Post 1 - Ethics in the Aviation Industry

Within the aviation industry, the connection between ethics and safety is vital. The aviation industry, whether it be military, commercial, or even recreational, carries lives of millions in it’s hands everyday. Ethics can be connected to nearly every aspect of the industry - from the manufacturing of parts, to the assembly of the aircraft, to the training of the crew, to split-second decisions made in near emergencies, and everything in between. In ways, I believe that ethics within the industry rides on the idea of putting others before yourself. In regards to the assembly of the aircraft, dedicating extra time and effort towards making sure every aspect of the aircraft is correctly assembled would be the more ethically right decision when compared to rushing to finish the assembly to contribute to an increased quota, or rush through assembly so the worker can take a break. That rushed assembly could lead to a part being too loose on an aircraft or another part being prone to breakage - leaving the innocent, unknowing passengers on that military, commercial, or recreational aircraft to be the ones to suffer the consequences. 

But there is also important weight placed on being ethical aviation students and aviation employees. As good, decent aviation employees, it is expected that you worked honorably to get to the position you are in. Throughout all levels of certification, it is expected that you work hard to get to where you are. You shouldn’t cheat on exams, you should complete all hours of training without skipping, no matter how well you are performing. That’s the right thing to do as an honorable pilot. I found an article, a bit outdated as it is about 10 years old now, but I believe that the message will remain timeless in regards to aviation industry ethics. It discusses two pilots from India who were found to have made fake qualifying papers to become captains. The dive into checking these pilot’s qualifications came after another pilot had been discovered to have forged papers after observers consistently noticed incorrect and unsafe landings (Sinha, 2011). Not only did these pilots act in a very unethical way regarding honesty and working honorably towards earning their positions, but their lack of experience also put passenger’s lives at a greater risk each time they flew. As students that aspire to work in the aviation industry, we should put great value into working hard to truly earn our certifications, as not only to respect ourselves and those who trust us, but also because we will be responsible for all of the passengers that will pass through our control (as pilots, ATC, flight attendants, and others). 


Of course, the discussion of ethics in aviation could go on and touch so many different areas, as ethics in general seems to do. But we should always think twice about the decisions we are making. Are we making these decisions to benefit ourselves or to skirt around the system? Or are we acting in all of our future passenger’s best interest? We need to acknowledge that there are millions upon millions of lives that we will touch everyday, even if it is only in a remote sense, while working in the aviation industry. We must value the importance of their lives by training to be the best we can be in our positions. 





References 

Sinha, S. (2011, March 9). 2 more pilots found to have fudged papers. The Economic Times. Retrieved November 15, 2021, from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/2-more-pilots-found-to-have-fudged-papers/articleshow/7661128.cms 

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