Flight International - 10 April 2018

COMMENT

ightglobal.com 10-16 April 2018 | Flight International | 5

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mbraer has, believe it or not, its own anthem. The

lyrics talk about how Brazil’s aerospace industry is

a vital part of defending the homeland: its blue sky, the

emerald green forests and the Amazon river.

What is absent, however, is any mention of a joint

venture with a counterpart from North America that

promises to entirely reshape the company.

Maybe he is adopting his poker face, but it is hard to

discern enormous enthusiasm for the discussions from

Embraer’s chief executive Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva.

Although he notes the benefits for both parties, there

is a feeling that Embraer is exploring the possibility of an

alliance more because it has to, than because it wants to.

There will be benefits, of course: Boeing’s marketing

muscle and huge purchasing power would ensure su-

percharged growth. On the other side, the Seattle-based

airframer will be able to take advantage of Embraer’s

deep pool of engineering talent.

Souza e Silva believes the company will be able to

stand on its own if the Boeing talks are not consum-

mated. Maybe, but facing a revitalised competitor in

Bombardier with the heft of Airbus behind it would be

significantly easier with a substantial ally.

Others in Embraer’s leadership team seem keener on a

new relationship with its friends in the north. Perhaps

Souza e Silva, as a proud Brazilian, feels that the an-

them’s ideals are being diminished, however slightly. ■

See This Week P

Perfect harmony?

A

s our special Training and Development Guide ob-

serves, the aviation enthusiasts who tend to run

the sector may struggle to understand that, nowadays,

hordes of talented young people are not beating down

the doors to land jobs in their industry. Recruitment is

a challenge, even for exotic, glamorous and desirable

jobs such as pilot, engineer or air traffic controller. And

the trends are not good.

First, entertain the notion – however much a sacri-

lege – that aviation is no longer so glamorous. People

today travel a lot, but unless they fly business- or first-

class, few will relish the prospect of time spent in air-

ports or crowded metal tubes. Even the tiny cockpit

must look like an unattractive working environment.

Think Richard Burton, Blake’s Tours and Night of the

Iguana – not Frank Sinatra and Come Fly With Me.

As these jobs become more like video games and less

like, well, flying, the competition from alternative ca-

reer options looks increasingly attractive. Tom Cruise

and Top Gun was a long time ago; who would join the

military today to sit in a bunker monitoring a drone?

Today, air forces no longer pump out enough pilots.

This is a bigger training and recruitment problem than

the industry may recognise. The tail end of the cadre

who retired from Cold War duty to join commercial air-

lines is at or near retirement age. Their numbers are

dwindling, their excellent airmanship experience

being lost. Young recruits are, less and less, being men-

tored by such classically trained flyers, who may well

have provided their inspiration to enter the cockpit.

On top of all that, industry demand is soaring as air-

lines and airports expand to handle ever more flights.

In short, aircraft have changed, the industry has

changed and the world has changed. Senior people in

aviation are still of an age to remember the glamorous

glory days. The young people they need to recruit,

though, are a different breed, steeped in an era that

teaches them to be wary and cynical. Work hard – and

pay big money – to train for a job that demands very

specific skills? That sounds not so much like a career

that ends with a generous pension, as a recipe for being

left with nowhere to go when the next technology revo-

lution – or the whim of a cost-cutting boss on a huge

salary and hefty bonus – leaves you unemployed.

Aviation still offers exciting and glamorous work,

and some recruitment initiatives are showing results.

But it is no good pretending that the industry faces any-

thing short of a crisis. ■

See Feature P

Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock

Better by air?

Demand for pilots and other skilled aviation professionals has never been greater, but the

industry struggles to attract young people to careers that captivated previous generations

Fly with us: please

We must entertain the notion,

however much a sacrilege, that

aviation is no longer so glamorous

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