|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
By: Tony Shen and Eduardo Luy
In recent years, leaders in the aviation industry have delivered concerning reports highlighting the deepening pilot shortage crisis facing the commercial aviation industry over the next decade. In light of these findings, airlines are exploring the permanent use of reduced crew operations as a “silver bullet” solution to the pilot shortage crisis. However, this approach has raised significant red flags among aviation safety experts.
As pilots, aviation safety professionals, and leaders of one of Florida’s top aviation colleges, Wayman Aviation Academy, we are here to shed light on the potential risks of reduced crew operations and offer a few alternative solutions.
South Florida is home to one of the busiest airports in the world and a hub for one of the most iconic airlines on the planet. The last thing the industry should be considering is reducing the number of pilots in the cabin. Airlines need to ensure proper procedures are followed and increase redundancies while in operation, not reduce them. Polls have shown that travelers would not be comfortable flying with reduced crews even if those flights were 30% cheaper.
The most worrisome challenges of reduced crew operation are increased workload and fatigue of pilots flying solo, limited redundancy and error correction, and experience gaps.
Once you remove a co-pilot from the cabin, there is no other person to share the workload, which increases fatigue levels and decreases alertness. Studies have shown that fatigue significantly impairs cognitive abilities and decision-making, increasing the risk of human error, which can be catastrophic.
One of the best ways pilots learn how to manage critical situations is through mentorship and training. Crew members with extensive experience act as mentors for junior pilots, contributing to their development. Reduced crew operations may limit opportunities for valuable mentoring and result in the loss of cumulative expertise, negatively impacting long-term flight safety.
Airlines, however, seem to be looking at the situation from a singular perspective, alleviating the pilot shortage while reducing costs by requiring fewer pilots to operate flights. While it is true that the airline industry is going through a pilot shortage crisis (a deficit of around 60,000 pilots in the next 10 years), industry leaders need to invest in the recruitment and retention programs rather than reducing the size of the workforce, which will make the flying experience increasingly unsafe in the process.
Regardless of where one may stand on the reduced crew debate, everyone can agree that prioritizing safety is the number one goal of any airline operator. While addressing the pilot shortage crisis is important, compromising safety is not the answer. Instead, alternative solutions can be explored to resolve this issue.
Investing in comprehensive training programs such as Competency-Based Training Assessments (CBTA), which emphasizes developing more assertive decision-making, refined situational awareness, and improved manual flying proficiency, is not only at the core of Wayman Aviation’s approach to flight safety, it is also one of the main ways airlines can ensure that pilots are well-prepared to handle inflight crises. Collaboration between airlines, regulatory bodies, aviation colleges, and other training institutions can help streamline pilot recruitment and create more qualified pilots.
Over-reliance on automation can lead to complacency and a potential lack of proficiency in manually handling the aircraft. In situations where the automation system malfunctions, pilots must be able to transition to manual flying and troubleshoot the issue effectively. However, as automation increasingly takes over routine tasks, pilots may have fewer opportunities to practice manual flying skills, resulting in a decreased level of preparedness for critical situations.
To address this concern, it is crucial to adopt and expand the use of CBTA in pilot training programs such as those offered at Wayman Aviation, which is among the only aviation colleges in the country to offer it at this level.
Prioritizing safety and exploring alternative solutions such as improved training programs, recruitment strategies, and better working conditions is crucial to maintaining the highest levels of safety in the aviation industry. By addressing the pilot shortage crisis without compromising safety, the industry can ensure sustainable growth and instill confidence in passengers and stakeholders.
