© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins Factors Associated with the USAAP Concept Kent Lovelace Elizabeth Bjerke Kent Lovelace Elizabeth Bjerke

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins Agenda Career aspirations of college students Careers graduates are seeking Convincing more students to seek an airline career Challenges related to the USAAP concept Short term mitigation strategies

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins USAAP Concept Welcome that finally there is some concern in government It is a place to start looking for solutions Pilot supply threat is real –Economy driven Creates interesting issues

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins Career Aspirations Study (Preliminary) Bjerke and Malott Participants –Sample (n=240) includes responses from instructor pilots at 17 different university flight programs Preliminary Results –Initial career aspirations (When flight training began) 69.2% aspired to be airline pilots –Current short term (next five years) Career Aspirations 46.3% aspire to be airline pilots –Current long term career aspirations 37.9% aspire to be airline pilots

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins Qualitative Themes as to Why Aspirations Changed: Over a 130 individual comments: –Do not want to be away from family/friends (life style issues) –Regional airline pay coupled with inability to pay back loans –Collegiate programs exposed them to other options in aviation industry –Lack of job security in the volatile airline industry –Being viewed as a ‘number ’

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins Financial Aid Realities Preliminary Results –23.7% reported having no debt –Average debt of remaining $73,016 –25.8% reported having over $100,000 in financial aid debt Research Timeline –Continue data collection through fall 2011 Full analysis Spring 2012 –If interested in the results contact: Elizabeth Bjerke, PhD – Daniel Malott –

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins Career Aspirations Survey Participants –Sample (n=271) UND aviation professional flight majors Results –Career aspirations Airline – 151 (56.1%) Corporate – 57 (21.2%) Other – 33 (12.3%) Military – 28 (10.4 %)

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins Recent Hiring Trends (120 CFIs) 2011 Airline Pilot – 64 (53.3%) Flight Instruction – 9 UAS – Charter - 5 Military – 4 Corporate Pilot – 2 OEM – 1 Ag Aviation – 1 Non-Aviation – 2 Further Education – 3 Professor – 1 State DOT – 1 A/C Maintenance - 1 Unknown – 21

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins Career Aspirations CFI,CFII and AJT Students

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins

Qualitative Themes Low pay at Regional Airlines –Starting pay is low, and cost of living is high. Which includes paying back student loans… I love to fly but being able to live healthy is important to me. –I am spending THOUSANDS of dollars on this training! Why would WANT to go get paid at damn near the poverty line and be responsible for so much? I can make more at burger king! I could make more on unemployment! I would love to really be a airline pilot I really would. But why would I do something for a living where I can barely afford to live?

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins Qualitative Themes Lack of Job Security –Job Insecurity. The fact that you may work for one airline for 10 years then lose your job and have to start all over again with another airline. –Unstable work environment Lifestyle –Its more time away from my family –The lifestyle does not appeal to me. –Scheduling, time away from family, potential need to relocate

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins Qualitative Themes Type of flying –I do not want to "fly" by monitoring a computer (autopilot and FMS), I want to be a real pilot and actually fly the plane by using the stick and rudder skills I've learned here at UND. –Might get boring. –Push buttons –I want the flying I do to be adventurous.

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins Challenges with USAAP Not all students who want to fly want to be airline pilots –It is not just about the money –How do we treat students in the same degree program differently? Public institutions absorbing $30,000 in tuition/program fees will be a challenge –Controlled by state law and state board of higher education. –Not for Profit entities No margin to reduce

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins Challenges with USAAP Pilot selection criteria –Very few airlines use the same selection criteria. –Need consensus amongst airlines Once criteria is determined collegiate aviation would have to adopt similar criteria

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins Challenges with USAAP Would the concept of the major airline hiring a USAAP pilot actually work against the graduate because they have a partial debt load to be paid by the airline?

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins Mitigation Strategies Securing Supply –Airlines partner with AOPA, EAA etc. on programs promoting aviation and flying –Realize there are changing generational issues with young adults and their motivation –Airline involvement in student recruitment –Airline sponsored career path JetBlue/Cape Air ASA/Delta –Airline sponsored scholarships/student debt retirement Loan Consolidation

© 2011 Kent Lovelace and Jim Higgins Thank you! Kent Lovelace Elizabeth Bjerke