The 2012 Pilot Source Study (Phase III): Response to the Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations

Abstract

The 2012 Pilot Source Study (Phase III) was a continuation of the 2010 Pilot Source Study (Smith, Bjerke, NewMyer, Niemczyk & Hamilton, 2010), using the same research design with a new data set containing no duplicate records. University faculty and students assisted seven regional airlines to enter data on 4,024 pilots hired between 2005 and 2011. New-hire pilots' college and piloting backgrounds defined their input (Source) variables. Training and first year operations data defined the output (Success) variables. Identifying information for pilots and participating airlines was removed from the data sets, and records were combined into a single data set for independent analysis by five researchers. Results were verified by two independent researchers from the University of Central Florida (a non-affiliated university). Results showed considerable consistency between the 2010 Pilot Source Study and the 2012 Pilot Source Study regarding initial pilot training at a regional air carrier. The study found that pilots entering the industry with an aviation-specific college degree, particularly a degree from an AABI-accredited flight program, performed better in initial training than those with no degree or a non-aviation degree. The results also indicated that a pilot's background, such as having a CFI certificate and obtaining advanced training from a collegiate aviation program, is an indicator of success in training. One important result was that commercial pilots had more completions than pilots with an ATP certificate. On the other hand, total flight hours produced inconclusive results.

Pilot Source Study 2015: A Comparison of Performance at Part 121 Regional Airlines Between Pilots Hired Before the U.S. Congress Passed Public Law 111-216 and Pilots Hired After the Law’s Effective Date

“…The first ''Pilot Source Study 2010'' (Smith et al, 2010) found that ''[s]tatistically, the best performing pilots were those who had flight instructor certificates, graduated from collegiate accredited flight programs, received advanced (post-private) pilot training in college, graduated with collegiate aviation degrees (any aviation discipline), and had between 500 and 1,000 preemployment flight hours'' (p. 73). The second ''Pilot Source Study 2012'' (Smith et al, 2013) continued the work from Smith and colleagues (2010) with a different dataset and reached similar conclusions.…”

“…The Pilot Source Study 2015 demonstrates that the most successful regional airline candidate is one who advanced to a regional airline within four years after graduation; had an R-ATP with fewer than Since existing data do not directly measure safety; it is inferred in this study that pilot performance is linked to safety. In the Pre-Law Pilot Source Studies 2010 and 2012, many pilots earned Commercial Pilot certificates and were hired by regional airlines with fewer than 1,500 total flight hours; these pilots out-performed their classmates in terms of completions and extra training events (Smith et al, 2010;Smith et al, 2013). The Post-Law Pilot Source Study 2015 in essence studied the effects of the gap that was extended by PL 111-216.…”

“…In 2010 and 2012, teams of Pilot Source Study researchers, reacting to these changes and their potential impact, collected convenience sample data from regional airlines on the source characteristics (background) of newly hired pilots and the subsequent performance of those pilots in air carrier operations, in the era before the new law (Smith, Bjerke, NewMyer, Niemczyk, & Hamilton, 2010;Smith et al, 2013). At the time of publication, the 2010 and 2012 research helped answer the following questions: Where do regional pilots come from?…”

Pilot Source Study 2015: US Regional Airline Pilot Hiring Background Characteristic Changes Consequent to Public Law 111-216 and the FAA First Officer Qualifications Rule

“…The 2012 Pilot Source Study (Smith et al, 2013) was commissioned to retrieve data from seven additional regional airlines. Focusing on the variables collected in the first study, the 2012 Pilot Source Study analyzed 4,024 new pilot records and found that pilot background characteristics were very similar to pilots in the 2010 Pilot Source Study.…”

“…AABI is an organization of aviation stakeholders (e.g., educators, practitioners, industry representatives, airlines, and manufacturers) that evaluates the quality of collegiate aviation programs seeking accreditation. In order to provide critical data to the ARC, AABI initiated research studies that became known as the Pilot Source Study of 2010 (Smith, Bjerke, NewMyer, Niemczyk, & Hamilton, 2010) and the Pilot Source Study of 2012 (Smith et al, 2013). Information from those studies was important in providing factual data related to the potential effects of the Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations Rule (FAA, 2012), hereafter referred to as the FOQ Rule.…”