Pilot Shortage - How Long Will It Go On?

[DE727UPS]

If you want to be a pilot, be a pilot. The future is too hard to predict, one way or another. One reason many of us preach non-aviation degrees is so you can have a fall back if the flying gig doesn't work out too well.

2014 is pretty far down the line. It's hard enough to say what's gonna happen in 12 months.

 

[granlistillo]

It is a certificate where you are trained to basically fly one aircraft like a Boeing 737 or Airbus 319 for an airline. From start to finish of your training you are in school to fly that airplane.

You get certified to fly it at 200 hours or so.

Pretty scary stuff.

And you never fly solo!

 

[Velocipede]

2014 is pretty far down the line. It's hard enough to say what's gonna happen in 12 months.

You're certainly correct there!

 

[Mike734]

Repeat after me. There is no shortage. There will be no shortage.

Here's why I believe you are wrong.

Not only is there going to be a pilot shortage, there is going to be a skilled labor shortage in all fields in the USA. The boomers are retiring now and taking with them valuable experience in thousands of career fields. It is not just he airline industry that is going to feel the pinch. All industry's will be raising pay and benefits to attract competent employees in the near future.

The first pilots to get raises will be the regionals. As high time captains are drawn off to the majors, pay will increase in an attempt to retain them. The majors will consequently have to raise pay and benefits to attract them. Ab initio programs will surface and so will training contracts. Imagine a world where a company will pay the balance of your training contract.

As all fields of commerce start to feel the pinch of a shortage of an educated work force, they will make their field as attractive as possible to attract more candidates. It's happening already. Police departments all around the country are scrambling to attract people to be cops. Take a look at the recruitment page of the San Jose police department. http://www.sjpd.org/joinsjpdblue/ Check out the pay and working conditions. I'll bet you didn't know it was so good.

It won't be long until you see ads like this from every airline and every other sector of our economy. I think the future looks bright for pilots and other highly skilled technicians/workers.

 

[DeltaAVL]

Here's why I believe you are wrong.

Not only is there going to be a pilot shortage, there is going to be a skilled labor shortage in all fields in the USA. The boomers are retiring now and taking with them valuable experience in thousands of career fields. It is not just he airline industry that is going to feel the pinch. All industry's will be raising pay and benefits to attract competent employees in the near future.

The first pilots to get raises will be the regionals. As high time captains are drawn off to the majors, pay will increase in an attempt to retain them. The majors will consequently have to raise pay and benefits to attract them. Ab initio programs will surface and so will training contracts. Imagine a world where a company will pay the balance of your training contract.

As all fields of commerce start to feel the pinch of a shortage of an educated work force, they will make their field as attractive as possible to attract more candidates. It's happening already. Police departments all around the country are scrambling to attract people to be cops. Take a look at the recruitment page of the San Jose police department. http://www.sjpd.org/joinsjpdblue/ Check out the pay and working conditions. I'll bet you didn't know it was so good.

It won't be long until you see ads like this from every airline and every other sector of our economy. I think the future looks bright for pilots and other highly skilled technicians/workers.

I think (and hope) you're right, as the FAA isn't going to start letting absurdities that can potentially alter good safety go on - such as the airline endorsed pilot training as stated above.

Alas, I was speaking with a US mainline pilot who believes that, relatively soon, the airlines will start recruiting pilots from Asia - places like China, Japan - where pilots will work for dirt. He seemed to think that in a number of years the flight decks are going to filled with foreigners. Now, no offense to foreigners, but I don't like THAT idea at all!

 

[WAFlyBoy]

December 21 ,2012 is the end of the world according to the Mayan calender. I have it blocked off on my schedule already.

Hey, that will be my 36th birthday. Happy birthday to me.

I wonder if you can still book a room in Vegas for that date.....

 

[WAFlyBoy]

As all fields of commerce start to feel the pinch of a shortage of an educated work force, they will make their field as attractive as possible to attract more candidates.

Or they will just outsource. For everything. Police officers, doctors, lawyers, race car drivers, loggers, airline pilots, military commanders, TV producers, programmers, mechanics, Kirby vacuum salesmen, school teachers. All outsourced.

America: The New India

 

[Always Moving]

IT is hard to predict.

THERE IS NO WAY A US MAJOR WILL HIRE ASIANS!

The thing is that flying planes is not that difficult, and since the airliners are highly safe and now they are highly automated, the pilot do not do much and if something goes wrong there is not much he can do.... (sorry girls her can do)

Shortage of skill people? I do not know I always heard about the shortage of pilot because this people retire or like you say the boomers etc have not seen it but NOW and I think is because the Asians are taking a good chunk of pilots there.

I can not believe what you say DELTA AVL about the foreigners taking your job, that is THE AMERICAN POLICY! now that you ARE competing with the rest of the world you ( I hope ) start to see how good you had it for such a long time and you thought that was NORMAL. LOL
The first time that i went to the US I was like "you are telling me that this people working on a factory pressing a button they make 60K a year, where I am from they will be happy to have a job that pays them 24K" Now you are competing with people that they are happy to make 5K a year.

The multi crew license... I think is an invention of some (60-70's CIA thinking style) Airlines to get people by the Bxxls and pay them peanuts.

Would I think this goes in detriment of safety... hard to say like I said above the planes go on automatic, but you have to have somebody upfront, it make the ones in the back feel better. Business wise 1 pilot could control several aircraft at once in a dark room somewhere in nowhere, but it would be a bit funny for the passengers.....

I knew this job was going to be a coaster so I enjoy the ups and vacation on the downs. I LOVE FLYING

 

[Mike734]

I think (and hope) you're right, as the FAA isn't going to start letting absurdities that can potentially alter good safety go on - such as the airline endorsed pilot training as stated above.

Alas, I was speaking with a US mainline pilot who believes that, relatively soon, the airlines will start recruiting pilots from Asia - places like China, Japan - where pilots will work for dirt. He seemed to think that in a number of years the flight decks are going to filled with foreigners. Now, no offense to foreigners, but I don't like THAT idea at all!

The shortage of pilots is already here overseas. Ab initio programs are already going on over there and have been for years. I suppose we could hire them to fill our seats but foreign governments/companies won't like that and it will be come a political football. The US government won't allow foreign nationals to fill those seats (national security and all) and the public won't like it.

I think what is more likely to happen is the airline industry could go the way of the American Cruise ship industry (there isn't one anymore)

 

[Velocipede]

Here's why I believe you are wrong.

Not only is there going to be a pilot shortage, there is going to be a skilled labor shortage in all fields in the USA. The boomers are retiring now and taking with them valuable experience in thousands of career fields. It is not just he airline industry that is going to feel the pinch. All industry's will be raising pay and benefits to attract competent employees in the near future.

The first pilots to get raises will be the regionals. As high time captains are drawn off to the majors, pay will increase in an attempt to retain them. The majors will consequently have to raise pay and benefits to attract them. Ab initio programs will surface and so will training contracts. Imagine a world where a company will pay the balance of your training contract.

As all fields of commerce start to feel the pinch of a shortage of an educated work force, they will make their field as attractive as possible to attract more candidates. It's happening already. Police departments all around the country are scrambling to attract people to be cops. Take a look at the recruitment page of the San Jose police department. http://www.sjpd.org/joinsjpdblue/ Check out the pay and working conditions. I'll bet you didn't know it was so good.

It won't be long until you see ads like this from every airline and every other sector of our economy. I think the future looks bright for pilots and other highly skilled technicians/workers.

I hope you're right.

 

[DeltaAVL]

THERE IS NO WAY A US MAJOR WILL HIRE ASIANS!

...

I can not believe what you say DELTA AVL about the foreigners taking your job, that is THE AMERICAN POLICY! now that you ARE competing with the rest of the world you ( I hope ) start to see how good you had it for such a long time and you thought that was NORMAL. LOL
The first time that i went to the US I was like "you are telling me that this people working on a factory pressing a button they make 60K a year, where I am from they will be happy to have a job that pays them 24K" Now you are competing with people that they are happy to make 5K a year.

Oh, I'm certainly not agreeing with the US pilot, just regurgitating what he said. Those were his opinions, not mine.

I think what is more likely to happen is the airline industry could go the way of the American Cruise ship industry (there isn't one anymore)

You're not hinting that you think the airline industry will vanish, are you? Care to explain?

 

[MFT1Air]

If you want to be a pilot, be a pilot. The future is too hard to predict, one way or another. One reason many of us preach non-aviation degrees is so you can have a fall back if the flying gig doesn't work out too well.

2014 is pretty far down the line. It's hard enough to say what's gonna happen in 12 months.

:yeahthat:

 

[MFT1Air]

Or they will just outsource. For everything. Police officers, doctors, lawyers, race car drivers, loggers, airline pilots, military commanders, TV producers, programmers, mechanics, Kirby vacuum salesmen, school teachers. All outsourced.

America: The New India

Military commanders? Aint gonna happen.

 

[Always Moving]

Delta AVL what Mike 734 said is not a hint, it is very clear.

I will clarify it for you he is saying that may be it is cheaper to register it on a different country and hire people from all over the world like the hmmmm cruise ship industry. I can go a few more levels down if you require MORE "explanation".

By the way I do requiere explanation of the part referred to me

" Oh, I'm certainly not agreeing with the US pilot, just regurgitating what he said. Those were his opinions, not mine. "

I read it several times and I do not get it

 

[DeltaAVL]

Delta AVL what Mike 734 said is not a hint, it is very clear.

I will clarify it for you he is saying that may be it is cheaper to register it on a different country and hire people from all over the world like the hmmmm cruise ship industry. I can go a few more levels down if you require MORE "explanation".

Ahhhh, okay, I see now. No further explanation needed, although I appreciate the offer.

By the way I do require explanation of the part referred to me

" Oh, I'm certainly not agreeing with the US pilot, just regurgitating what he said. Those were his opinions, not mine. "

I read it several times and I do not get it

Sorry, I thought it was very clear, but in other words: I wasn't agreeing with the US Airways pilot I had talked to about outsourcing pilots in the future, I was just repeating what he said. You acted like the idea of outsourcing pilots was my idea - it wasn't.


By the way, this site could really use a winking smiley.

 

[Hootie]

There is not a pilot shortage today and I really doubt there ever will be a shortage of pilots for any sort of decent work. If you want to be a pilot go be a pilot. Good luck!

 

[SteveC]

By the way, this site could really use a winking smiley.

We have this one:



Will that work for you?

 

[DeltaAVL]

We have this one:



Will that work for you?

Oh, I totally didn't see it there! Of course it will work!

 

[Always Moving]

 

[secretapproach]

...

Alas, I was speaking with a US mainline pilot who believes that, relatively soon, the airlines will start recruiting pilots from Asia - places like China, Japan - where pilots will work for dirt. He seemed to think that in a number of years the flight decks are going to filled with foreigners. Now, no offense to foreigners, but I don't like THAT idea at all!

That is unlikely. Asia is recruiting pilots from North America and Europe to keep up with air traffic growth. Most Asian countries don't have a GA infrastructure to speak of so there's not a large pool of pilots to select from. China has a shortage of pilots so there's not a line of them waiting to work in the US. Japan is not exactly a low-wage country so why do you say they would work "for dirt".

And to your "foreigners" point: What scares you about people who don't have US passports flying airplanes?