. Her award winning Black Box CD ROM teaches kids how airplanes fly, how air traffic control works, as well as the basics of flying, and recognizing different aircraft. No CD ROM would be fun for kids if it didn’t have games and prizes for completing various tasks. We are so grateful for CATAVIA KIDS sharing this technology with us.

We also discovered a great book for the really little kids called “Amelia and Emily Go for a Ride’. This children’s book is based on a flight Amelia Earhart took with Eleanor Roosevelt, a great book for inspiring young girls. There will probably always be fewer minorities and women in aviation. But what we’ve noticed in the seven years we have operated The Foundation is that we need to inspire young kids, so they realize if they are interested in becoming a pilot, they can achieve their goal, no matter what neighborhood they are from. Most pilots I have met, including my husband, knew they wanted to fly when they were really young. We want to try to make an impact as soon as we can. I want to see more minorities and women in aviation. And we need you - If you are a pilot who would like to make a difference in a child’s life - to give us a call, to help us out with our awareness program. One school visit every couple of months is all we ask. Try to remember when you were a kid how much it would have meant to have a “real pilot” come and talk to your school. It’s time to pay it forward.

US Airways Flight 1549, The Hudson Landing

I was watching some of the video recordings made by passengers on US Airways Flight 1549 (Hudson landing) and I was absolutely astonished… the electricity seemed to be working, the flaps were configured and the airplane looked like it was in a somewhat “normal” configuration. Flight 1549 was cleared for takeoff at 3:24:54. Two minutes and seven seconds later the airplane impacted a flock of birds and lost thrust on both engines. Three minutes and twenty nine seconds later the airplane touched down in the Hudson. That’s not a lot of time! Speaking from my experience flying the DC-10, there are a number of tasks that have to be completed to ditch the aircraft after takeoff. If you lose all the engines the aircraft has no source of power until the pilot places the aircraft on emergency power. This restores a limited number of instruments needed to fly the aircraft. The next issue is determining what engines you have left. Looking at the engine gauges you must assess whether they are ‘windmilling’ or if they are seized up. If the engines are not windmilling, you no longer have any hydraulic power. This means your airplane is a rock; you don’t have flight controls. Some airplanes have an Air Driven Generator (ADG) which is a small propeller that hangs down from the bottom of the aircraft. The propeller will spin in the wind and produce electricity necessary to power your auxiliary hydraulic pump. This provides just enough hydraulic power to restore flight controls. What’s next? Well, meanwhile you’re probably declaring an emergency with ATC, looking for a place to land and trying to restart an engine. You also want to start the Auxiliary Power Unit, which is an onboard generator used for backup power. You must also know and fly your best glide speed for your current weight. The gear should be up. The flaps and slats need to be configured to their normal landing position without over-tasking the hydraulic system. After all this, you probably have about 10 seconds to think about how you’re going to land the aircraft in the water with no engine thrust and minimal flight control authority.

As you can see, if you haven’t rehearsed these procedures before, its going to be even harder to do them in three minutes and thirty seconds. One thing that caught my attention during Captain Sullenberger’s interviews was his mention of the training he received which prepared him for this event. I am curious, how often do airliners practice a crash landing after takeoff in the simulator? How often is ditching discussed?

Christina Croy, KC-10 Pilot, USAF

Opportunities

What I have come to find is that success and future opportunities come from taking advantage of those opportunities that we are fortunate enough to have presented to us. Almost two years ago now, The LeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation presented me with an opportunity that has become the basis of my whole career path. I was interested in aviation at a young age, but having the opportunity to obtain my private pilot’s license set me on my path toward a career in aviation.

I am currently attending Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ and I am majoring in Aviation Business Administration with a minor in safety science. Being a pilot has opened my eyes to a lot of things and having that flight experience will help me to succeed in the industry. It has made me more knowledgeable, but more importantly, more confident. The trials and tribulations that come with being a pilot make you a stronger and a more self-assured person, and I can honestly say that the person I was when I began flying and the person I am now are very different. I still have the same aspirations and drive, but I have found that I am a much more well rounded person now. I have become more confident, I am able to handle sticky situations in flight and in life in general, much easier now; and, I am not afraid to go a little out of my comfort zone in order to open up new opportunities for myself.

So I am in college, seeking a career in aviation, but what have I done with flight since I was given the opportunity to earn my private pilot’s license? Well, since attaining my private license with the help of this great foundation, my love for flight has continued to grow more and more every day. I obviously couldn’t just stop there, I have since gone on to get my multi-engine, and instrument ratings and I am currently working on my commercial single engine rating. Right now I am still trying to build hours, so lately it has just been a lot of cross country flights for me, which is awesome. I have flown to places such as the Grand Canyon and all over Arizona, Las Vegas, and will soon be taking a flight back home to California.

So many opportunities have opened up since receiving the LeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation Scholarship two years ago. I don’t currently know if I will be flying commercially or working in the business side of aviation when I graduate from Embry Riddle in two years, but I do know that wherever my life takes me aviation will surely be a part of it.

Senior Year

Time has changed for all of us. With this being my senior year at Bowling Green State University, I have truly learned to appreciate the opportunities we can learn from. Throughout my life, I have came across many personal challenges and have found ways to alter my way of thinking to defeat these issues. I grew up in a family that worked hard for what they have and this has instilled in me a need to become a better leader.

When I was a freshman four years ago, I never thought flying would open up a new world of opportunity. Since I began flying, I have since loved the need for aviation in my life. I have met many interesting people, flown to many places, and have seen big and small airports…with and without fuel pumps. With these experiences, I have learned to appreciate those who have given me the opportunity to excel. The LeRoy W. Homer Foundation has afforded me this opportunity. Without their help and support, I would not have been able to experience the things I have done.

I will be graduating as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force in May 2009 and I am very excited to share my experiences with others in regards to my flying. As a maintenance officer, I will fixing the world’s most sophisticated aircraft such as the F-22 and F-15 fighter aircraft. I am very lucky to have support from my family and the LeRoy W. Homer Foundation.

Ryan Wright

Past Scholarship Recipient

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