The Collegiate Aviation Review International

The Role of Modern-Day Labor Unions: Perceptions of U.S. Airline Employees

Timm J. Bliss — 2026-01-26

U.S. labor unions began as organizations that were formed to ensure fair wages, better benefits, and improved working conditions for workers. Today, the U.S. airline industry is a heavily unionized environment with many unions representing the different airline employee groups. The purpose of this study was to solicit U.S. airline employees’ perceptions regarding the role and responsibilities of modern-day labor unions. The researchers collected 306 completed surveys from participating U.S. airline employees, representing airline pilots, flight attendants, aircraft mechanics, ground operations, and other airline employee group(s). Four significant findings emerged from the research study: (1) over 85% of the participating unionized U.S. airline employees approved of the labor unions that are representing them in the workplace, (2) approximately 75% of airline employees agreed their unions are beneficial to them in the workplace and their representation has improved employees’ wages, working conditions, and overall quality of life, (3) about 60% of the airline employees agreed that unions hold too much power and influence, and (4) almost 90% of employees agreed labor union endorsements and union money regarding political policies are wrong. The results and recommendations will be shared with labor union leaders, decision makers in the US airline industry, and aviation academicians, in anticipation these findings will determine if labor unions are perceived by the participating airline employees as no longer a necessity, but more of a mandated choice in the U.S. airline industry.

Assessing Mid-Air Collision Risk Between Commercial Aircraft and Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems: A Functional Resonance Analysis Approach

Philip VanDette — 2026-01-27

Unauthorized use of small drones is becoming a serious threat, raising new safety concerns in commercial aviation. Although collisions between drones and aircraft are still rare, near misses indicate potential risks of serious accidents. This study uses the Functional Resonance Analysis Method to assess systemic hazards from drone encounters in controlled airspace. Voluntary pilot safety reports and previous research on collision techniques and pilot responses were reviewed. The initial risk assessment was rated high, underscoring the need for targeted mitigation strategies. Recommended measures include stricter regulations, geofencing, training, improved reporting, and advanced detect-and-avoid systems. These actions could significantly lower the risk and enhance overall safety management. This study demonstrates that the Functional Resonance Analysis Method can be an effective tool for airline operators to help identify emerging hazards and proactively incorporate mitigation measures into safety systems.

How Safe Are Pilot Schools in Indonesia? Measuring Safety Performance in Flight Training

Agung Wahyu Wicaksono — 2026-02-05

Accidents and serious incidents are the primary objectives to be avoided in aviation operations. Based on data from the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Commission, 190 accidents and serious incidents occurred from 2010 to early 2024. Among these 190 incidents, 10.5% were attributable to flight training operations conducted by student pilots in Indonesia; therefore, the level of safety performance in flight schools warrants measurement. This research aims to measure safety performance by using safety promotion and safety intelligence as exogenous variables. Safety leadership is both an intervening and a moderating variable in the relationship among these variables. The research was conducted at pilot schools run by the Indonesian Government. A total of 102 participants were included using a saturated sampling technique. The research employs a quantitative SEM-PLS approach in SmartPLS3. The results showed that 6 of the 7 hypotheses were accepted. All direct relationships between variables are significant, whereas the mediating and moderating variables do not influence the relationships among safety promotion, safety intelligence, and safety performance. Reflecting on the flight training operations carried out by the Indonesian government, the training flight operations fulfill the level of safety that has been determined as measured by the 3 important roles played by Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and the Chief Instructor, as well as by the level of implementation of a good safety management system in each school.

A Comparison of the Success of Ab-Initio and Transfer Private Pilots at Southern Illinois University Carbondale: Revisiting a 2008 Study

Gail Avendano — 2026-02-07

This article reports the findings of a study examining the comparative success of ab-initio and transfer flight students in addition to the effectiveness of a transition course designed to support transfer student integration. This study expanded on prior research at the same institution comparing ab-initio and transfer flight students to determine whether the two groups differed in their ability to complete subsequent flight training following private pilot certification. This study also surveyed transfer flight students to collect their feedback about their experience in taking a transition course designed to successfully transition them into the university flight training environment and validate aeronautical knowledge and piloting skills. Quantitative data from students who completed the commercial pilot course were analyzed and, as found in the earlier study, no statistically significant differences were found between ab-initio students and transfer flight students in either course completion rates or days-to-commercial completion, indicating that the transition course effectively integrates transfer flight students into the flight program. Qualitative survey responses in this current study revealed that, while the transition course is working as intended, course flexibility and enhanced flight instructor awareness of the customizable aspects of the course could enhance student satisfaction. Overall, the findings suggest that a transition course can serve as an effective leveling experience for students, enabling them to succeed in the next phases of their flight training at rates comparable to their ab-initio peers.

Comparative Analysis of Human and Independent Large Language Model (LLM) Perspectives on the Top Ten Cybersecurity Issues in Aviation

Sean Crouse — 2026-02-18

This study compares cybersecurity threat prioritizations produced by aviation subject-matter experts and ten independently developed large language models (LLMs). Using Borda ranking methods and Kendall’s W to evaluate agreement, we analyze aligned themes and divergences in aviation-specific threat emphasis. SMEs prioritized risks at integration boundaries, safety-critical navigation interference, and supply-chain and cloud-to-aircraft trust paths. LLMs successfully identified broad risk categories but emphasized generic IT attack surfaces more heavily than domain-specific vectors. Findings suggest LLMs provide value for horizon scanning and taxonomy scaffolding but require aviation context to support operational prioritization. Limitations include a small SME sample (n=4) and rapidly evolving AI model capabilities. Future work should expand stakeholder representation across operators, ANSPs, airport authorities, and regulators.