Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# 2012 Pilot Source Study (Phase III)

Guy M. Smith, Ed.D. (Embry

- Riddle Aeronautical University) 

## Elizabeth Bjerke, Ph.D . ( University of North Dakota) 

## Mary Niemczyk, Ph.D

. (Arizona State University) 

## David A. NewMyer, Ph.D . (Southern Illinois University) 

## Julie Paasch (Westminster College) 

## Derek Herchko (Embry

- Riddle Aeronautical University) 

## Bob Nullmeyer (Arizona State University) 

# Response to NPRM2 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# Contributing Airlines3 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# Data Collection

• Seven regional airlines entered data into the SurveyMonkey data collection device

• University Faculty/Students assisted the airlines with data entry into SurveyMonkey

• 4,024 pilot records were entered into SurveyMonkey from the seven airlines

– pilots hired between 2005 and 2011

• Three variables were derived from the data

– Aviation Degree, AABI Flight, and Military Flight Background

• All identifying information for individual pilot and participating airline was removed from the data sets

• All records were combined into a single data set for independent analysis by seven researchers

• All seven researchers agreed on the following results

• Results were verified by two independent researchers from the University of Central Florida (a non

- affiliated university)4 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# Sources & Outcomes

Predictor (SOURCE) Variables



# Outcome

• Completions (Did this pilot complete the training with your 

## airline

- including IOE?) • College Degree

• Aviation Degree

• AABI Flight Program

• Pilot Certificate



### • Military Flight Background

• Source of Advanced Pilot Training

• Flight Instructor

• Total Flight Hours

• Previous Experience5 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations



# Descriptive Statistics6 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# Source Variable # 1

(Not Analyzed)



# YEAR HIRED: In what year was this pilot hired? (2005

- 2011)7 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations



# COLLEGE DEGREE: Did this pilot have a college 

# degree (any discipline) at the beginning of training with your airline? 

# Source Variable # 28 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations



# AVIATION DEGREE: Derived Variable (any degree that 

# contained words like aviation, flight, airport, pilot, etc.

- these are not all flight degrees) 

# Source Variable # 39 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations



# AABI FLIGHT: Derived Variable (Only those programs in the 

# data set that meet the AABI Program Accreditation Criteria for Flight Education) 

# Source Variable # 410 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations



# DEGREE TYPE: What undergraduate degree did the pilot have? 

# Source Variable # 5

(Not Analyzed)11 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations



# PILOT CERTIFICATE: What Pilot 

# Certificate did this pilot have? 

# Source Variable # 612 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations



# MILITARY FLIGHT BACKGROUND: 

# Derived Variable What prior military experience did 

# this pilot have? 

# Source Variable # 713 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations



# ADVANCED PILOT TRAINING: Where did this pilot get Advanced Pilot Training 

# (beyond Private Pilot)? 

# Source Variable # 814 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# Source Variable # 9

INSTRUCTOR: Was this pilot an FAA 

# certificated flight instructor? (CFI, CFII, MEI, 

# etc.)15 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations



# DUAL



# GIVEN: How many hours of 

# Dual

- Given did this pilot log before beginning 

# training with your airline? 

# Source Variable # 10

(Not Analyzed)16 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations



# TOTAL 

# HOURS: How many Total Hours did the pilot have at the beginning of training with 

# your airline? (N = 2150) Total Flight Hours Value



# Mean 1,796
Standard

Deviation 1,702
Minimum 216
Maximum 22,000

Count 3,898 

# Source Variable # 11

(Not Analyzed as a scalar variable)17 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations



# TOTAL 

# HOURS: (Continued) 

# Source Variable # 11

(continued)18 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations



# PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: 

# What previous corporate or airline pilot 

# experience did this pilot have? 

# Source Variable # 1219 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations



# COMPLETIONS: Did this pilot 

# complete the training with your airline

- including IOE? 

# Outcome Variable20 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations



# HYPOTHESIS TESTING21 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# College Degree 

Training Completion

• There was no difference in training completion among pilots who had no college degree, pilots who had an Associate degree, and pilots who had 

# a Bachelor’s degree.

• NOT SIGNIFICANT

• Chi

- Square = 4.054 ( p = 0.132; df = 2)22 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# Aviation Degree 

Training Completion

• Pilots who had an aviation degree had fewer non - completions

.

• SIGNIFICANT

• Chi

- Square = 20.98 ( p = 0.000; df = 1)23 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# AABI Flight Program 

Training Completion

• Pilots who had a Flight Degree accredited by Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI) had fewer

non - completions.



# • SIGNIFICANT

• Chi

- Square = 10.202 ( p = 0.001; df = 1)24 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# Pilot Certificate (Commercial) 

# 

Training Completion

• Pilots who had a Commercial Pilot Certificate had more completions than pilots with an ATP certificate.

• SIGNIFICANT

• Chi

- Square = 31.587 ( p = 0.000; df = 1)25 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# Military Flight Background

 Training Completion

• Pilots who had a military flight 

# background had more

non - completions.

• SIGNIFICANT

• [NOTE: Less than 5% of the pilots in the data set had military flight backgrounds.]



# • Chi

- Square = 10.965 ( p = 0.000; df = 1)26 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# Source of Advanced Pilot Training  Training Completion



# • Pilots who completed advanced pilot training

– as part of a college degree had 

# fewer non

- completions

.

– in non

- college

– Part 61 programs had more non

- completions.

• SIGNIFICANT

• Chi

- Square = 56.756 ( p = 0.000; df = 3)27 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# Flight Instructor 

Training Completion

• Pilots who were Certificated Flight Instructors (CFI, CFII or MEI) had fewer non - completions.

• SIGNIFICANT

• Chi

- Square = 14.682 ( p = 0.000; df = 1)28 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# Total Flight Hours 

Training Completion

• Pilots who had more than 1,500 total flight hours had more non completions.

• Pilots who had 1000 to 1500 total flight hours had fewer non completions.

• SIGNIFICANT

• Chi

- Square = 11.004 ( p = 0.012; df = 3)29 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# Previous Experience 

Training Completion

• There was no difference in training completion among pilots who had no previous experience, pilots who had previous airline experience, and pilots who had previous corporate experience.

• NOT SIGNIFICANT

• Chi

- Square = 5.771 ( p = 0.056; df = 2)30 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# 2012 Pilot Source Study

(Phase III)

– RESULTS

Pilot Source Variable 2012 PSS (Phase III) SIGNIFICANT Results

College Degree No

Aviation Degree More Completions

AABI Flight Program More Completions

Pilot Certificate Commercial

- More Completions than ATP

Military Flight Background Military

- Fewer Completions

Source of Advanced Pilot Training College Training

– More Completions Non

- College, Part 61 Training

– Fewer Completions

Flight Instructor More Completions

Total Flight Hours 1,000

- 1,500 Hours

- More Completions

Previous Experience No31 Pilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# Training Completion Results

PSS Phase I vs. PSS Phase III

Pilot Source Variable Phas e I SIGNIFICANT Results Phase III SIGNIFICANT Results

College Degree No No

Aviation Degree More Completions More Completions

AABI Flight Program More Completions More Completions

Pilot Certificate

----- Commercial

- More Completions than ATP

Military Flight Background No Military

- Fewer Completions

Source of Advanced Pilot Training College

- More Completions College

– More Completions Non

- College, Part 61

- Fewer Completions

Flight Instructor More Completions More Completions

Total Flight Hours 500

- 1000 Hours

- More Completions 1000

- 1500 Hours

- More Completions

Previous Experience No NoPilot Certification and Qualification Requirements for Air Carrier Operations 

# 2012 Pilot Source Study (Phase III)

Guy M. Smith, Ed.D. (Embry

- Riddle Aeronautical University) 

## Elizabeth Bjerke, Ph.D . ( University of North Dakota) 

## Mary Niemczyk, Ph.D

. (Arizona State University) 

## David A. NewMyer, Ph.D . (Southern Illinois University) 

## Julie Paasch (Westminster College) 

## Derek Herchko (Embry

- Riddle Aeronautical University) 

## Bob Nullmeyer (Arizona State University) 

# Response to NPRM