annotated-Nicolas%20Collazos%20Research%20Methodology%20and%20Analysis%20Report.docx
pdf
keyboard_arrow_up
School
University of Rochester *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
102
Subject
Industrial Engineering
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
Pages
7
Uploaded by LieutenantWaterJaguar10
1
Pilot Shortage in the United States
Nicolas Collazos Sandoval
Embry Riddle University
RSCH 202
Professor: Al Rodriguez
July 24, 2022
2
Study Design
Pilot shortages have always been a problem, but thanks to COVID-19, the pilot shortage has accelerated, and airlines in the U.S. are desperate for a solution. In the U.S the pilot shortage comes from the cost of training and a job facing forced retirement when reaching the established age. It is important because the fastest way to travel from one place to another is by plane. The rise in demand for professional aviators has resulted in substantial salary increases at all US regional airlines, (Nikle & Bjerke, 2018)
.
Previous research in this area has shown that there are several factors contributing to the pilot shortage, such as the rapid growth of airlines, and COVID-19. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports that more than 16 million flights per year in the United States alone, and this number is expected to increase (FAA, 2019). The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of pilot shortages in the upcoming years in the U.S. and solutions to this problem. The research questions are the following: How the airlines in the U.S are going to mitigate the pilot shortage? Are they going to pay more to get more seasoned pilots?
Hypothesis
The airlines will be more at ease if the solutions mentioned above, such as the airline pathway programs and the salary increase, are implemented from this moment on. So that the same thing does not happen in the future. If a solution is not implemented, new pilots will not have a chance to reach the airlines, and talent and opportunities will be lost. The null hypothesis in this study will not be the focus of attention. Null Hypothesis: Airlines are going to be better with the pilot shortage, no need for Airline pathway programs, and wage increases.
3
Type of Study
The strength of qualitative research is its ability to provide complex textual descriptions of how people experience a given research issue. It provides information about the “human” side of an issue – that is, the often contradictory behaviors, beliefs, opinions, emotions, and relationships of individuals (
Qualitative Methods in Public Health: A Field Guide for Applied Research
, 2016). There are three qualitative methods: participant observation, in-depth interviews, and focus groups. In-depth interviews are the best method for this study. In this study, the interviews will be directed to pilots of major airlines, as pilots are the main source of information. The data collection will be done through the interviews and will be recorded to search and study the phenomenon of pilot shortage in the U.S. and its solutions. This method of data collection would provide rich and useful information to the study.
Variables
The independent variable is how the U.S. airlines, and the FAA will adapt or change requirements and increase pilot salaries to alleviate the pilot shortage the country is experiencing; especially to attract seasoned pilots. Pilots that are experienced and knowledgeable in a certain field are known as seasoned pilots. This variable will have a great impact on the dependent variable. There are two dependent variables: increasing airline pilots' salaries would attract the attention of other pilots in other fields, and U.S. airlines create new pathway programs for new pilots.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
4
Population and Sample
The population to be analyzed will be the major airlines in the U.S to be more specific the pilots, because the pilots are the workers who work overtime and are offered more money for the shortage of pilots. One of the most effective methods is surveys, especially if it is a virtual survey that is sent to all major airline pilots via email. Surely not everyone will respond but there will be some who will and that would make the survey random and unbiased. Another method is the observation of what is happening. Seeing how many flights a month are canceled from different airlines. Seeing how airlines are cutting routes due to a lack of pilots. This means that random sampling allows unbiased estimates to be created. Also, random sampling allows everyone or everything within a defined group, in this case, the major airlines, to have an equal chance of being selected. Observation is one of the simplest methods, however, the observation method describes the phenomenon precisely as it occurs in the natural research environment.
Data Collection Methods The qualitative method used in this study can be represented in nominal form. Interviews with major airline pilots and seasoned pilots would be the most effective method for collecting information for this study's issue. The interview would be more effective at gathering data with open-ended, and focus questions. Nominal data can be examined using a pie chart for this study. The data analysis technique that would be appropriate to apply to this study is cluster analysis. "Cluster analysis is an exploratory technique that seeks to identify structures within a
dataset"(Stevens, 2022). It's vital to keep in mind that while cluster analysis may show structures within the data in this case pilot shortage, it cannot provide an explanation for their existence. Considering this, cluster analysis is a helpful first step for comprehending the data.
5
Limitations in the Study
Limitations represent weaknesses within a research design that may influence the outcomes and conclusions of the research. Researchers have an obligation to the academic community to present complete and honest limitations of a presented study (Ross & Bibler Zaidi, 2019). This study has several limitations. The first limitation present in this study is the interviews. The strength of qualitative research is its ability to provide complex textual descriptions of how people experience a given research issue. It provides information about the “human” side of an issue – that is, the often contradictory behaviors, beliefs, opinions, emotions, and relationships of individuals (Bass et al, 2016). That said, interview responses may be biased with biased responses and can negatively impact or mislead the study. Another limitation is the number of sources that can be found on pilot shortages. Many sources are more than five years old, making it difficult to find information for the study, especially in the case of peer-reviewed articles and papers. Making the primary source for this study is the FAA publications and news stories by well-known news organizations.
Conclusion
Suppose the data do not support the hypothesis. In that case, the results would show that airlines would be better off with a pilot shortage, that airline scheduling programs are not needed, and that wage increases have no effect. In particular, the results will show that the pilot shortage in the United States does not exist. If the data support the hypothesis, conclusions can be drawn that the pilot shortage in the United States is a phenomenon that needs to be addressed immediately. Specifically, the conclusions that can be drawn are that the programs created by the airlines have a major impact on minimizing the pilot shortage. Also, the increase in pay by the
6
airlines attracts pilots from other parts of the world and attracts experienced pilots from other areas of aviation.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
7
Reference
Bass, J., Robinson, E., Ulin, P., Robison, E., & Succop, S. (2016). Qualitative Methods in Public Health: A Field Guide for Applied Research.
Federal Aviation Administration. (2019, June). Air Traffic by the Numbers. https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/by_the_numbers/media/Air_Traffic_by_ the_Numbers_2019.pdfLinks to an external site.
Nikle, A., & Bjerke, E. (2018). US Regional Airline Pay Scale Changes. International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace, 5
(2). https://doi.org/10.15394/ijaaa.2018.1233
Qualitative Research Methods Overview. (n.d). Qualitative Research Methods: A Data Collector’s Field Guide. https://course.ccs.neu.edu/is4800sp12/resources/qualmethods.pdf
Ross, P. T., & Bibler Zaidi, N. L. (2019). Limited by our limitations. Perspectives on Medical Education
, 8
(4), 261–264
. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-019-00530-x (Links to an external site.)
Stevens, E. (2022). The 7 Most Useful Data Analysis Methods and Techniques
. CareerFoundry. https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/data-analytics/data-analysis-techniques/