Media Release
February 13 2008
Pilot instructors an urgent priority for Australian aviation
Australian
aviation education providers need to increase pilot instructor numbers
by at least 15 per cent over the next five years to avoid serious pilot
shortages in the future.
Meeting in Sydney this week the Future Pilot Task Force, comprising representatives from major airlines including Qantas and Virgin Blue, flying training organisations, higher education institutions, industry organisations and Commonwealth Government Departments including CASA and the Department of Infrastructure and Transport, put the pilot shortage at the top of the list of key risk factors for the Australian aviation industry.
“What we have identified is that it is difficult to retain pilot instructors for a range of reasons including the high demand in the job market for working pilots,” Taskforce convenor, UniSA’s Head of Aviation, Stephen Phillips said.
“But that points to a need for greater career path planning for qualified pilots and more promotion of the flight instructor role as a legitimate and rewarding occupation.”
In a unanimous decision, the Task Force agreed to work together to promote the role of the flight instructor as a valuable and essential element in ensuring Australia’s ability to produce sufficient pilots for the future industry demand.
The task force identified the need to promote the perceived place of a flight instructor qualification in the career path of the professional pilot.
Airline representatives agreed that flight instruction must be recognised as a profession by the industry and flight instruction should be widely recognised as one of the best qualifications an aspiring airline pilot can have on their CV.
There was consensus that pilots with a flight instructor background adapted easily and quickly to the airline environment. This was particularly true for more advanced and experienced instructors.
In another key decision, the Task Force agreed to establish a joint Airline Working Group to develop and introduce a unified industry ‘pre-selection’ process consisting of tailored psychometric, numeracy, literacy, decision making and motor skills tests to identify pilots with potential to be both instructors and airline pilots.
“We believe this will give potential candidates the confidence to choose flight instruction as one of the most suitable career paths into the airlines,” Phillips said.
The Task Force also identified the need to promote piloting to the community as a worthwhile and rewarding career.
“We really are looking at this kind of promotion to have a flow-on in a few years but in the meantime we are hoping to entice qualified instructors who, for a variety of reasons may have left the industry, to come back,” Phillips said.
“If we can convince even five per cent to return that would have a very positive impact on the industry and would have positive impact on the industry both in having their expertise and in relieved immediate stress in the education area.
“We hope to develop a bit of a city-to-city roadshow - using the recent Qantas pilot recruitment roadshow as a model - to promote piloting as a career and we’ll be working closely across the industry with airlines and training organisations to present the diverse career options for pilots.
“What has been very heartening about the latest meeting is the real generosity of Qantas and Virgin Blue in taking part and supporting the taskforce the unified and cooperative approach being developed by airlines, government and the training industry to create solutions and a positive outcome for the industry.”
Contact for interview
- Stephen Phillips office (08) 8302 3047 mobile 0423 292 249
Media contact
-
Michčle Nardelli office (08) 8302 0966 mobile 0418 823 673
email michele.nardelli@unisa.edu.au