OPERATORS SURVEY RESULTS
There were a total of 32 operators who responded to the survey. These operators reported that they operate 72 aircraft, and have 194 pilots and 16 flight attendants on staff.
Eighty-four (84%) percent of these operators belong to NBAA.
Thirty of the 32 (94%) respondent companies reported that they use Independent Contract Pilots. (ICPs)
The companies’ responses to priorities in selecting an ICP rated “Training Currency” #1.
Fifty-three (53%) rated training currency as 1, 2, or 3.
“Experience” level was a very close second according to the respondent companies.
Fifty-three (53%) rated Experience level as 1, 2, or 3.
Less than ¼ of a percentage point separated the score of the two categories.
In third place was “Reputation”. Forty-one (41%) of the respondents rated it 1, 2, or 3.
Forth place went to “Availability”. It earned a 1, 2 or 3 from forty-four (44%) of the companies.
"Credentials" was rated fifth in importance by the respondents. It earned 1, 2 or 3 from thirty-four (34%) of the companies.
The list below shows all nine categories listed in order of importance as reported by the respondent companies/operators.
1. Training Currency
2. Experience Level
3. Reputation
4. Availability
5. Credentials
6. Location
7. Daily Rate
8. Background
9. Security Portfolio
The respondent operators reported that they used contract pilots for a total of 1089 days per year. The lowest number of days an ICP was used was 1 day, and the highest was 180 days. The average was 34 days.
The reason given for the use of ICPs was “staff augmentation” for 83% of the operators, and 17% “emergency”. The total days for "augmentation" was 1067, and total days for "emergency" use was 22. This averages out to 42.7 days per year per operator reporting “augmentation use”, and 4.4 days per year per operator reporting “emergency use”.
When asked to rate the order of contact between Full Time Independent Contract Pilot, Part Time Contract Pilot between jobs, and an Employed Pilot with a day off making extra cash, the responses were as follows:
53% would call an ICP first
34% would call a Part Time Contract Pilot between jobs first
13% would call an Employed pilot looking to make some extra cash first
Operators were asked what their departmental minimum requirements are, and 66% require type specific, simulator training within the last 12 months. Also, 63% require a type rating. Among those that required time in type, the responses varied from a low of 25 to a high of 3000. The average was 394 hours. Additionally, some operators specified a total time required. The responses ranged from 100 to 5000 hours. The average was 2400 hours.
Operators also specified a preference for ICPs to have other credentials as follows:
International procedures / RVSM............ 72%
Background Security Checks.................. 34%
CPR..................................................... 28%
In-flight Medical Emergencies/ Egress..... 28%
AED Certification................................... 25%
TSA CHRC with fingerprints................... 13%
TSAAC Certificate................................. 9%
Forty-seven (47%) percent of the operators desired drug tests for their ICPs. They were nearly equally divided between those who wanted a drug test within the last year, and those that preferred a random program.
When asked which type of ICP is most important, the operators overwhelmingly (84%) responded that they held more importance to an ICP who met all their preferences (“Quality“) as opposed to one who was cheaper, but did not meet their preferences.
Operators were then asked if the following scenario would effect their operation: The TSAAC model is implemented nationwide without provisions for ICPs, thereby making ICPs unavailable. Seventy-five percent (75%) responded that they would be affected by such a situation.
Of those operators that said that the above scenario would affect their operation, 73% said that they would ground an airplane, and 36% said that they would have to hire more pilots with benefits.
CONTRACT FLIGHT ATTENDANT SECTION
Operators were asked if they used Contract Flight Attendants. (CFAs)
Nineteen (19%) percent reported that they did use CFAs.
The number of days per year that operators reported that they used CFAs ranged from 10 days up to 300 days. The average was 89 days per operator.
The reason given for the use of CFAs was unanimous. They all (100%) reported that they used CFAs to augment the flight department staff.
Operators were asked what the minimum requirements were to work for their department.
All the operators required formal Business Aviation Flight Attendant Training. However they were equally divided between a 12 month and 24 month requirement for this training.
All of the operators required Business Aviation Flight Attendant experience.
The number of years they required ranged from 1 to 5 years, with 2.75 years the average.
When asked which of the following credentials that they prefer, they responded as follows:
All (100%) the operators prefer that the CFAs have In-flight Medical Emergency training, as well as AED, CPR-adult, Heimlich, and food safety training. Further, 83% prefer High Altitude Physiology training.
Two-thirds or 67% prefer a Background Security Check and CPR –Infant/Child training.
One-third, 33%, wanted a TSA CHRC for their CFAs.
Only 17% wanted their CFAs to hold a current FAA Medical Certificate.
Eighty-three (83%) prefer to have a drug test for their CFAs. Of those, 60% listed a drug test within the last year as their preference, and 40% wanted a random drug test.
Independent Contract Professionals Survey
There were responses from 70 individuals. Of these, 70% were pilots, and 30% were flight attendants.
As a group, 49% belong to NBAA, 56% are true ICPs, 27% are job seekers, and 17% are contracting for extra income.
If we look at just the CFAs, the statistics are as follows:
NBAA member....................................... 62%
ICP (Independent Contract Professional). 52%
LFJ (Looking for Job)............................. 33%
Extra $ (full time employed).................... 14%
When asked how many different companies they have worked for in the last year, the CFAs replied as follows:
Low .................. 1
High ................ 12
Average.......... 3.9
When asked how many different companies they have worked for since 9/11/2001, the CFAs replied as follows:
Low .................. 1
High ................ 24
Average.......... 5.3
The CFAs reported an average of 81% repeat customers.
The CFAs were asked how many days they worked last year. The responses were as follows:
Low .................. 0
High .............. 300
Average....... 121.7
Average days per month 10.1
When asked if they had seen any increase or decrease in the amount of contract work in the last year, 48% of the CFAs reported an increase, 24% reported a decrease, and 29% reported no change.
When asked if they had seen any increase or decrease in the amount of contract work since 9/11, 43% of the CFAs reported an increase, 19% reported a decrease, and 38% reported no change.
When asked if their customers preferred an ICP or a person with a full time job, the CFAs were equally divided at 50% for each category.
When asked if they found that the part time contractors with full time jobs undercut their rates, the CFAs reported that 32% did undercut, and 68% did not undercut.
When asked by how much, they reported it two ways. The range of those who reported in percent was 50% - 60%. Those that reported a dollar figure said that the part time contractors undercut them by $100/ day.
When asked what training their customers wanted, the CFAs responded as follows:
12 month sim based training…29%
24 month sim based training…24%
When asked if they pay for their own recurrent training, the CFAs responded 65% yes, and 35% no. For those that responded “YES”, the amount paid last year ranged from $1500 to $4000, with an average of $2,648.75.
The Pilots’ statistics:
NBAA Members..................................... 43%
ICP (Independent Contract Professional). 57%
LFJ (Looking for Job)............................. 24%
Extra $ (Full time employed)................... 18%
When asked how many different companies they have worked for in the last year, the pilots replied as follows:
Low .................. 1
High ................ 22
Average.......... 5.5
When asked how many different companies they have worked for since 9/11/2001, the pilots replied as follows:
Low .................. 1
High ................ 45
Average.......... 8.1
The pilots reported an average of 77.2% repeat customers.
The pilots were asked how many days they worked last year. The responses were as follows:
Low ............... 0
High .............. 350
Average....... 126.4
Average days per month 10.5
When asked if they had seen any increase or decrease in the amount of contract work in the last year, 50% of the pilots reported an increase, 27% reported a decrease, and 23% reported no change.
When asked if they had seen any increase or decrease in the amount of contract work since 9/11, 52% of the pilots reported an increase, 25% reported a decrease, and 23% reported no change.
When asked if their customers preferred an ICP or a person with a full time job, the pilots reported 67% preferred an ICP, and 33% prefer a person with a full time job.
When asked if they found that the part time contractors with full time jobs undercut their rates, the pilots reported that 53% did undercut, and 47% did not undercut. When asked by how much, they reported it two ways. The range of those who reported in percent was 20% - 50%. Those that reported a dollar figure, said that the part time contractors undercut them by $100 - $500/ day.
When asked what training their customers wanted, the pilots responded as follows:
12 month sim based training….82%
24 month sim based training….10%
Type specific 12 month…..67%
Alternating jets allowed…..22%
When asked if they pay for their own recurrent training, the pilots responded 59% yes, and 41% no. For those that responded “YES”, the amount paid last year ranged from $5,000 to $38,000, with an average of $17,996.43.
When asked about their type ratings, the pilots reported from 1 – 4 with 1.8 the average. The pilots reported the number of type ratings held as follows:
1 29%
2 43%
3 12%
4 6%
The number of type ratings they keep 12 month current ranged form 1 – 4 with 1.4 the average. The pilots reported the number of type ratings kept 12 month current as follows:
1 39%
2 29%
3 8%
4 4%
The number of type ratings they keep 24 month current was 1 or 2. The pilots reported the number of type ratings kept 24 month current as follows:
1 14%
2 6%
The number of ICPs listed on a TSAAC certificate were as follows:
FAs 19%
Pilots 31%
The number of ICPs with security training were as follows:
FAs 29%
Pilots 31%
ICPs were asked what they feel is their customers’ priorities when hiring a contractor. They responded in the following order:
1 Experience
2 Reputation
3 Training currency
4 Availability
5 Credentials
6 Location
7 Daily rate
8 Background
9 Security portfolio