There's that old saying, "You spend half your career getting to the left seat, the other half trying to get out of it". To most pilots, retirement is a long-awaited goal set by pension rules. Likely raising the retirement age would only retain those folks that simply love flying. But after twenty years of airline employment, those are hard to find. The truth is, not all pilots were happy about raising the retirement age and I would doubt you would find a lot of them anxious to see it raised again. And, I think it would be a very hard sell to the union groups to change pension programs which is the real driving force with retirements.

(Written on 06/25/2022)(Permalink)

Way back in Minnesota they elected a pro wrestler as Governor. He immediately took a lot of heat for not having a black person in his administration. So, to solve the issue he installed a local black man to the Chairmanship of the Minneapolis Airport commission. This person, a really nice guy, but with no experience whatsoever other than owning a couple of hangars at a commission-controlled airport was installed and the problem for the Governor was seemingly solved. I would guess Biden may have had a similar need to appease a certain voting group. But, that's politics.

(Written on 06/25/2022)(Permalink)

I can't say I totally disagree but the TSA has little to do with this conversation.

(Written on 06/24/2022)(Permalink)

Sometimes there is no solution. The airlines took great measures to take the glamour out of the pilot workforce. The rewards (pay) have now been reduced to the average for other skilled professions. It is not only retirements that plague the industry but the lifestyle and insecurity that comes with the job that drives many qualified pilots to another profession. The constant battle to find bid patterns that offer something close to normal home life. Living out of a suitcase, missing family events. The union environment places your starting date ahead of your skills and employee traits. The reality is the fancy uniform and glory walks through the concourses simply are not enough these days to attract young folks to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars and ten years or more of low pay time building to get to a right seat airline position. Then, once there, the constant six-month health test can end it all. Perhaps it is time the industry and the public realize aircraft are not all that

(Written on 06/24/2022)(Permalink)

I would guess the current pilot shortages has a lot to do with this. Haul more people with fewer pilots.

(Written on 06/24/2022)(Permalink)

Wow! As if being a pilot isn't hard enough. What's next? A chip inserted into your brain? The thought of losing your ticket is always with every pilot. Your suggestions certainly wouldn't make it any better.

(Written on 05/27/2022)(Permalink)

Just have to wonder why the issue with flight Quantis flight 72, an A330 (computer software issues causing loss of flight control) was more or less swept under the rug while a virtually identical issue with the 737 Max nearly put Boeing out of business. The lessons to be learned here seem more like, don't upset the bureaucrats. Perhaps knowing a computer is all that's between you and the flight controls is another contributing factor to a nervous crew member. Especially since those computers are there to save the company money, not necessarily to enhance safety. Just saying, there are many issues pilots must deal with that most professions are ever confronted with. The QA72 issue was enough to take a seasoned pilot to early retirement.

(Written on 05/27/2022)(Permalink)

These Corporations staff hundreds of attorneys on their payrolls. This was likely something to keep them busy and just a waste of the court's time and why it lasted so long.

(Written on 05/27/2022)(Permalink)

As I see it, the issue isn't what agency caused it? It's the public's insatiable desire for anything technology and new. The gadget peddlers, Verizon, ATT, Apple, MS, are always looking for something new. How much speed do we really need? Will it ever be fast enough? This is a case of who got the politician's and bureaucrats' ears first. Does anybody really expect these government officials to stay in front of all the technology coming out these days? The telecoms brought this on their own. They are the experts that need to solve it. If that means starting over or paying aviation expenses, so be it. They are the intruders. Perhaps they shouldn't be selling phones that aren't even capable of meeting the sales pitches.

(Written on 01/21/2022)(Permalink)

I think point to point is slowly replacing hub and spoke. It's about time! You touched on one factor, and that is "bank Scheduling" and slot operations. The airlines insist on scheduling flights to minimize time between connecting flights. Which meant airports are overwhelmed for a few hours followed by hours of little or no activity. Most aircraft are in flight or on the ground at the same time. Either overwhelming the ground operations or ATC depending on which phase they are in. FAA's temporary fix of landing slots became and remain yet another profit center for airlines to buy and sell as they see fit. As if it were ever theirs to own to own in the first place. Customer convenience is what they try to sell, then demand more and more runways and gates to accommodate this inefficient practice. It's long overdue that the FAA stop this.

(Written on 12/22/2017)(Permalink)