Career Paths

1. Find a corporate aviation department. Give basic details about the company, including both flight and management opportunities for employment. List any current jobs that may be available with that company.

The corporate company I found is called XOJET. They serve many businesses and individuals to get them to their desired destination. Their business model is all about choice and control for clients. Giving them the option to choose what kind of service they want for each flight making their prices more affordable for the customer. It says on their website that they are offering many jobs in many different locations. The company is based in California. Current jobs that are available are aviation receivable analysts, Aviation sales advisor, flight operation analyst, revenue manager, and many first officer positions. 

2) For flight students, find a job in the general aviation sector that is not flight instructing. Give details about the company and the job.

Gulf Coast Helicopters, Inc. - Pearland, TX. This job is pipeline job that primary job is surveying company assets, landowner activities, potential leaks, and checks for large equipment. 

They are a part 135 operation so companies would hire them to videotape what they needed. 

3) For flight students, compare and contrast a pilot job in the airlines vs. flying corporate. The requirements for the job were pretty minimal and were not that extensive. I didn't even see an hour requirements for the job. It looked like a pretty unique and interesting job to apply for!

First thing first, in the airline world, you would probably have a more of a set schedule for your day to day life. You would probably would not be “on call” as much or at least it would be toward the beginning of your career  in the airlines. In corporate flying you would probably be on call most of the time which can be a blessing or a curse based on the type of person you are.  You probably wouldn’t have much of a set schedule in the corporate end of things and would probably get to go to many different and new locations. Basically, I believe it boils down to what type of person you are and what would be a good fit for you personally. If you like having a set schedule and flying to many of the same places, the airlines are probably the right job for you. However, if that isn't for your, than corporate might be a better option. 

4) For both flight and management students, has this assignment changed your current plans? Why or why not?

To be honest, not a whole lot in my current career plans. My goal right now is to still flight instruct after college for a little while to build hours and experience. I think this assignment has opened my eyes that there are other options out there and flight instructing isn't the only option. 

References

Patrol Pilot - Fixed Wing job - Gulf Coast Helicopters, Inc. - Pearland, TX. (n.d.). Retrieved March 19, 2017, from https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Gulf-Coast-Helicopters,-Inc./jobs/Patrol-Pilot-2933b2586f32b6b9?sjdu=Zzi_VW2ygsY1fzh3Ma9ZsPaqOkFrOZiF9heaw3NaNTi-BVf3L2AYEyfzOUVIpMBT82QmKULG-2z99ai-Kfo30Q

Gulf Coast Helicopters. (n.d.). Retrieved March 19, 2017, from http://www.gch-inc.com/operations.php

Private Aviation Careers at XOJETJoin Our Team. (n.d.). Retrieved March 19, 2017, from http://www.xojet.com/our-company/Careers/Private-Jet-Careers.asp

Open Skies

1) Describe the US-UAE Open Skies Agreement. List and describe two long-haul carriers that are a part of this agreement that also receive government subsidies.

America's Open Skies policy has really helped the U.S. airline globalization.  This allows U.S. air carriers to have an unlimited market access to many foreign markets and the right to fly to all over the world. (Open Skies 2017) Open Skies agreements provide maximum operational flexibility for airline alliances. (Open Skies 2017) The United States and along with almost 100 partners have agreed to the Open Skies agreement. 

2) Do any long-haul US carriers receive subsidies or have received subsidies in the past? If so, which airlines? Why?

I didn't find any specific long haul U.S. carriers that received subsidies. Although, it has happened in the past. In the 1930s. After the Airmail Act of 1925, the government gave routes to three major long-haul U.S. carriers. These carriers included United Airlines, Transcontinental and Western Air (Also known as TWA), and American Airways (later became American Airlines)

So throughout history, all of these airlines were sort of helped out by the government in order to survive. 

After 9/11, the commercial airline industry suffered greatly. According to the article “ 9/11 Airline Bailout, Who Got What?”, just two days after the terrorist attack, Congress got presidential approval for a $15 billion dollar bailout. (Holguin,J 2002) A lot of that money did go to major U.S. airlines. The article didn't specify which airline, but I'm assuming that the money was shared in relativity of all airlines and airline sizes. So yes, U.S. carriers have received subsidies from the Government in the past. 

3) Another complaint is that long-haul foreign carriers have made aircraft purchases at "below market interest rates" that are unavailable to US carriers. How is this possible? Please discuss the Export-Import Bank.

Traditionally, The Export-Import Bank was primarily as a resource to sell American-made products and goods to businesses and governments from countries that are limited or do not have access to products. (Reed,T 2010) Not all countries are economically stable enough to buy or purchase large commercial aircrafts. The Export-Import bank sort of levels the playing field by allowing this countries to buy aircraft at a lower and less interest price. 

So what has become of this is U.S. government subsidizing non-U.S. carriers to help them better compete with U.S. carriers. Many U.S. airlines are not happy with this because they believe it gives certain carriers such as Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways an unfair advantage with airplane cost. 

4) Are there any current issues with Norwegian International Airlines and the Open Skies Agreement?

Norwegian International Airlines was approved for the Open Skies agreement and many people and airlines are not happy about it. Norwegian Airlines tickets for international flights are ridiculously low compared to many other competitors. Many believe that Norwegian Airlines is cutting corners in safety and labor laws that could give them unfair advantages in prices, however this hasn't been confirmed. (Jansen, B 2016)

5) Finally, critically analyzing the above information, do you feel that the global "playing field" of long-haul carriers is fair?

I have mixed feelings about the Open Skies agreement and Export-Import Bank. On one hand, i think these agreements and agencies are necessary for the global economy and wealth of the world. On the other hand, I believe that it has gave certain airlines and companies an unfair advantage in the industry. I think every company should be investigated before they are approved for an agreement to ensure that there are not any corners that are being cut that may give an unfair advantage. 

References

Open Skies Agreements. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2017, from https://www.state.gov/e/eb/tra/ata/

Zhang, B. (2015, September 14). The 3 US airlines trying to fend off their lavish Middle Eastern rivals suffered a big setback last week. Retrieved March 10, 2017, from http://www.businessinsider.com/3-biggest-us-airlines-fighting-for-turf-2015-9

Holguin, J. (2002, December 09). 9/11 Airline Bailout: So, Who Got What? Retrieved March 10, 2017, from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/9-11-airline-bailout-so-who-got-what/

Reed, T. (2010, September 13). Why U.S. Airlines Pay More to Finance Jets. Retrieved March 10, 2017, from https://www.thestreet.com/story/10857852/1/why-us-airlines-pay-more-to-finance-jets.html

Jansen, B. (2016, December 05). DOT approves contested Norwegian Air flights. Retrieved March 10, 2017, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/12/02/dot-approves-contested-norwegian-air-flights/94838292/

China, COMAC, And The Future

On Monday, November 2, 2015, the first Chinese larger-airliner aircraft rolled out - the C919. This aircraft was built by COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) and will compete with the A320 and the B737, seating about 168 passengers. Although the hope is for western certification, the C919 has yet to be FAA-certified, currently limiting the countries where the aircraft can operate. Given this information, please answer the following questions:

1. Do you believe that the C919 will ever receive FAA certification? Why or why not?

I do not believe that the C919 will ever receive FAA certification or at least not in the near  future. Time frame of about 8 to 10 year. China is very inexperienced in building aircraft, plain and simple. The FAA certification for the C919 will take some time. Its possible that the FAA could certify the plane after the C919 enters service and complies with all relative airworthiness and manufactures standards. (Press, A) Until then, the C919 will definitely not be flying in or into the United States. 

2) For sake of argument, if the C919 receives FAA certification, what challenges do you see for US carriers? Look at various aspects - for example, what would in mean in terms of aircraft purchases? What would it mean in terms of public perception?

The challenges I see for U.S. carriers is if they would want to buy these new aircraft. From a business perspective, competition of three major manufactures, instead of the current two, could drive down prices for the carriers. In my own opinion though, I just do not see U.S. carriers buying from China. U.S. carriers already have a deep and personal relationship with their manufactures. Im sure if they broke that relationship with hopes to save a couple million dollars, people would not be happy. Many American passengers could also get mixed views and feelings about this new Chinese carrier selling aircraft to the United States. China already has the perception in America as making cheap and unreliable products and to someone seeing China selling aircraft to United States carriers, it could cause them to not want to fly with these carriers. 

3) Discuss COMAC a little and its relationship with the Chinese airlines and the Chinese government. Are there other aircraft in the works? If so, what are the specifics?

COMAC stands for Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China which is a state-owned aerospace manufacture that is based in Shanghai, China. (Comac.)The company was created by the government to be a competitor with western manufactures such as Airbus and Boeing. The government doesn't want to be so reliable on these companies to service their economic needs so they created COMAC to help combat these needs. (Comac.)

The first COMAC aircraft that was built is called the ARJ-21 and it has just recently made its first commercial flight from Chengdu in central China to Shanghai.(Riva, A) The ARJ-21 is a passenger jet that sits up to 90 people. It has been a slow and steady process to get the ARJ-21 into service. It has been about eight years from first flight to ready for service. Only six have been produced since 2008. (Riva, A)

4) If this aircraft were to receive FAA certification, do you feel that other companies would enter the market as competitors to Boeing and Airbus?

No way! Boeing and Airbus have a long line of experience designing and manufacturing airplanes. The only way I see COMAC competing with the airlines is if the price of their airplanes are significantly lower in price. Then It would be up to the Airlines if they would want to buy the airplanes and then pay for all the new training for pilots to learn and get type-rated in these new aircraft. There is a lot that makes up an airplane. Much more than just being able to takeoff and land on a runway. According to Richard Aboulafia in an article titled China's C919: Big Hat, No Cattle, China still hasn’t figured out how to protect intellectual property rights which in turn means that the C919 isn't likely to have the latest in avionics equipment. (Bertorelli, P.) China still has a long way to go before they become a serous competitor with Boeing or Airbus. 

5) Finally, has Boeing or Airbus responded to this rollout in any way?

Both Boeing and Airbus have responded to the rollout. Boeing and Airbus recently decided to re-engine their aircraft giving birth too the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX. This takes away the economic advantage that the C919 had over the companies. 

References

Bertorelli, P. (2015, November 04). China's C919: Big Hat, No Cattle. Retrieved March 03, 2017, from http://www.avweb.com/blogs/insider/Chinas-C919-Big-Hat-No-Cattle-225136-1.html

Press, A. (n.d.). China has built this plane to go head-to-head with Boeing and Airbus. Retrieved March 03, 2017, from http://www.thejournal.ie/comac-c919-2421545-Nov2015/

No fear of C919 for a generation. (2015, November 03). Retrieved March 04, 2017, from https://leehamnews.com/2015/11/04/no-fear-of-c919-for-a-generation/

Govindasamy, S., & Miller, M. (2015, October 21). Exclusive: China-made regional jet set for delivery, but no U.S. certification. Retrieved March 04, 2017, from http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-aircraft-arj21-exclusive-idUSKCN0SF2XN20151021

Comac. (2017, February 22). Retrieved March 04, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comac

Riva, A. (2016, June 28). China just flew its first passenger jet - and it's a clunker. Retrieved March 04, 2017, from https://news.vice.com/article/china-just-flew-its-first-passenger-jetand-its-a-clunker