ATA- SHORTAGE OF PILOTS

BLUESKY

New Member
OH man did I miss a lot....sorry to hear about ATA..However, I don't believe they will be the last..You should see how happy my local FBO becomes when a potential student CALLS..Not to mention any names, but I could ONLY guess on how many schools are probably operating with a enrollment of 50% capacity ...I think what the experts had in mind concerning a pilot shortage wasn't the number of aspiring airline pilots in supply, but rather the number of people entering the field......anyone have any thoughts on the matter.....
 
ERJ-135 was on the forums a few weeks (perhaps a month) ago talking about how he "read" that there was an impending pilot shortage and how now's a great time to hop in.

Chronologically, it looks like they were striving to round up students until the day they closed shop and mysteriously disappeared.

Invariably, ERJ-135 was an employee of Airline Training Academy as a recruiter/training coordinator.

Be very careful, don't believe the hype and follow your gut feeling.
 
Thanks again Doug.

I can see that you are taking an active interest is seeing no of us get burned again by these used car salesmen!
 
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Thanks again Doug.

I can see that you are taking an active interest is seeing no of us get burned again by these used car salesmen!

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It's a full time job at times! Whew!

And you've got to have a super thick epidermis because I'm both the "Good Guy" and the "Hated Imbecile" lists in the industry!
 
Yeah, but the "Hated Imbecille" lists are compiled, maitained and hawked by true scuzz-balls who know they're wrong. So, I wouldn't sweat it too much!
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Yeah, but the "Hated Imbecille" lists are compiled, maitained and hawked by true scuzz-balls who know they're wrong. So, I wouldn't sweat it too much!
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Oh I don't! I actually wear it like a badge of honor because I (and they) know that if there wasn't an amateur website designer providing a little balance to the industry, they'd be enjoying a "screw fest" with a bunch of kids with key loans and dreams of flying jets.

This is so much like the environment in which I graduated in back in 1993 it's almost scary!

Yeow!
 
Hey Doug, I dont know if you remember an earlier post regarding Wagner Airways, in NJ. Anyway(1000 hrs for 16.25/hr), my friend was very interested until he had a talk with the owner who, he later found out, was only interested in recooperating after a couple of his deals went sour! The owner asked him if his loan came through yet, whether he had cash, and why he could not use his credit card! When my friend told the man, he would think about it, he told my friend not to waste his time.Guys be careful, there are a lot of scammers out there!!!
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Hey Doug, I dont know if you remember an earlier post regarding Wagner Airways, in NJ. Anyway(1000 hrs for 16.25/hr), my friend was very interested until he had a talk with the owner who, he later found out, was only interested in recooperating after a couple of his deals went sour! The owner asked him if his loan came through yet, whether he had cash, and why he could not use his credit card! When my friend told the man, he would think about it, he told my friend not to waste his time.Guys be careful, there are a lot of scammers out there!!!
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Loads and loads.

I've been getting email from some of the ATA students and it's killing me from hearing some of these stories.

Probably the source of most of my recent piss-n-vinegar campaign.

I guess if it sounds too good to be true, especially in aviation, it not only isn't true, you might want to consider giving the guy an uppercut.
 
Doug -

Keep on doing what you're doing... keep on keepin' everybody informed! If you heard the half of the stuff I've heard in the past two weeks, you'd be in tears. Some of the stories I've heard would break your heart. The good thing about our industry (in most cases) is that we're family, and when the chips are down, everybody pulls together and pitches in to help.
 
I just got my April Flying magazine today and there it was, a full page color ad on page 52. "The Sky's the Limit at Airline Training Academy/Ask About Our NEW 1500 Hour ATP Program"

Having worked for a magazine, I know the leadtime to get ads in - that was sent in months ago. Shame it was probably too late to pull it.

Wonder what a full page costs in that magazine?

My thoughts definitely go out to those that got dealt a huge blow by this deal...
 
Doug, I read a lot about how their is a shortage WITHIN the system..ie(students, CFI'S, and pilots). Now this shortage may NOT be TRUE, but I notice that there is a student shortage within the flight schools. If this trend continues one has to think that over time their will be a pilot shortage-not saying it will happen within the next 5 or 10 yrs or even 15 yrs............ On the other hand, I am new to the economics of aviation, and maybe you could clear this concept up for me............................................ Is this student shortage a reoccurring trend that happens every so often?
 
Bluesky,
I think what you are seeing is not a shortage of students, but an overage of pilot "mills" and the CFIs who populate them (no disrespect intended to the CFIs}. These guys were lured into the freewheeling pyramid scheme of "come here, learn, CFI and get an airline job at <1000 hrs" promises. Now, in a down cycle of aviation, there are no students, (or not enough) to prop up the bottom of the pyramid. Therefore, while a tragedy for those who "prepaid", schools closing should not be a big surprise. Like most scams, this pyramid setup worked fine for the early "investors" but takes it out of the hide of the later ones. Unfortunate analysis, I know.
 
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