Page 19 - Volume 17 Number 10

acquaintances of mine, expressing concern about their first officer’s lack of ability to perform a basic visual approach; they say something like, “He is great on the box, but the guy can’t fly the airplane to save his neck (or anyone else’s for that matter).” I believe we are starting to see accidents specifically related to a lack of basic stick skills as well; the AirFrance and Colgan Air tragedies, specifically, have received a great deal of media attention. Isn’t it true that referring to yourself as the pilot first means that you can fly the airplane safely, as compared to being just a systems manager? Perhaps these perceived issues are partly my generation’s fault: Have we been adequately mentoring the younger generation? Nonetheless, in the end, we all want to know, when we get on an airplane as a passenger, that the men and women in the seats up front are safe, experienced pilots, regardless of their age.The solutions to these issues are perhaps best left to experts. Is it better pay, financial assistance/ student loans, a greater emphasis in the training environment on basic airmanship, including instruction in sound judgment, better mentoring, and career counseling to include life style issues? The list could be a long one. I don’t pretend to know the answers to what is really a social and cultural issue more than an aviation issue, but it does seem that the industry, worldwide, has a serious problem developing, one that should be addressed before we start having to leave aircraft on the ground for lack of crews to safely fly them.In a number of countries around the world, aviation professionals are recruited right out of college; perhaps a few are selected by their social standing, rather than their aptitude. These students are trained from scratch, at the expense of the prospective employer. With theever-increasing cost of training, we may, by necessity, have to go this way here in the U.S. as well. But, are these college graduates in the cockpit because of a real passion and dedication to aviation, or for other reasons? And, if for other reasons, are they motivated to become the best aviators they can be, and will our skies be as safe as they could be?In my personal opinion, we inaviation can and should provide theguidance the next generation willneed in choosing an aviation career,and then encourage them to simplypersevere through the first fewdifficult years of that career. And,I believe that, in general, the futureand the aptitude to succeed. T&T •looks bright for those with the passionOCTOBER 2013TWIN & TURBINE • 17Russell Smith has flown profes- sionally for more than 40 years, holds an ATP with eight jet type ratings, and has accumulated 25,000 hours.