schlimm The "let the military train our pilots" semi-subsidy for the airlines has been drying up b/c we have a much smaller AF and Navy the last 20 years or so. The majority of Delta pilots, for example, were ex-Navy, at least in the past. The shortage is worldwide because of globalization.
The "let the military train our pilots" semi-subsidy for the airlines has been drying up b/c we have a much smaller AF and Navy the last 20 years or so. The majority of Delta pilots, for example, were ex-Navy, at least in the past. The shortage is worldwide because of globalization.
A pilot who is hired by the airline gets almost a year of training before they start flying, no matter if they were flying B52s over Iraq, cancelled checks in the middle of the night, or as a flight instructor flying 172s. There is no "semi-subsidy" about it.
The real issue is the fact that for the last 10 years, the airline industy did not look like a good choice for a career. People who would have gone to get their pilots license and get jobs as pilots did not, not knowing if they would have a job at the end of school. The market will correct itself in a couple of years, and the shortage will be a surplus.
Emeby Riddle Aeronautical is already getting more students,
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20121217006355/en/Fitch-Upgrades-Embry-Riddle-Aeronautical-Univ-FL-Revs
"ERAU relies heavily on student-generated revenues with enrollment growth in recent years fueling financial gains."
An "expensive model collector"
n012944 . A pilot who is hired by the airline gets almost a year of training before they start flying, no matter if they were flying B52s over Iraq, cancelled checks in the middle of the night, or as a flight instructor flying 172s.
. A pilot who is hired by the airline gets almost a year of training before they start flying, no matter if they were flying B52s over Iraq, cancelled checks in the middle of the night, or as a flight instructor flying 172s.
What airlines ? Been in the business a long time and the most training was about 2- 1/2 months or you are gone.
Here's Delta's current minimum requirements to be considered:
When evaluating the flight time of applicants meeting the basic qualifications, consideration will be given to, among other things, quality, quantity, recency, and verifiability of training; complexity of aircraft flown; types of flight operations; and hours flown as PIC in turbine powered aircraft. Applicants invited to interview must provide appropriate documentation of all flight hours.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
More info:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203937004578079391643223634.html
"Mr. Darby's firm calculates that all U.S. airlines, including cargo, charter and regional carriers, together employ nearly 96,000 pilots, and will need to find more than 65,000 over the next eight years. In the past eight years, not quite 36,000 pilots have passed the Federal Aviation Administration's highest test, the Air Transport Pilot exam, which all pilots would have to pass under the congressionally imposed rules."
"At California Flight Academy in El Cajon, Calif., the rolls are full, but almost entirely with foreign students who will soon return to their home countries. "We don't have locals learning to fly anymore," said Ash Dakwar, the academy's operations chief. While no one tracks overall attendance at the nation's 3,400 flight schools, FAA data show annual private and commercial pilot certificates—both required to become an airline pilot—are down 41% and 30%, respectively, in the past decade. The National Association of Flight Instructors, in a research paper published this year, said that "there is no feasible way…to continuously supply qualified pilots for the demand of air carriers.""
Looks like a pretty large shortage coming, given an even greater demand from foreign airlines, especially Asian.
Very interesting comments by all. Never thought about airlines having a shortage of pilots/employees, but railroads are running into this and so is the construction industry. A young friend attended a charter high school run by our local chapter of the Associated General Contractors and it was set up for that reason-to get young people interested in construction as a career. He was already interested and it led to some valuable contacts and also his getting a college degree in Construction Management, which led to his job for commercial HVAC company.
I'm sure the airlines will figure something out, they will want to keep flying. Question is will the average consumer be able able to afford it.
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