Next Gen, ATC Privatization...The Whole Big Mess

1. The current ATC is a very outdated system that has been in use since the 1960s. The system is divided into 21 areas. Each area is guarded by 5 divisions; Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC), Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), Flight Service Station (FSS) and the Air Traffic Control Tower. The aircraft's use transponders to bounce off their whereabouts to each division so aircraft can be properly managed, The system works but again it is very outdated. However, there is an issue with people having trouble with radio frequencies and staying in solid contact between ATC and the aircraft. NextGen is obviously satellite based but what it was provide is digital communications which can and will provide better communication between all aircraft and ATC. 

2. General Aviation is strongly against the idea because they would lose a lot of their power when ti came tot he use of airspace. It would be privately controlled by a company and there would be no say in what the General Aviation aviators would want. Airlines would have priority over any other type of aviation when in part airlines is just a part of aviation and not the whole picture.

3. In 1996, Nav Canada was implemented in the country and has been governed by its board of directors ever since its creation. It has been widely successful since its creation and has also seen an increase of air traffic since it has been implemented. 

4. Congress is going to have to approve the privatization of ATC because it being associated with the FAA. There would have to be extensive lobbying for it and the bill would need to prove that it is worth being done and that it would be safe. With Canada being a great example of privatization, I believe we should follow their example and lobby hard for a bill to privatize. It will be useful and would provide more safety for air traffic with the digitized. I also think that if it is privatized that General Aviation will also come along and support it after it goes through. It will all take some time though and people would have to learn a whole new system It will not be a perfect switch but in the long run it will be beneficial in many different facets. 

Work Cited

Mark, Robert. "Canada's Private ATC System Offers Alternative for Cost-cutting Nations." Aviation International News. N.p., 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 27 Jan. 2017.

Carey, Bill. "FAA Declares Steady Progress on NextGen ATC Modernization."Aviation International News. N.p., 24 Oct. 2016. Web. 27 Jan. 2017.

Flying Cheap and Professionalism

I believe that the regional airline industry is going through a pilot shortage rather than having pilot pay issues for a couple of reasons. The first reason being is that in the major airlines all of the baby boomers are hitting the mandatory retirement age of 65, because of that regional pilots are moving to the major airlines a lot quicker than they use to. The second reason I believe that there is a shortage is that the regional airlines will hire you as soon as you have the correct certifications and the minimum amount of hours (either 1,000 or 1,500 depending on which flight school you attend) and they are currently getting paid a very reasonable price for a first officer position. According to the endeavor air website; first year pilots are making $60,000 in first year income (signing bonus and first year salary) and are also retention reimbursements for staying on as a pilot a second year. I honestly believe that Endeavor would not be offering such a big package if they did not have such a pilot shortage at their company. The pay is very fair and above average for many people who earn a living.

The regional airlines may be concerned with their hiring pool because they are hiring the bare minimum when it comes to requirements for hours and endorsements. I think something that is important to remember is you are hiring a person as well. It is very important to look at the potential pilot's personality i.e. does the interviewee have combative nature, or cocky attitude? Those personality traits can be very dangerous in the cockpit. It is important to have the hours and endorsements but it is even more important to be mentally fit for the job. 


According to the Job Monkey website; other industry unions include Association of Flight Attendants, National Association of Air Traffic Controllers and Transport Workers Union.

I believe that professionalism is a term that needs to be used by everyone in the workforce. This includes and is not limited to the employees and upper management. It involves having high employee satisfaction while also having a business mind set. You want to pay the pilots and other employees fairly for the hours they put in and treat them like they are your own family. It is hard to do that and make an exponential amount of money but if you have great employee satisfaction then the money will come in. Also employees needs to be willing to make sacrifices and work with upper management as well, it is a two way street for everyone.

Obviously upper management had no respect for their employees. They used skewed statistics on how much each pilot is getting paid. Employees were not being treated fairly by their bosses. Another lack of professionalism is the Colgan accident. Those pilots were overworked and should not have been flying aircraft at that time. The company did not give them adequate time to rest for their duty time in which they became overworked that caused mistakes in the aircraft that led to the death.

I absolutely believe the first year pay is a contributing factor in the lack of professionalism. When you are going to work for 16 hours a day and getting paid less than a full time McDonald's employee that will hurt your morale and deteriorate your professionalism in your position. It is no wonder why this accident happened at Colgan.

Two ways that you can expand your level of professionalism is by standing your ground and making sure that you are not overworked whatsoever. It is life and death in the air and I would not want to fly a plane after I have been on duty for almost 16 hours. The other way to maintain your professionalism is by making sure you are paid fairly for the amount of work you are putting in. If you know you are underpaid for your position, it will take away from your morale and low morale can cause a combative attitude which can be a contributing factor to mistakes in the cockpit.

Scott Ansteth Introduction

Hello my name is Scott Ansteth. My interest in aviation began at a very young age. I live just north of DTW (about 12 miles) and much of the day my house is on the final flight path for many aircraft, so because of that I spent most of my time in my backyard looking up.

Currently, I am a senior at Eastern Michigan University and studying Aviation Flight Technology. As of right now I am a student pilot and just about to finish my private pilot licensing. I plan on taking my checkride within the next week or two. I am hoping to graduate within the next 24 months.

My current career goals is to finish out to at least my CFI at EMU and then if I am at enough hours, I would like to take the route of working for a cargo company rather than instructing to get to my hours needed to get hired by an airline. I believe I will gain much more experience in aviation going that route. Once I have enough hours to get hired by the regional carriers, I will apply to Endeavor, because it is a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines and that is the airline that I have always wanted to fly for because it has a rather large hub in Detroit and is very technologically advanced. However, I am open to working for other regional carriers that are associated with other major airlines as well.

I would like to hear from our professor's husband, Alex Wall who is a pilot for Delta Air Lines and has great knowledge of aviation and Delta Air Lines. The two topics that I am interested in when it comes to aviation that I haven't learned enough about is about the life of a cargo pilot and other jobs you can get as a pilot instead of just the airlines.