Mark McGlaren, an aviation consultant and air traffic planner at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, says pilots often have a big advantage because their training isn't subject to a strict schedule.
"When you are in a position that requires you to do a lot of training, you are basically going through a real intensive experience," says McGlaren, a consultant and air traffic planter at the Center for International Aviation Studies in Dallas.
However, a shift in workload may also come with greater effort. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, over 80 percent of all air traffic controllers report to the FAA every two years, while pilots typically work more than 60 hours per week. In addition to working longer hours, air flight attendants may not always have the capacity to perform as a flight attendant on a daily basis.
"It kind of becomes a 'I am going to take this job and do that more time than I want to,' " says Steve Hebert, an aviation engineer based at the FAA. "You have to do all the heavy lifting because now you are in a position to help out if you need it at all, and maybe you are in a situation in which you don't want to. It may be in a situation where you didn't want to do as much. But if you get into a situation where you don't really have the capacity for doing the heavy lifting, you actually could end up in an unfavorable situation."
But there's always one more obstacle to overcome.
"It's been very hard in the beginning for the industry, because there was always the thought that, 'If our technology isn't there, we have to have a new system," says McGlaren. "It's becoming harder and harder to do things in the aviation world, and we are just not there. It's a constant need as you move outside of those circles."
Hebert and other aviation experts think it's the same: Increasing workload, better training, increased coordination, higher-quality piloting and more flexible pilots. This should make it easier for operators and their managers to manage their own schedules and stay within the rules.
"There is certainly some truth to that," says McGlaren. "But it is not a good look. I think it could be done."
How much longer can we keep up this lefty bullsh*t we need to stay strong to our values.
This is exactly what conservatives always says
I can’t agree more, as my brother went on to become a volunteer in Syria, fighting alongside Syrian moderate opposition versus Assad – and died. All because US did not stop Assad in 2011-2012.