Aviation Articles List

Save Our Pilots

Bio:
Captain Robert “that guy” Riter
30 year veteran flight instructor
Degrees in Flight Operations, Sociology, and Masters Degree in National Security Studies

I am a 30 year veteran pilot. Today I am trying to get to Wichita, KS for annual training in emergency scenarios: engines blowing up, cockpit fires, and other fun things that we pilot’s train for on a regular basis.

I arrived at the airport 3 hours ahead of time… because I know better. And yes… my flight has been canceled. I am then instructed to drive two to three hours to the next airport just to get a flight. After I do this major inconvenience, I then get stuck at Phoenix International where my flight is delayed. It is then clear to me there is no chance of making it to my destination that day. The customer service desk person advised me that I am really lucky! I am on standby for a flight tomorrow afternoon!

I would like to think that this is all due to Covid, but once again…I know better. This problem began back in February, 2009 when a flight crashed in Buffalo, NY killing 50 people. From a pilot’s perspective the crash was caused due to a lack of proper training in winter flying conditions. The pilots were not familiar with icing conditions nor the characteristics or the aircraft they were flying.

Instead of focusing upon the actual problems that caused the crash the federal government pursued another approach. The federal government then mandated that all airline pilots have an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) license. This is the highest pilot license there is, so it makes sense to require the best license for pilots flying people. Like most things the devil is always in the details! To get an ATP license a pilot must have 1,500 flight hours as a minimum.

Most of our young pilots only have 300 flight hours when they graduate from flight school. This meant that these new pilots would have to gain the additional 1200 hours of flight time working as flight instructors, or at corporate flight departments. To accomplish this requirement would take an average pilot three to four additional years.

When this requirement was set no one fought it as it was just “a problem for the airlines to deal with.” This problem has now resulted in the worst pilot shortage that the United States has ever seen! This requirement for the co-pilots to have an ATP license adds nothing to safety. It is just another arbitrary and needless government regulation. For decades the flight crews have had an older seasoned Captain to provide wisdom and experience. Then a younger co-pilot to provide youth, stamina, and attention to small details to aid the captain. The role of the co-pilot is that of running thru endless check lists, talking on the radio, and providing assistance to the captain. This system has worked flawlessly for decades. There is no reason for the co-pilot to have an ATP license as the captain already has one!

If this was not bad enough, the federal government has gone further to destroy the airlines. In February 2019, a sky diving plane crashed in Hawaii killing 11 people. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the crash was due to “poor flight training.” This determination was made even though the instructor had not trained the pilot in that aircraft, that the instructor’s last training was given 2 to 3 years earlier, and that the pilot had been employed as a working pilot at two other companies prior to this accident. I am very aware of the details of this accident. I just happen to be the flight instructor that trained that pilot! After having my business destroyed, and my reputation ruined, I am now just referred to as “that guy.”

The FAA’s and NTSB’s findings were completely out of line and make no sense. Like most things the government does we all just shrug our shoulders, and then go about our business trying to make a living. However, the FAA and NTSB would not just stop at bad mouthing a pilot that was put into an impossible situation that took his life. Nor settle with defaming a flight instructor that has no power or voice to protest. Instead, these two agencies have decided to hold all flight instructors responsible for the pass rates of flight students. If a flight instructor has less than an 80% pass rate on check rides he/she is considered not only a poor instructor, but is also considered a safety hazard to aviation.

At first glance this may make sense. However, when you know how check rides are conducted for pilot certificates this is devastating. Our flight instructors are the very heart of our aviation industry. This is the first job that a young pilot has. Flight instructors are the pipeline of our future airline pilots.

As a working flight instructor, I have personally seen the mismanagement of pilot check rides over the years. The check rides involve another senior pilot just going over the standards and making sure that the individual meets all the requirements for a pilot certificate. This was a very straight forward system that made sense. However, the FAA has mismanaged this process to the point where it is no longer even recognizable.

When the pilot that crashed in Hawaii was getting his pilot certificates he failed his check ride three times during his training. As I recall the reasons for failure were as trivial as drifting a little bit on take off, landing too hard on a “soft field” landing, and landing 50 to 100 longer than requirements for a “short field” landing. These were not training issues, rather just a young pilot making small errors with a senior pilot breathing down his neck! Check rides are stressful and are not something that we experience even when going thru college. During this time frame the FAA had told the people giving the check rides that they needed to have at least a 35% failure rate. If these examiners did not have this failure rate they would be fired. This resulted in a failure rate well above 50% as no one wanted to get in trouble with the FAA.

As a result, a young pilot trying to build his/her flight time by being a flight instructor is placed in a position that could end their career. Despite their best efforts if their failure rate is below 80% then that person is determined to be a poor instructor, and worst of all a safety risk to aviation. Is there anywhere else where someone is held accountable for another’s test performance? Do we see law professors being dismissed for students not passing the bar? Do medical schools fire their staff when their students do not become doctors? Why is this even being considered for entry level pilots that are just young adults?

Can you imagine having your son or daughter spending over $100K for training, and two to three years of hard work to earn their pilot’s certificates. Then to see them take on the difficult job of being a flight instructor which in most cases is their very first job. Then to see it all taken away from them due to someone else’s performance. This is so unfair and unreasonable that it boggles the mind! Especially when that performance may be rigged by the FAA for them to deliberately fail. I find this to be heartbreaking, and too much to place upon our young pilots.

This is resulting in flight instructors not sending students to their check rides for fear of them failing. Then new pilots are seeing that being a flight instructor is just not worth the risk. The FAA has practically stopped flight instruction in the USA. This will make the problems with our air travel almost impossible very soon.

I have just learned that now the insurance companies are requiring corporate flight departments to only hire co-pilots that have over 1,000 flight hours. Graduates from flight schools have no way to get to 1000 flight hours. So now there is no path forward for our sons and daughters to become our future pilots. The requirement to have an ATP license is not required in other countries. This leaves the airlines no choice but to hire foreigners to be our next generation of pilots. I hear on the radios when flying the voices of foreign kids being co-pilots for our airlines and cargo companies more and more each day. These are the transitional jobs that our young pilots need to move forward in their career, but are being denied the position on purpose.

The issues facing aviation are easy to fix if we just address them. We have plenty of planes sitting on the ground with no pilots to fly them. We have thousands of fully trained and licensed young pilots ready to work. We need to reverse the poor and misguided rule of co-pilot’s needing to have an ATP license. We need to reverse the FAA’s mismanagement of the pilot licensing process. We need to stop the insurance companies making unnecessary rules for co-pilots. And we need to protect our young pilots from being held accountable or someone else’s performance on a check ride.

These problems we now face when we travel with the airlines have been brought about by government mismanagement. And in true government fashion they are blaming the victims which are the airlines. I watched our Department of Transportation Secretary, a Mr. Pete Buttigieg, on national television saying that he was going to fix this problem. Mr. Buttigieg’s solution was that of fining the airlines for not being able to make scheduled flights. He did not appear to have the self-awareness to realize that his agency is the source of the problem. Maybe no one told him? If we let this continue, we may lose our airlines as they slowly go bankrupt, or just give up with the impossible demands placed upon them.

I have personally attempted the normal routes that are provided to us such as contacting representatives. My congressional representative is a Mr. Jay Obernolte. Mr. Obernolte is a Certified Flight Instructor! I was excited to see we have someone that is part of our community in congress!! It has been two to three months since I requested his help with these issues. To date there has been no response from Mr. Obernolte regarding these issues. I know he got my complaint because I am now on his email list. I suppose he is too busy at cocktail parties to get involved in anything that matters.

As pilots we are the most safety conscious and law-abiding citizens in the world. Not following the established procedures keep us up at night and make us hide under the bed! I believe we need to change our behavior. Why should we keep asking for help that will never be given? We need our young pilots to organize and peacefully protest. How about seeing the insurance executives waking up to protestors outside of their homes? The slogans could be “Give Us Back Our Future!” “We Don’t deserve to be sold out!” “We protect you can’t you protect us?”

These rules set up to deprive the next generation of American pilots are just arbitrary. They do not serve anything to do with safety. They do not save any money. Why do we fight to the death over correct parts, better flight procedures, and then accept mind deadening policies from our government? We need to change our current culture in the aviation community. We need to stand up for what is right. We need to protect our future pilots coming up through the ranks. They are on the endangered list and are soon to be extinct.

As I sit here at the airport, I think of our past of being the first in flight at Kitty Hawk, being the first on the moon, and of the bright future which we can still have. It is heartbreaking to see aviation being undermined and destroyed right in front of us. As pilots we fly millions of people safely all over the word. We do not see skin color, nor gender, we only see human life that we protect to our last breath. My career in aviation is at a close, but I will proudly support whatever course of action the new generation of pilots wish to pursue.

Captain Robert “that guy” Riter
YouTube: Capt. Robert “That Guy” Riter
Website: Captthatguy.com
Email: robertriter@captthatguy.com

​

Bio:

Captain Robert “that guy” Riter

30 year veteran flight instructor

Degrees in Flight Operations, Sociology, and Masters Degree in National Security Studies

​

I am a 30 year veteran pilot. Today I am trying to get to Wichita, KS for annual training in emergency scenarios: engines blowing up, cockpit fires, and other fun things that we pilot’s train for on a regular basis.

​

I arrived at the airport 3 hours ahead of time… because I know better. And yes… my flight has been canceled. I am then instructed to drive two to three hours to the next airport just to get a flight. After I do this major inconvenience, I then get stuck at Phoenix International where my flight is delayed. It is then clear to me there is no chance of making it to my destination that day. The customer service desk person advised me that I am really lucky! I am on standby for a flight tomorrow afternoon!

​

I would like to think that this is all due to Covid, but once again…I know better. This problem began back in February, 2009 when a flight crashed in Buffalo, NY killing 50 people. From a pilot’s perspective the crash was caused due to a lack of proper training in winter flying conditions. The pilots were not familiar with icing conditions nor the characteristics or the aircraft they were flying.

​

Instead of focusing upon the actual problems that caused the crash the federal government pursued another approach. The federal government then mandated that all airline pilots have an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) license. This is the highest pilot license there is, so it makes sense to require the best license for pilots flying people. Like most things the devil is always in the details! To get an ATP license a pilot must have 1,500 flight hours as a minimum.

​

Most of our young pilots only have 300 flight hours when they graduate from flight school. This meant that these new pilots would have to gain the additional 1200 hours of flight time working as flight instructors, or at corporate flight departments. To accomplish this requirement would take an average pilot three to four additional years.

​

When this requirement was set no one fought it as it was just “a problem for the airlines to deal with.” This problem has now resulted in the worst pilot shortage that the United States has ever seen! This requirement for the co-pilots to have an ATP license adds nothing to safety. It is just another arbitrary and needless government regulation. For decades the flight crews have had an older seasoned Captain to provide wisdom and experience. Then a younger co-pilot to provide youth, stamina, and attention to small details to aid the captain. The role of the co-pilot is that of running thru endless check lists, talking on the radio, and providing assistance to the captain. This system has worked flawlessly for decades. There is no reason for the co-pilot to have an ATP license as the captain already has one!

​

If this was not bad enough, the federal government has gone further to destroy the airlines. In February 2019, a sky diving plane crashed in Hawaii killing 11 people. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the crash was due to “poor flight training.” This determination was made even though the instructor had not trained the pilot in that aircraft, that the instructor’s last training was given 2 to 3 years earlier, and that the pilot had been employed as a working pilot at two other companies prior to this accident. I am very aware of the details of this accident. I just happen to be the flight instructor that trained that pilot! After having my business destroyed, and my reputation ruined, I am now just referred to as “that guy.”

​

The FAA’s and NTSB’s findings were completely out of line and make no sense. Like most things the government does we all just shrug our shoulders, and then go about our business trying to make a living. However, the FAA and NTSB would not just stop at bad mouthing a pilot that was put into an impossible situation that took his life. Nor settle with defaming a flight instructor that has no power or voice to protest. Instead, these two agencies have decided to hold all flight instructors responsible for the pass rates of flight students. If a flight instructor has less than an 80% pass rate on check rides he/she is considered not only a poor instructor, but is also considered a safety hazard to aviation.

​

At first glance this may make sense. However, when you know how check rides are conducted for pilot certificates this is devastating. Our flight instructors are the very heart of our aviation industry. This is the first job that a young pilot has. Flight instructors are the pipeline of our future airline pilots.

​

As a working flight instructor, I have personally seen the mismanagement of pilot check rides over the years. The check rides involve another senior pilot just going over the standards and making sure that the individual meets all the requirements for a pilot certificate. This was a very straight forward system that made sense. However, the FAA has mismanaged this process to the point where it is no longer even recognizable.

​

When the pilot that crashed in Hawaii was getting his pilot certificates he failed his check ride three times during his training. As I recall the reasons for failure were as trivial as drifting a little bit on take off, landing too hard on a “soft field” landing, and landing 50 to 100 longer than requirements for a “short field” landing. These were not training issues, rather just a young pilot making small errors with a senior pilot breathing down his neck! Check rides are stressful and are not something that we experience even when going thru college. During this time frame the FAA had told the people giving the check rides that they needed to have at least a 35% failure rate. If these examiners did not have this failure rate they would be fired. This resulted in a failure rate well above 50% as no one wanted to get in trouble with the FAA.

​

As a result, a young pilot trying to build his/her flight time by being a flight instructor is placed in a position that could end their career. Despite their best efforts if their failure rate is below 80% then that person is determined to be a poor instructor, and worst of all a safety risk to aviation. Is there anywhere else where someone is held accountable for another’s test performance? Do we see law professors being dismissed for students not passing the bar? Do medical schools fire their staff when their students do not become doctors? Why is this even being considered for entry level pilots that are just young adults?

​

Can you imagine having your son or daughter spending over $100K for training, and two to three years of hard work to earn their pilot’s certificates. Then to see them take on the difficult job of being a flight instructor which in most cases is their very first job. Then to see it all taken away from them due to someone else’s performance. This is so unfair and unreasonable that it boggles the mind! Especially when that performance may be rigged by the FAA for them to deliberately fail. I find this to be heartbreaking, and too much to place upon our young pilots.

​

This is resulting in flight instructors not sending students to their check rides for fear of them failing. Then new pilots are seeing that being a flight instructor is just not worth the risk. The FAA has practically stopped flight instruction in the USA. This will make the problems with our air travel almost impossible very soon.

​

I have just learned that now the insurance companies are requiring corporate flight departments to only hire co-pilots that have over 1,000 flight hours. Graduates from flight schools have no way to get to 1000 flight hours. So now there is no path forward for our sons and daughters to become our future pilots. The requirement to have an ATP license is not required in other countries. This leaves the airlines no choice but to hire foreigners to be our next generation of pilots. I hear on the radios when flying the voices of foreign kids being co-pilots for our airlines and cargo companies more and more each day. These are the transitional jobs that our young pilots need to move forward in their career, but are being denied the position on purpose.

​

The issues facing aviation are easy to fix if we just address them. We have plenty of planes sitting on the ground with no pilots to fly them. We have thousands of fully trained and licensed young pilots ready to work. We need to reverse the poor and misguided rule of co-pilot’s needing to have an ATP license. We need to reverse the FAA’s mismanagement of the pilot licensing process. We need to stop the insurance companies making unnecessary rules for co-pilots. And we need to protect our young pilots from being held accountable or someone else’s performance on a check ride.

​

These problems we now face when we travel with the airlines have been brought about by government mismanagement. And in true government fashion they are blaming the victims which are the airlines. I watched our Department of Transportation Secretary, a Mr. Pete Buttigieg, on national television saying that he was going to fix this problem. Mr. Buttigieg’s solution was that of fining the airlines for not being able to make scheduled flights. He did not appear to have the self-awareness to realize that his agency is the source of the problem. Maybe no one told him? If we let this continue, we may lose our airlines as they slowly go bankrupt, or just give up with the impossible demands placed upon them.

​

I have personally attempted the normal routes that are provided to us such as contacting representatives. My congressional representative is a Mr. Jay Obernolte. Mr. Obernolte is a Certified Flight Instructor! I was excited to see we have someone that is part of our community in congress!! It has been two to three months since I requested his help with these issues. To date there has been no response from Mr. Obernolte regarding these issues. I know he got my complaint because I am now on his email list. I suppose he is too busy at cocktail parties to get involved in anything that matters.

​

As pilots we are the most safety conscious and law-abiding citizens in the world. Not following the established procedures keep us up at night and make us hide under the bed! I believe we need to change our behavior. Why should we keep asking for help that will never be given? We need our young pilots to organize and peacefully protest. How about seeing the insurance executives waking up to protestors outside of their homes? The slogans could be “Give Us Back Our Future!” “We Don’t deserve to be sold out!” “We protect you can’t you protect us?”

​

These rules set up to deprive the next generation of American pilots are just arbitrary. They do not serve anything to do with safety. They do not save any money. Why do we fight to the death over correct parts, better flight procedures, and then accept mind deadening policies from our government? We need to change our current culture in the aviation community. We need to stand up for what is right. We need to protect our future pilots coming up through the ranks. They are on the endangered list and are soon to be extinct.

​

As I sit here at the airport, I think of our past of being the first in flight at Kitty Hawk, being the first on the moon, and of the bright future which we can still have. It is heartbreaking to see aviation being undermined and destroyed right in front of us. As pilots we fly millions of people safely all over the word. We do not see skin color, nor gender, we only see human life that we protect to our last breath. My career in aviation is at a close, but I will proudly support whatever course of action the new generation of pilots wish to pursue.

​

Captain Robert “that guy” Riter

YouTube: Capt. Robert “That Guy” Riter

Website: Captthatguy.com

Email: robertriter@captthatguy.com

​