Work-life balance

These trends are not only to be found in aircraft systems or software, however, but in the next generation of crew that will take the aircraft aloft. For, like the machines that they fly, people change.

In the wake of World War II, an airline pilot bordered on the stereotype: a returned serviceman who traded his military wings for the civil equivalent; his Lancaster for a Constellation. His all-male crew still carried a navigator with a sextant eyeing the stars. And while jets replaced propellers relatively quickly, it would take many more years before females could take their seat on the flightdeck.

However, the diversity of the modern flightdeck extends well beyond gender. The career expectations for many of the new generation are very different from their predecessors. After some time in the industry, achieving a command seat in an airliner may not rank as highly as preserving a lifestyle. The role in the modern home for both men and women can entail any number of combinations with varying constructs of carer and bread-winner. One size does not fit all.

Recent feedback indicated that some young pilots are looking to the future in different ways. While there are those seeking to spend more time at home, a number expressed interest in part-time flying to pursue interests ranging from film-making to property development. Others foresaw a changing model where they would reduce their commitment while their family was young but return wholeheartedly to the industry when their child-raising duties reduced. And then there were still those for whom the airline career was first and foremost. Consequently, as we move forward, the industry needs to consider the ramifications of such social change in the years ahead.

It would be easy to say “like it or lump it” based on the career paths of those already established in the cockpit, but the world is a very different place. Young recruits are not flocking to aviation as they once did, given the almost limitless choice of industries that offer flexibility. Similarly, the perception of a job for life has passed by the wayside with multiple careers a more realistic expectation.

The airlines have already seen some progress in recognising this societal change. There is paternity leave for new fathers while some companies offer partial rosters for carers and flexi-lines for those wishing to fly less than a full roster. However, it is not an easy transition for either party. There are complaints that some flexi-lines offer reduced hours but spread over the same amount of days flying per month. Additionally, there are those carers working a reduced roster who experience a subtle backlash from their peers.

The issues are partially cultural and partially the result of a long-established, semi-rigid methodology adapting to a modern, more flexible philosophy. Such transition takes time and involves trade-offs, neither of which are necessarily well received. Furthermore, there are still regulatory requirements for ongoing training and currency that need to be considered for those flying less than full-time. However, the need for change is imperative.

In fields such as safety management, aviation has been an industry leader but it still has some way to go in building an adaptable workforce. It is tremendous that we are seeing more women enter the industry and naïve to expect that, eventually, they will not have differing family-based needs. That is not to say this is necessarily in the role of a carer as more dads are staying at home too. Male pilots may well have a growing need for a workplace that facilitates serving as a carer.

In the face of the much publicised global pilot shortage, there is a need to both attract and retain the next generation of pilots. To lose a pilot midway through a career makes poor fiscal sense given the time and expense that has been invested in training. And what value can be placed on the relevant experience gained through years of service? Furthermore, who is to say that the recruit replacing them will offer subsequent longevity?

Perhaps the airlines need to cast their net more widely to understand how other industries are managing this looming issue. If we hope to attract the best and brightest to our flightdecks of the future, then we need to realise that their needs are very different to those of the past. We need to adapt and offer genuine flexibility or the pilot shortage that confronts us today may become even more critical.

‘Young pilots are looking to the future in different ways.’