VBACE 2020 Highlights Workforce Concerns and Changes

VBACE 2020 witnessed an education session on the “Business Aviation Security: Changing Approaches to Protecting Your People and Company,” which was hosted by Doug Carr NBAA’s Vice President of Regulatory and International Affairs. Clay Hendon, Senior Director of Operations for Twenty20 Solutions; Greg Kulis, past Chairman and current member of the NBAA Security Council and Eric Moilanen, President of Premier Corporate Security and Chairman of the NBAA Security Council were also a part of the panel.

During the session, the experts touched upon the multi-facet variations in the working dynamics. “Basic security processes – simple things that are routine to us like locks and alarms are often verified by multiple people – now might be verified by someone working alone. It is now essential to know who is in the facility and when,” said Kulis.

Hendon highlighted that the ground transportation must also be a consideration in such cases. They also acknowledged that remote work, now commonplace due to efforts to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission, has increased cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Personal devices are used heavily and home networks are often not as controlled as an organisation’s networks, leading to increased exposure.

The discussion further nudged the companies to invest in the right equipment for employees to work from home, if resources allow such an investment. Employees working from home should take measures to secure their devices, separate work tasks from personal devices or use a VPN or appropriate firewall to secure their organisation’s sensitive information.

CREW MANAGEMENT IN THE NEW REALITY

However, despite adaptations and innovations, the pandemic has driven shocks to the aviation labor market, and the business aviation industry still battles the long-term pilot shortage issues, as highlighted by the panelists for during a VBACE session on ‘Crew Management in the New Reality’.

The discussion pivoted around a recent CAE study that determined more than 45,000 business aircraft pilots will be needed by 2029 – 41,000 just to offset retirements and attrition, with growth required to crew a projected 3,600 additional active aircraft.

Through planned retirements, early retirements and individuals choosing a different career path, 27,500 pilots left aviation in 2020 – nearly three times the numbers seen in a typical year, according to Butler. With another 12,000 projected to leave next year, these unplanned departures could drive a shortage sooner than most people think. However, business aviation has an opportunity to use the current flying environment to address severe challenges related to long term staffing, said Simon Azar, Head of Strategy and Marketing for civil aviation with CAE. “The industry has unfortunately slowed down tremendously, but that also gives it a shot at catching up to the shortage we have and addressing it to a certain extent.”

The discussion also pointed out that the uneven pace of recovery between business aviation and other segments of the industry presents short-term opportunities to find talented professionals, while also acknowledging that meeting long-term demand will still require finding and retaining new talent.

ROLE OF THE MAINTENANCE PROFESSIONAL

In a VBACE session, “Beyond the A&P Ticket: The Expanded Role of Today’s Modern Business Aviation Maintenance Professional,” NBAA gathered some of the industry’s leaders to discuss the skills today’s technicians need to become great managers. The session acknowledged that the role of a maintenance leader has changed dramatically in the past decade and the knowledge required by directors of maintenance now extends far beyond technical expertise. Given the changing scenario and the heightened concerns around safety, the panelists also pointed out how maintenance leaders can also enhance safety by ensuring every team member is valued.