Pilots

United Airlines says that 50% of new pilots over the next decade will be women or minorities. Currently 7% are women and 13% are minorities. This is an admirable goal but begs the question why are these percentages so low. Were there qualified Black pilots who were passed over because of there race. If so that should be corrected. The same goes for women. This brings up the 2009 Supreme Court case of Ricci v DeStefano. The New Haven, CT fire department offered test for promotion and only white applicants scored high enough to qualify. The city felt that was not fair so they adjusted the test to allow more minorities to qualify. The white firemen sued saying this was discriminatory and they won the case. The Black candidates did not do well on the reading an writing portion but excelled in other areas. They could do the job but not the test. If this is the case then the test could be changed to better serve the general applicants. If it is deemed that these changes will not effect the ability to properly perform the job then is should be done. If for example candidates are required to lift a passed out person through a basement window while dressed in full gear then that could be significant and disqualifying. When it comes to hiring pilots a similar approach should be considered. If a candidate demonstrates excellent flying skills but scores low on the written test, allowance should be made. It is mindful of the old tuna commercial where they tell Charlie, Starkist wants tuna that taste good not tuna with good taste. The important criteria is can you do the job.