Career Aspirations of Collegiate
Aviators
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
The Team
UND:
Elizabeth Bjerke
James Higgins
Kent Lovelace
Nick Lounsberry
ERAU:
Daniel Friedenzohn
UAA:
Bruce Chase/ LeTourneau Univ.
SIU:
Sam Pavel
AABI:
Paul Craig/ MTSU
Industry:
Arnie Kraby, Delta
Darrin Greubel, ExpressJet
Marc Champion, United
Robert Fuschino, United
Scott Foose, RAA
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
UNO:
Rebecca Lutte
Participating Collegiate Aviation Programs
• Survey sent out to UAA Member Schools
– At least one response from 40 different schools
• AABI Member Schools (more than one response)
• Baylor University
•
• Embry Riddle Aeronautical
•
University
•
• Florida Institute of Technology
•
• Kansas State University
•
• LeTourneau University
•
• Minnesota State University-Mankato •
• Middle Tennessee State University •
• Oklahoma State University
• Purdue University
Rocky Mountain College
South Dakota State University
St. Cloud State University
University of Dubuque
University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of North Dakota
University of Oklahoma
Westminster College
Methodology
• Survey administered online (Qualtrics)
• Thanks to UAA, AABI and everyone else who
has distributed the survey
• Survey was approved by UND’s Institutional
Review Board (IRB) among others
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
The Sample
• 1,456 people started the survey
– 1160 have finished (answered at least one
question)
– Selected Demographics:
University Trained = 95.7%
CFI’s = 24.6%
Gender:
Mean Age: 24.4 years
Male = 89.5%
Female = 10.8%
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
Mean Flight Time: 437.23 Hours
Do collegiate aviators change their
initial, short-term, and long-term
career goals?
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
Career Goals of Collegiate Aviators
(n=1168)
80
70
70.12
60
Percent of Respondants
61.99
50
53.08
46.92
40
38.01
30
29.88
20
10
0
Initial Goals
Short-Term Goals
Airline
Non-Airline
Long-Term Goals
How does the proposed FAA rule
changes requiring an ATP
certificate and 1,500 hours flight
experience affect career
aspirations of collegiate aviators?
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
• 8.5% of collegiate aviators have already
changed their career plans and no longer plan
to work for the airlines.
• 32.5% are having second thoughts about
choosing a career with the airlines based upon
the proposed rule change.
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
Are collegiate aviators with higher
total flight times more likely to
plan for a long-term career with
the airlines?
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
No, collegiate aviators with flight
times greater than 300 hours are
less likely than lower time pilots to
plan a career with the airlines.
Χ2(3, N = 1168) = 19.28, p < .001
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
Given the opportunity, how likely
would you consider a flying
position at a non-US airline if it
required relocation to another
country?
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
How Likely to Consider Relocation to Another
Country with a Non-US Airline
(n=1102)
350
300
Number of Respondents
250
200
150
100
50
0
Very Unlikely
Unlikely
Undecided
Likely
Very Likely
If non-US airlines opened pilot
bases in the US, how likely would
you consider a career at that
airline?
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
How Likely to Consider Emoployment at Non-US Airlines if US Bases
were Available
(n=1102)
600
500
Number of Respondents
400
300
200
100
0
Very Unlikely
Unlikely
Undecided
Likely
Very Likely
If the flight time qualifications
required for second in command
are lower in another country, how
likely would you consider
relocation to that country to take a
flight position sooner than you
would be eligible in the US?
How Likely to Relocate to Another Country if Flight Time
Requirements Lower
(n=1101)
400
Number of Respondents
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Very Unlikely
Unlikely
Undecided
Likely
Very Likely
Qualitative Themes:
Why have career aspirations changed?
• Impact of the 1500 hour rule:
– “I do know classmates who have changed their majors due
to the new law”
– “As an older student I have obligations that most young
pilots do not. The thought of having to get to 1500 hours is
disheartening in that I will have a harder time supporting
my wife and child for the prolonged duration”
– “When I first heard about HR5900, I applied for graduate
school because I wanted to have a back-up plan …I recently
applied for a Revenue Management analyst position at an
airline and was offered the position.”
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
Qualitative Themes:
Why have career aspirations changed?
• Financial considerations
– “One of the biggest problems for me is coming out of school
with such a large amount of debt while making less $35,000
for the first few years as an airline pilot.”
– “Extremely expensive flight training costs and few
opportunities for low-hour pilots”
– “Flight training is too big of an investment for the salary”
– “I changed to Air Traffic Control due to cheaper training,
and the promise of a more stable career”
– “I will have to get the job I can get to begin paying off
$80,000 school loans.”
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
Qualitative Themes:
Why have career aspirations changed?
• Exposure to other aviation related careers
– “After gaining exposure to the aviation industry I see
that there are many other avenues for pilots”
– “Corporate jobs look more desirable now that there is
a 1500 hour rule”
– “Discovering new careers in the aviation field apart
from the airline”
– “After comparing ATC and Airline pilot, it makes a LOT
more sense to go ATC. The pay is better, they get
better work treatment, more benefits, better hours.”
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
Qualitative Themes:
Unintended Consequences
• Impact on flight training environment:
– “I did not want to be an instructor.... Now the NPRM
has pretty much forced me to start working on a
license and job that I never intended to have so I can
achieve my goal of airline pilot.”
– “With the implementation of the rule, I would have to
work as a flight instructor for much longer than I
would normally plan on”
– “This rule is essentially making a Certified Flight
Instructor the only career option for graduates in the
pro pilot program”
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013
“As much as I love flying, the public
no longer has faith in their pilots,
and its killed the spark in me.”
AABI Town Hall Meeting
February 20, 2013