The Qualifications, Attributes, Ethics, and Responsibilities of Aviation Professionals
Yadvinder Singh
ASCI – 202
Anthony Miller
March 7, 2013
Once someone joins the Airlines industry as a professional, be it a pilot, a technician, or an air traffic controller, they are committing to a certain level of responsibility and expectation. In my experience I have come across professionals who I have felt suited their role to near perfection while others in the same position at times fall short of basic expectations.
The issue of professionalism and responsibility in the airline industry has been in focus recently due to some recent events like the Northwest pilots flying past their destination airport, in-flight breakdowns and rants by pilots and flight attendants, and airline mergers. I feel that sometimes media speculation exaggerates the issues presented to society and highlights mistakes where the public gets the impression that these types of incidents and errors are taking place daily. The reality is that safety measures are an integral part of an airline worker’s training and major errors or incidents occur rather infrequently. At the same time, another reality is that a mistake made by an airline employee, whether pilot, technician, or air traffic controller runs the risk of being fatal and this is where the attributes and ethics of an individual come into play.
Pilots are required to complete extensive training and log thousands of hours of flight time before they can land a job with the major carriers, so I feel the qualifications alone can be met by many but perhaps there needs to be some sort of training or measure of ethical behavior of an individual because that can help determine how they will treat the level of responsibility associated with their job. Most flights complete their course without
Cited: Matthew L. Wald (2009, Oct 26). Off-Course Pilots Cite Computer Distraction. NY Times. Retrieved October 26, 2002 from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/us/27plane.html?_r=0 Alan Levin (2011, Apr 21). Recent air controller incidents no signs of crisis, experts say. Us Today. Retrieved April 21, 2011 from http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/story/2011/04/Recent-air-controller-incidents-no-sign-of-crisis-experts-say/46338056/1