AFTER take-off from LaGuardia Airport on Jan.16, U.S. Airways Flight 1549 - a twin engine jet - experienced a double bird hit, stalling both engines. Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger banked his A-320 jet to the left and lined-up its glide-path along the axis of the Hudson River. With leading edge slats and trailing edge flaps extended - keeping the wings precisely level - he gently greased in the water and slid to a stop. Not a single person was killed.
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Flying in bad weather on Feb. 12, Colgan Air Flight 3407 was approaching the Buffalo, N.Y., airport. Co-pilot Rebecca Shaw, in conversation with Capt. Marvin Renslow, remarked that she had never seen ice pile up at the bottom of the windshield and that she had never before flown when it was necessary to activate the de-icing mechanisms on the leading edges of the wings. This casual conversation was a blatant violation of the FAA's "sterile cockpit rule" which prohibits anything except necessary commands when approaching an airport at altitudes below 10,000 feet. Moments later, the Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 nosed down and crashed, killing all 49 aboard and one person on the ground.
Such strikingly different outcomes can be partially explained by the differences in the two flight crews.
Sullenberger had more than 20,000 hours of flight time during his 40-year career, 27 of that with U.S. Airways; Renslow just 3,379 hours and only 109 in the Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400. Sullenberger's salary was $127,000 for his experience - and that was after a 40 percent salary cut. Renslow reportedly was paid $56,000 for his experience. First Officer Shaw - after two years with Colgan - had, incredibly, just 625 hours of flight time and reportedly was paid only $23,900.
At Colgan, the starting wage for pilot and first officers are $36,000 and $18,000, respectively. Their 2007 job listing called for pilots with 3,000 hours of flying time and at least 1,000 in multi-engine, but other regionals hire pilots with only 2,000 hours flying time. Colgan said it was hiring first officers with at least 1,000 hours flying times, but in a January 2009 listing it asked for at least 600 hours.
Horizon Air, the regional affiliate of Alaska Airlines requires 750 hours for first officers, and American Eagle, the regional cousin of American Airlines, requires just 500 hours.
Such are some of the differences between major trunk airline crews and that of regional airlines. But, why are the salaries so low? The overwhelming answer is supply and demand. As a result of the Great Recession, more than 3,100 pilots have been laid off from the major trunk airlines and 930 more from the regional airlines. There are about 4,000 additional pilots whose airlines - usually regional airlines - have gone out of business. This inventory glut of experienced pilots creates a buyer's market for the airlines, and it is likely to remain for several years.
With code-sharing between cooperating airlines, how will you ever know whatever aircraft or airline you might be flying on your next trip? Nothing is a safe bet. As an example, if you fly to the west coast on American Airlines, you might think all flights would be on large, multi-engine jets. But nearly all American Airlines flights into and out of Columbus are on American Eagle regional jets. If the last leg of your itinerary is to a small city, the chances are that also will be on a regional jet or propeller plane. You can determine your particular case from either your travel agent or the Internet.
As train travel lost its one-time grandeur to downright unpleasantness, so the airline industry with airport security, crowded flights and limited experienced crews on regional airlines also is losing its one-time glamour.
Sullenberger recently made two revealing comments:
# His pension - which is now just a promise to pay - is now only worth pennies.
# "I know of no one in my industry who wants their family to follow their footsteps."
- Dick Scamehorn, a long ime Lancaster resident is Ohio University's Executive-in-Residence Emeritus and former President of Diamond Power.
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Flying in bad weather on Feb. 12, Colgan Air Flight 3407 was approaching the Buffalo, N.Y., airport. Co-pilot Rebecca Shaw, in conversation with Capt. Marvin Renslow, remarked that she had never seen ice pile up at the bottom of the windshield and that she had never before flown when it was necessary to activate the de-icing mechanisms on the leading edges of the wings. This casual conversation was a blatant violation of the FAA's "sterile cockpit rule" which prohibits anything except necessary commands when approaching an airport at altitudes below 10,000 feet. Moments later, the Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 nosed down and crashed, killing all 49 aboard and one person on the ground.
Such strikingly different outcomes can be partially explained by the differences in the two flight crews.
Sullenberger had more than 20,000 hours of flight time during his 40-year career, 27 of that with U.S. Airways; Renslow just 3,379 hours and only 109 in the Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400. Sullenberger's salary was $127,000 for his experience - and that was after a 40 percent salary cut. Renslow reportedly was paid $56,000 for his experience. First Officer Shaw - after two years with Colgan - had, incredibly, just 625 hours of flight time and reportedly was paid only $23,900.
At Colgan, the starting wage for pilot and first officers are $36,000 and $18,000, respectively. Their 2007 job listing called for pilots with 3,000 hours of flying time and at least 1,000 in multi-engine, but other regionals hire pilots with only 2,000 hours flying time. Colgan said it was hiring first officers with at least 1,000 hours flying times, but in a January 2009 listing it asked for at least 600 hours.
Horizon Air, the regional affiliate of Alaska Airlines requires 750 hours for first officers, and American Eagle, the regional cousin of American Airlines, requires just 500 hours.
Such are some of the differences between major trunk airline crews and that of regional airlines. But, why are the salaries so low? The overwhelming answer is supply and demand. As a result of the Great Recession, more than 3,100 pilots have been laid off from the major trunk airlines and 930 more from the regional airlines. There are about 4,000 additional pilots whose airlines - usually regional airlines - have gone out of business. This inventory glut of experienced pilots creates a buyer's market for the airlines, and it is likely to remain for several years.
With code-sharing between cooperating airlines, how will you ever know whatever aircraft or airline you might be flying on your next trip? Nothing is a safe bet. As an example, if you fly to the west coast on American Airlines, you might think all flights would be on large, multi-engine jets. But nearly all American Airlines flights into and out of Columbus are on American Eagle regional jets. If the last leg of your itinerary is to a small city, the chances are that also will be on a regional jet or propeller plane. You can determine your particular case from either your travel agent or the Internet.
As train travel lost its one-time grandeur to downright unpleasantness, so the airline industry with airport security, crowded flights and limited experienced crews on regional airlines also is losing its one-time glamour.
Sullenberger recently made two revealing comments:
# His pension - which is now just a promise to pay - is now only worth pennies.
# "I know of no one in my industry who wants their family to follow their footsteps."
- Dick Scamehorn, a long ime Lancaster resident is Ohio University's Executive-in-Residence Emeritus and former President of Diamond Power.
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