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 NPRM
2

Pilot Certification

and Qualification 

Requirements for 

Air Carrier Operations

Contributing Airlines
3

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 Experience
5

Pilot Certification

and Qualification 

Requirements for 

Air Carrier Operations

Descriptive Statistics
6

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 # 2
8

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 # 3
9

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 # 4
10

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 # 6
12

Pilot Certification

and Qualification 

Requirements for 

Air Carrier Operations

MILITARY 

FLIGHT 

BACKGROUND:

Derived Variable 

What prior 

military 

experience did 

this pilot have?

Source Variable # 7
13

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 # 8
14

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

DUALGIVEN:

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 # 12
19

Pilot Certification

and Qualification 

Requirements for 

Air Carrier Operations

COMPLETIONS:

Did this pilot 

complete the 

training with your 

airline-including 

IOE?

Outcome Variable
20

Pilot Certification

and Qualification 

Requirements for 

Air Carrier Operations

HYPOTHESIS TESTING
21

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 noncompletions. 

• Pilots who had 1000 to 1500 total 

flight hours had fewer noncompletions.

• 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 No
31

Pilot Certification

and Qualification 

Requirements for 

Air Carrier Operations

Training Completion Results

PSS Phase I vs. PSS Phase III

Pilot Source Variable Phase 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 No
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 NPRM