When the pandemic reduced the amount of business flying in 2020, many aviation managers were asked to downsize their operations, furlough employees and not fill job openings caused by attrition. Now, many aviation managers are seeing a substantial increase in flight demand and must ramp up quickly.
How are aviation managers meeting the increased demand? How has aircraft use changed as a result? What is the immediate and long-term impact on aviation department staffing?
Staffing During the Crisis
Harley-Davidson Motor Company’s Director of Aviation Jad Donaldson said his operation had no pandemic-induced layoffs or furloughs, but the company decided not to fill a post that became vacant due to a retirement. He said the desire to retain employees was the direct result of the company valuing the flight department.
“Our leadership understood that one of the greatest assets we have is a business aircraft. It keeps us competitive,” said Donaldson.
While companies often cut travel budgets when times are tough, Donaldson’s organization used the aircraft extensively during the pandemic to move engineers and manufacturing teams because that was the only practical way for those passengers to get to a plant.
The airlines proved too unreliable during the early days of the pandemic, and the company implemented safe-travel policies, essentially limiting travel to company aircraft, with mask-wearing and COVID-19 testing when appropriate, or to ground vehicle travel with a maximum of two people per car. As a result, the organization reported no COVID-19 cases related to company travel.
“Our leadership understood that one of the greatest assets we have is a business aircraft. It keeps us competitive. ”
JAD DONALDSON Director of Aviation, Harley-Davidson Motor Company
Bill Riter, CAM, aviation department manager at Rich Products Corporation, said his company’s leadership considered furloughs; however, they decided against it.
“It was an eerie time,” recalled Riter. “We weren’t sure what was in store for the long run, but after a two-week hiatus on flights, our leadership decided the flight department must remain mission-ready at all times.”
Prior to the pandemic, John Tuten’s organization conducted numerous international flights, which accounted for almost 50% of total operations. Obviously, when the pandemic hit, those flights ceased. Short-term company-wide furloughs followed during the first few months of the crisis, but renewed flight demand and planned retirements eventually resulted in a return to balanced staffing.
Jennifer Monroe, human resources supervisor at Duncan Aviation, says her company never stopped hiring during the pandemic, but it had fewer open positions available than had been expected.
“We wanted to keep existing team members employed and not require any furloughs or layoffs,” explained Monroe. “Some areas of the organization saw an increase in work, so we moved technicians to different areas of the company.” She said this had an added benefit: it helped people learn new skills by working in a different area.
Monroe predicts that the work environment for certain aviation professionals may change going forward, saying she expects more work-from-home options for certain workers, adding that these options help human resources experts in recruiting and retention.
Ramping Up Service
Most business aviation managers surveyed are optimistic about future flight activity, suggesting that continuing airline challenges and the convenience of company aircraft will continue to increase demand for business aviation. As airlines attempt to recover from the pandemic, ticket prices are climbing. There often is not enough airline capacity to meet demand. And airline schedules are still in flux as aircraft and pilots are brought back online.
The time saved by flying by business aircraft is becoming more important, declared Donaldson. “If you have time constraints, we provide the time machine to get things done,” he said.
Companies that laid off or furloughed business aircraft pilots during the early days of the pandemic typically are requiring aviators to complete recurrent training before they return to regular flying. Many operators have allocated extra flight time in the aircraft to ensure not just legal currency, but also pilot proficiency. These proactive moves enabled many organizations to ramp up quickly to meet increased flight demand.
Riter’s organization saw a slowdown during the pandemic, but he says by this autumn he expects flight activity will be at 2019 levels or even higher. He said his operation’s return-to-service plan enabled the flight department to quickly meet demands it otherwise might not have. “This plan was a total team effort,” he noted.
Donaldson reported that his company’s 2020 flight volume was 50% of the previous year, but that figure included five months of no flying at all. When a previously closed plant reopened, the demand for flights increased significantly.
“We weren’t sure what was in store for the long run, but after a two-week hiatus on flights, our leadership decided the flight department must remain mission-ready at all times.”
BILL RITER CAM Aviation Department Manager, Rich Products Corporation
Tuten’s organization flew as much in June 2021 as it did in a non-COVID year. Regular passengers are flying more, and more people have been given access to the aircraft. By the end of 2021 or before, Tuten expects to be back to full normal operations.
As business flying rebounds, staffing and fleet changes may be necessary, but for now, the operators interviewed don’t plan to expand their fleets. Instead, they are focusing on using their existing resources most effectively and efficiently.
For example, Tuten’s aviation operation is currently operating lean, as far as personnel is concerned, mostly due to retirements. But he expects recruiting and hiring will be conducted through the middle of 2022. Until then, the organization is supplementing with contract pilots and maintainers.
Review NBAA’s operations resources at nbaa.org/operations.
Regaining Pilot Proficiency
Many business aircraft operators affected by COVID-19 are now returning to normal schedules, and with that comes a heightened need to ensure pilots are still at the top of their game.
“I don’t like the word ‘current,’” said Aimee Hein, head of regulatory affairs – Americas for training provider CAE. “It’s about proficiency and competency, and training departments within company flight operations must take careful note of any operational or training concerns in this environment.”
COVID-19 resulted in “an immediate transition to a virtual working environment,” noted the director of aviation for a Fortune 100 company. “That quickly evolved into a proficiency issue. We had to get creative in developing more in-house training, both in the aircraft and academically, to maintain skills.”
That included in-aircraft training not previously authorized by the company, “but it was a necessity for us during the first three months of the pandemic,” the aviation director continued. “That was a big change, but the good news is we got really good at in-sourcing training. We’re now focused on the strategic challenge of finding the right balance in training options moving forward.”
Hein recommends a proactive training approach to getting personnel back up to speed.
“Talk with your crews and work with your training provider ahead of time so no one is coming in cold,” she emphasized. “The instructor then has time to prepare and use the time as intended – as a learning experience to increase proficiency and competency.”
When pilots return to service, crew schedulers may need to consider pairing aviators and cabin crews with recent flight time with those who may need to brush up on certain skills.
“Preflight preparation should also start sooner than usual in this environment and encompass the entire crew,” Hein said. “Encourage everyone on the aircraft to talk and watch out for each other.”
Reclaiming Your Medical Certificate After COVID
While most pilots diagnosed with COVID-19 are able to continue flying safely after recovering from the disease, those who experienced more severe symptoms, or who may be suffering from lingering, “long-haul COVID,” will need to work with their aviation medical examiner (AME) to get back on the flight deck.
The FAA has defined a process by which AMEs can report an airman’s experience with COVID, and it grants the AME authority to issue medical certificates or interim clearances to those who fully recovered from the disease without being hospitalized.
The AME also may certify the pilot if he or she was hospitalized, provided they did not require intensive care and have fully recovered. The exam must be deferred, however, for pilots who were in the ICU, or who continue to experience residual symptoms or side effects. In such cases, the pilot will need to provide documentation associated with their condition requested by the AME and send it to the FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine for review.
Dr. Quay Snyder, CEO of Aviation Medicine Advisory Service, noted that COVID’s potential cognitive and mental health effects pose a particular concern for those with more severe or prolonged illness.
“Neurocognitive, psychological or cardiopulmonary testing will possibly be required to ensure the applicant meets aeromedical standards if they have significant or persistent mental or respiratory symptoms,” he said. “However, we’ve not seen many cases yet, as most pilots with persistent symptoms will have grounded themselves under the requirements of FAR 61.53 and will not be visiting their AME until they’ve recovered.”
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.