21 minute read
OVER-AUTOMATED, UNDER-TRAINED, AND IN THE COCKPIT
The commercial-pilot shortage that’s expected to continue to grow could mean a promising job market for upand-coming aviators. But, many industry observers wonder just how prepared those pilots will be for the responsibilities and hazards they will encounter. Pilots are now being mass produced essentially to operate flying computer games for the airlines and corporate aircraft.
In aviation, an industry that screams technology, it only stands to reason that there are many wonderful and helpful advances in all categories of automation. At what point however, does automation stop helping and start hindering safety?
On an intellectual level, I am 100% in favor of technology, and the benefits which
technology affords. However, on a practical level it seems that much emerging technology is simply creating more problems than it is curing. I believe we are currently at a point where more technology and the pressing theme to embrace automation is no longer helpful. And makes even less sense when all the new technology and/or products are doing is replacing last year’s automation with this year’s automation with a new name.
Most technology is simply not adding anything new in the way of meaningful advancements. Planes fly the same way planes flew back when I was flying (in the 70’s, 80’s, & 90’s). And we made it work much more reliably than with today’s overthe-top automation. We did not depend on, nor embrace automation much beyond altitude-hold on a long trip. We actually knew how to fly, and more importantly we knew how to “hand-fly”. How many pilots today can fly a “back course” by hand, or even know what a “back course approach” is? How about an ADF approach, how about simply “hand-flying” a visual approach to a landing without a computer? Couple this lack of skill with the fact that today’s pilots aren’t required to have the number of flying hours that pilots needed when I started out in the 1960s and there is reason to be concerned.
As more veteran pilots reach the mandatory retirement age of 65, it is expected that there will be thousands of job openings over the next few years. Attracting new pilots is made even more difficult by the fact that pilot wages aren’t what they once were. Commercial jets still need to get off the ground, though, which gives me an uneasy feeling about what will be done to fasttrack young pilots into the cockpit. This isn’t a problem that’s just now happening, we’ve been headed in this direction for a while. Today’s pilots aren’t getting the instruction and know-how they need for various reasons: • Much of today’s training happens in flight schools in Florida, which in some ways is a great location because weather rarely interferes. However, that’s also a downside. Pilots need to be prepared for all kinds of inclement weather— including ice and snow—yet many of today’s pilots can’t function under those circumstances. The solution some corporate airlines came up with is to avoid flying when the weather turns too nasty. Of course, if you were depending on one of those flights to be somewhere, then it is still a disastrous mess. • Decades ago, “wanna-be” pilots obtained their commercial ratings by flying 200 hours of training, one hour at a time. That qualified a pilot to work as a flight instructor for three or four years, ideally, that was in some location where the pilot had to deal with actual nasty weather. After those three or four years passed, the pilot could move up to a small twin-engine airplane and fly for a local construction company or air
JUNE 2015 freight outfit. From there it was on to bigger twin engines, pressurized twins and a turbo prop. This all meant it was several years and at least 5,000 hours as a pilot before you might move into a jet. These days, instead of paying their dues and gaining more valuable experience in such jobs as hauling freight, pilots go straight to working for airlines as a co-pilot. • Too much pilot training—and actual piloting—involves automation. Instead of racking up flying time the way pilots of old did, student pilots put in a lot of hours on automatic pilot from right after takeoff until it’s time to land. The student may be involved in hand flying the aircraft for just three or four minutes for every hour he is in the air, yet the whole time gets counted as hours of flight time. It’s all under ideal conditions, too, so when pilots graduate from flight school no one really knows what they are capable of or how they might react when a real emergency inevitably arises.
The FAA did improve matters somewhat in 2013 with a rule that all airline copilots must hold an Airline Transport Pilot certificate that requires 1,500 hours total time as a pilot. Previously, those co-pilots were required to have only a commercial pilot certificate, which requires 250 hours of flight time. That was a great step, but the question is: will it be enough? DTJ
The Mentor-Protégé Program at the NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting 2015 Irvin Varkonyi, President, SCOPE ivarkonyi@scopedu.com
“Someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person,” is the definition of a Mentor. 1
“A young person who is taught and helped by someone who has a lot of knowledge and experience,” is the definition of a Protégé. 2
The inaugural NDTA-USTRANSCOM Mentor-Protégé program will be held on the final day of the annual Fall Meeting, September 30, at the Gaylord National Harbor. The program will feature a lunch with industry leaders and the opportunity for mentors and protégés to hold one-on-one meetings. The program will enhance NDTA’s mission of advancing learning and professional development for government and industry participants committed to career paths within the Department of Defense (DOD) and the commercial defense workplace.
When registering for the Fall Meeting, attendees have the opportunity to sign up to be mentors and protégés. NDTA is encouraging those who seek advancement in their careers to take advantage of one-on-one sessions with mentors from within DOD, those retired from DOD, defense contractors, and human resource professionals.
Mentor-Protégé programs have had great success in many aspects that bring together the DOD and its contractors. At Booz Allen, a mentor-protégé program combines the resources of Booz Allen with potential sub-contractors. Booz Allen’s mentor-protégé teams offer the best of two worlds: combining the resources, stability, and experience of a large, established business (mentor) with the innovation, focus, and energy of a small, emerging, disadvantaged business (protégé).The same principles apply whereby an experience individual shares knowledge with a less experienced individual who seeks to conduct business.
THE VALUE PROPOSITION FOR MENTORS AND PROTÉGÉS Both mentors and protégés can consider the value proposition of participating in this program:
Mentors • Offer a positive influence based on their professional experience • Contribute to continued support of DOD’s logistics and transportation mission • Encourage the confidence of protégés to persevere in today’s challenging times
Protégés • Gain a unique opportunity to learn from experienced mentors • Increase your exposure within the NDTA community • Supplement your organization’s human resource planning with important guidance that can help steer your career planning
The program will last approximately two hours. The luncheon speaker will be one of the industry leaders who will address the group and share the story of their personal growth and development that led to gaining their high-ranking position.
Mentors are asked to provide a bio when they sign up to allow protégés to request a specific mentor. Fall Meeting attendees who seek career guidance are invited to register as protégés. They will be able to view the mentor bios in advance and will be given the opportunity to choose up to three mentors whose guidance they think would be most beneficial. The mentor protégé committee will make every effort to match protégés with one of their mentor choices. Should their desired mentor(s) not be available, the committee will assign a mentor. Attendees’ mentor requests should be sent to ivarkonyi@ndtahq.com. There will be a limit of twenty mentors and twenty protégés, modeled on the NDTA DC Chapter’s successful program. A key aspect of the DC Chapter program is holding multiple sessions over a period of nine months. This allows for protégés to meet with a number of different mentors. It is the hope and intention of NDTA to spur local chapters to continue the Mentor-Protégé program at the local chapter level by maintaining involvement with the mentors and protégés who participate during the Fall Meeting. DTJ
OUR VISION To be the world’s leading professional association for individuals working in the global logistic/transportation system and related industries so we may maximize our contribution to the national security and economic growth of the United States.
OUR MISSION To foster a strong and efficient global logistics and transportation system to support the economy and national security of the United States by: • Advancing the knowledge and science of logistics and transportation within government and industry. • Facilitating the sharing of knowledge between government and logistics/transportation related industries. • Educating members on the important issues affecting the global logistics/transportation system.
OUR VALUES Values form the foundation for all that we do in our organization and for our Nation. Our values are our spirit. They are what we believe, what we stand for, and our moral and ethical fiber. The men and women who make up our membership around the globe are dedicated to improving our association today and into the future. Our commitment and competency are reflected in our core values: • Integrity: We conduct our business in an open, honest, ethical manner. Exhibit the courage to speak out and express our opinions. Do what is morally and ethically right. Comply with the intent and the “letter” of policies and laws. • Teamwork: We maximize our collective talents through teams and partnerships based on mutual trust, fairness, respect, cooperation and communication. We promote and recognize creativity and innovation. • Service: We pursue excellence in all of our endeavors. We anticipate and respond to member and partner needs by providing quality products and services. We take pride in our work and commitment to quality. • Action: We will listen well, consider the ideas of others, seek counsel and then act decisively. Relentlessly press for action to resolve an issue or to reach a solution. • Diversity: We value our members, employees, and supporters, their capabilities and differences, plus the unique contributions that each brings to our organization.
Costs are minimal, but the rewards are great! >> Contact NDTA for more information at 703-751-5011 or visit www.ndtahq.com <<
NDTA MEMBERSHIP Maybe you know someone who would like to join. The National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) is a non-political and non-profit educational Association composed of government, military, and industry professionals dedicated to fostering a strong and efficient global transportation and logistics system in support of national security. Membership in NDTA affords opportunities to serve and educate the community in your area of expertise as well as other special benefits.
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
Name
Position/Title
Organization
Mailing Address
City State Zip
Work Phone Email
Birth Date Chapter Affiliation
Sponsor
Membership Type $400.00 – LIFE $110.00 – Regular (3 Years) $40.00 – Regular (1 Year) $30.00 – Young Leaders (35 years or younger) $30.00 – Gov (GS 10 & below)/ Military (Pay grade 03 & below + enlisted grades) $30.00 – Retired (Not employed) $15.00 – Students
Amount Remitted $ _____________________
Donation to the Foundation $ _____________________
CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP Corporate membership in NDTA provides increased exposure and networking opportunities for those companies wanting to do business with the US government or military. Membership should be a key part of any business plan where the defense and government transportation, travel, and logistics system is the target market.
When you join NDTA as a corporate member, your company’s executives will have the opportunity to share ideas with top military, government, and industry officials at NDTA events. These events are conducted and attended by high-level military decision-makers, defense and other government officials, and industry leaders—the individuals who are setting and influencing the transportation, travel, and logistics agenda for the future.
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
Name
Position/Title
Organization
Mailing Address
City State Zip
Work Phone Email
Fax
Membership Type
$9,500.00 – Chairman’s Circle Plus
(Global or national company with multiple operating entities) $6,200.00 – Chairman’s Circle (Global or national operating company) $1,200.00 – Sustaining Member (National or Regional operating company) $550.00 – Regional Patron (Small Business or local operating company)
Amount Remitted $ _____________________
Donation to the Foundation $ _____________________
Check # ________
Card No.
Cardholder’s Name
Signature Discover Visa MasterCard American Express Check # ________
Expiration Date Card No.
Cardholder’s Name
Signature Discover Visa MasterCard American Express
Expiration Date
CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE These corporations are a distinctive group of NDTA Members who, through their generous support of the Association, have dedicated themselves to supporting an expansion of NDTA programs to benefit our members and defense transportation preparedness.
AAR CORP. + PLUS Agility Defense & Government Services + PLUS AIT Worldwide Logistics, Inc. + PLUS American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier (ARC) + PLUS APL Limited + PLUS Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings + PLUS Bennett Motor Express, LLC + PLUS Boyle Transportation, Inc. + PLUS CEVA Logistics + PLUS FedEx + PLUS Final Mile Logistics + PLUS Hapag-Lloyd USA, LLC + PLUS Innovative Logistics, LLC + PLUS Interstate Moving | Relocation | Logistics + PLUS Landstar System, Inc. + PLUS Leidos + PLUS Liberty Global Logistics-Liberty Maritime + PLUS Maersk Line, Limited + PLUS Mainfreight, Inc. + PLUS National Air Cargo + PLUS Omni Air International + PLUS Panalpina + PLUS Panther Premium Logistics + PLUS Supreme Group USA, LLC + PLUS TOTE, Inc. + PLUS Universal Truckload Services, Inc. + PLUS
Aeroscraft Best Western International BNSF Railway Bristol Associates Choice Hotels International Crowley Maritime Corp. CSX Transportation DHL Global Forwarding Echo Global Logistics, Inc. Global Logistics Providers LLC Hybrid Enterprises International Shipholding Corporation Matson Navigation Company Inc. National Air Carrier Association Norfolk Southern Corporation
Ports America R & R Trucking Raith-CTS Logistics SAIC The Pasha Group U.S. Bank Union Pacific Railroad UPS
ALL OF THESE FIRMS SUPPORT THE PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES OF NDTA
SUSTAINING MEMBERS
1-800-PACK-RAT A Team Logistics LLC AAT Carriers ABF Freight System, Inc. Accenture Federal Services Advantage Rent A Car Air Transport International, Inc. Airlines for America Albert Moving Al-Hamd International Container Terminal American Maritime Officers Army & Air Force Exchange Service ARTEMIS Global Logistics & Solutions Arven Services, LLC Associated Global Systems Atlas International ATS Specialized, Inc. Avis Budget Group aVolt Incorporated Baggett Transportation Company Barling Bay, LLC Benchmarking Partners, Inc. Bollore Africa Logistics C.L. Services, Inc. C2 Freight Resources, Inc. Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Chalich Trucking, Inc. Chamber of Shipping of America Coyne Airways Coyote Logistics, LLC Crane Worldwide Logistics, LLC CRST Logistics, Inc.
REGIONAL PATRONS
Acme Truck Line, Inc. AFBEN, Inc. Agile Defense, Inc. Airbus Group, Inc. Alaska Marine Lines Alaska West Express American Moving & Storage Association American Trucking Associations Amyx Association of American Railroads Boeing Company C5T Corporation CakeBoxx Technologies Cargo Experts Corp. Cavalier Logistics CeLeen LLC Ceres Terminals Incorporated
CWT SatoTravel DAMCO Delta Air Lines DHL Express Eagle Freight, LLC Engility Corporation Enterprise Database Corporation Estes Forwarding Worldwide, LLC Europcar Car & Truck Rental Executive Moving Systems, Inc. FlightSafety International Fluor FMN International, Inc. GE Aviation General Dynamics/American Overseas Marine GeoDecisions Greatwide Truckload Management Green Valley Transportation Corp. Hertz Corporation Hilton Worldwide Horizon Lines, LLC Hub Group, Inc. IBM Institute of Hazardous Materials Management Intercomp Company Intermarine, LLC Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) International Auto Logistics International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), AFL-CIO International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots Kansas City Southern Keystone Shipping Co. KGL Holding Knight Transportation Kuehne + Nagel, Inc. Labelmaster LMI Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Logistic Dynamics, Inc. M2 Transport Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association Martin Logistics Incorporated Mayflower Transit McCollister’s Transportation Systems, Inc. McLane Advanced Technologies Menlo Worldwide Logistics Mercer Transportation Company National Van Lines, Inc. Network FOB, Inc. Northern Air Cargo Inc. Ocean Shipholdings, Inc. Omega World Travel Omnitracs, LLC One Network Enterprises, Inc. ORBCOMM Pilot Freight Services PODS Port of Beaumont Port of San Diego Posidon Pratt & Whitney Preferred Systems Solutions, Inc. Prestera Trucking, Inc. Priority Solutions International Priority Worldwide Services Ramar Transportation, Inc. Roadrunner Transportation Systems Savi SBA Global Logistic Services Scotlynn USA Division, Inc. Seafarers International Union of N.A. (SIU NA) Sealed Air Corporation Sealift, Inc. Secured Land Transport SEKO Logistics SkyLink Air & Logistic Support (USA) II, Inc. Southern Air Southwest Airlines Co. SRA International, Inc. Teradata Corporation Textainer Equipment Management (U.S.) Limited Titan Services TQL Transportation Institute Transportation Intermediaries Assn. (TIA) Transportation Management Services Travelport Tri-State Motor Transit Co. (TSMT) TTX Company Tucker Company Worldwide, Inc. United Airlines United Van Lines, Inc. USA Jet Airlines UTi Aerospace and Defense Group Volga Dnepr Airlines Winston & Strawn LLP Women In Trucking Association, Inc.
CGM-NV a NovaVision Company Chapman Freeborn Airchartering Chassis King, Inc. Crystal Forwarding Dalko Resources, Inc. DB Schenker DPRA, Inc. Enterprise Holdings Enterprise Management Systems Fox Rent A Car Hanjin Intermodal America, Inc. Hospitality Logistics International JAS Forwarding John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences Kalitta Charters, LLC LMJ International Logistics, LLC Lockheed Martin M/S Securlog (Private) Limited, Pakistan MacGregor USA, Inc. MCR Federal, LLC Mi-Jack Products Miramar Transportation Naniq Global Logistics LLC National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. NCI Information Systems, Inc. NFI North Carolina State Ports Authority Oakwood Worldwide Overdrive Logistics, Inc. Overwatch, Inc. (a division of Avalon Risk Management) Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association Pak Shaheen Freighters (Pvt) Ltd. Patriot Contract Services, LLC Philadelphia Regional Port Authority PITT OHIO Port of Port Arthur Portus Reckart Logistics, Inc. REUSA-WRAPS Reusable Logistics Solutions, LLC Seabridge, Inc. Seatac Marine Services Southeast Vocational Alliance TechGuard Security Tennessee Steel Haulers The Cartwright Companies Trailer Transit, Inc Trans Global Logistics Europe GmbH TRI-STATE Expedited Service, Inc. UniTrans International, Inc. Utley, Inc. YRC Freight
Blue Line
Blue Line by Chris DiGiuseppi and Sean Caulfield (Motivational Press Inc., 2015), ISBN-13: 978-1-62865-184-3, 366 pages, online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble ($18.95).
If you are looking for a political thriller with a high intensity plot for your summer reading pleasure you have found it. In BLUE LINE the plot revolves around a terrorist threat, a national police force, and a secret the government has been concealing for years. Assassinations of witnesses, an officer involved shooting, destruction of key evidence, and a trail that leads to some of the highest ranking government officials in Washington, DC are among some of the unique twists the story throws at you through its fast paced heart pounding action. BLUE LINE will keep you on the edge of your seat, as fact is blended with
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items, electronic vouchers and payments, automated rate filing, and a myriad of other management and analytical tools. I certainly applaud the efforts of other leaders past and present who had the vision, wherewithal, and resolve to push and pull this quality of life program forward.
Our TSPs are making the necessary changes to streamline and become more qualityfocused. DPS is not only more competitive due to the “Best Value” shipment award process, but also more complex. Many TSPs, including a large number of small business owners, have opted to use Move Management Companies for back office
DTJ INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
APL............................................... C3 ARC................................................ 7 Bennett........................................... 2 Boyle Transportation ....................... 4 Budget.......................................... 13 FedEx ........................................... C4 Landstar....................................... C2 Maersk Line, Limited ...................... 1
fiction provoking the question, “Could this really happen?”
As the story unfolds, guns are being stolen at an alarming rate while the Division of Homeland Security announces their belief that a major terrorist event is set to occur sometime in the near future. After the Director of the FBI resigns in protest to the newly formed National Law Enforcement Agency, veteran police detective Roger Kline finds himself investigating the suspicious death of the Chief Engineer at Gruber & Stein Arms—the leading supplier of weapons to Police Departments and National Guard Units across the country. As Kline continues to uncover the truth he finds himself entangled in an intricate matrix of lies, deceit, and murder. Will he be able to reveal the dark secret that the government has kept hidden for many years or will this be the end of freedom, liberty, and the United States of America? Find out, in BLUE LINE... DTJ
support to handle customer service, claims processing, and billing. Move Management Companies bring a deep understanding of government regulations, industry practices, and most importantly, customer empathy. Outsourcing these functions allows TSPs to achieve an economy of scale and focus on their core functions of providing origin, line haul transportation, storage, and delivery services. The end result is a better move for the military member.
I am confident industry leaders will continue to find new business approaches and partnerships to meet future transportation challenges. After 50 years of initiatives to improve military moves, recent progress is extremely encouraging. Much thanks to the countless dedicated individuals in government and industry whose hard work made this possible. DTJ
MG Charlie Fletcher was the Army representative to the Joint Personal Property Shipping Office in Pearl Harbor as a young Captain and later commanded SDDC, the military command responsible for DOD Household Goods movement. To date, he is the only commander who ever survived working in the field moving HHG to command this organization. bust training programs, many African nations historically have struggled to develop the expertise required to maintain basic air defense forces. Some African states like South Africa, Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco have high capacity air forces, and some are home to reputable international carriers like South Africa, Ethiopia, and Kenya. In other countries, civil and defense aviation is much less robust. The limited talent pipeline is an impediment to the development of the aviation industry in Africa; without a large talent pool based on uniform guidelines, there are fewer experts to help drive the industry to higher regulatory and safety standards. The DOD maintains the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) so it may call upon commercial carriers to supplement its organic military airlift capability in time of urgent need. In many areas, the capacity of the African commercial aviation sector is not great enough to supply a call-when-needed force, even at regional levels, and the sharing of information about military air defense capabilities—or lack thereof—between neighbors is a sensitive subject. Aviation providers from the US and Europe will still be required to augment African governments for the foreseeable future.
According to the Doing Business in Africa Campaign, an initiative led by the US Department of Commerce, Africa is outpacing global growth and represents a growing export market for US business. The council’s priorities include mobilizing capital, improving supply chain efficiency, and developing infrastructure; all of which are essential for the development of transportation sectors in Africa. As we’ve seen, the movement of additional capital into Africa will require the support of the transportation sector, and specifically aviation. Africa presents numerous challenges, but it also represents tremendous opportunity for businesses willing to invest in meeting those challenges. In the end, it also makes your business more efficient and more competitive because it requires leadership and employees at all levels to take a fresh look at standard processes and procedures, determine what factors are essential, empower employees in the field, and amass a library of “lessons learned” for future programs. We’ve proven that we can deliver expeditionary airlift services in remote villages in Africa; if we can be successful there, we can be successful anywhere. DTJ
Behind your operation, is our operation.
On the front line, each situation is different; every environment unique. No one knows what challenges today’s mission will bring, but it’s important to be prepared, and equipped to handle anything.
Our long-standing relationship with the military has proven that APL has what it takes to deliver essential supplies to our troops, on time and on target. And we’ve been proud to offer our unsurpassed service to the U.S. Government for more than 160 years.
With multiple weekly U.S. Flag services linking North America to Asia and Europe plus feeder routes within the Middle East, we make sure mission critical equipment reaches those who need it, so they can complete their mission with confidence. Moving Business Forward
We’ve got your six.
You can count on FedEx. We pride ourselves on providing innovative solutions for all our customers, but it takes on special meaning when we deliver for the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. For fast, reliable service for your urgent shipments, trust FedEx.
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