Private Pilot Shortage

[G-RFRY 1,708]

I have been reading that the super rich may have a problem finding private jet pilots and staff for their aircraft in the future, so much for global warming 🙄.

[leon310 26]

I have heard, there is a pilot shortage. I think for most people, becoming a pilot cost too much money. It was for me. That is why I use a flight simulator.

I do not believe in global warming. But I getting close to the end of my life on this earth to see all the ice melt.

Edited October 8, 2019 by leon310

[HighBypass 2,339]

I'll have a go at flying the rich around in their toys.. :)  Only have to pay me half the wages of a real pilot... 

[overspeed3 410]

I think the so-called rich, as well as major airlines should begin a program where pilot candidates are subsidized to attend fight schools in an effort to try to stem the coming critical pilot shortage...   

But man-made climate change: Myth, or a naturally-occurring event?   If man-made, you can not expect more than 7 billion Homo Sapiens and counting to inhabit this Earth and not expect a warming trend to take place. Human activity of all kinds probably contributed to a rise in mean temperatures around the globe. How many degrees is the question...  There were some warnings in the 60's predicting this would occur.  But back then, no one was going take drastic steps to try to prevent it.

Now I believe it's far too late (if man-made). You would need perhaps 50 years of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" to have any real effect on reversing global warming...   
 

     

[snglecoil 1,828]

I'm not going to speculate on global warming and its causes, real or imagined, but the pilot shortage has opened up an opportunities that I never thought would be realized. If anyone has any interest in making flying a career, now is probably the best opportunity seen in...well my lifetime, anyway. Hooray for the pilot shortage! 

[Adrian123 1,015]

Sure. Spend 70000.00+ to get a CPL and make 30000.00/yr, if your lucky.

[snglecoil 1,828]

Meh, it has been 25+ years since Ramen noodles were a dietary staple, but I'm sure I can get get used to them again 😉 It'll be interesting to see how that 30k/year looks a few years down the road.

[Bob Scott 7,716]

I know guys flying for the "super-rich" making wages at-par with a senior airline captain flying Gulfstreams, Falcons, Challengers etc.  If you can afford to buy and maintain a $60 million jet, you can afford whatever it costs to keep a few pilots on the payroll.

Also, there will always be a good supply of 65-75 year old retired ATPs out there that can still fly bizjets.  The 65-year FAA age restriction only applies to part 121/135 carriers...most bizjets are operated under Part 91, where only a Class II medical is required and no age restrictions apply.

The rich but not "super-rich" folks that want to be shuttled around in Lears, Citations etc are probably gonna see some impact, as well as the commuter airlines that will lose pretty much every single pilot as soon as he/she meets the minimum qualifications for a job at a part 135 carrier.

[n4gix 4,947]

On ‎10‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 3:10 PM, overspeed3 said:

I think the so-called rich, as well as major airlines should begin a program where pilot candidates are subsidized to attend fight schools in an effort to try to stem the coming critical pilot shortage...      

Actually there are several US airlines who're offering such financial assistance to people in flight training programs.

[Skywolf 992]

Shortage of pilots is not really a bad thing.  Anyone who wants to be a pilot will become one, and pay will be good.  It is fun to be in a industry when the supply is low, as that will lead to awesome opportunities for people who get in.

It is all supply and demand.  

Edited October 11, 2019 by Skywolf

[FDEdev 955]

A really bad side effect is that companies tend to lower their requirements during such shortage phases and just barely qualified pilots will get jobs in an airliner cockpit. 😞 

Edited October 12, 2019 by FDEdev

[leon310 26]

5 hours ago, FDEdev said:

A really bad side effect is that companies tend to lower their requirements during such shortage phases and just barely qualified pilots will get jobs in an airliner cockpit. 😞 

Your right, and that is why you see so many airplane crashes now. I know airline pilots make more than 30k a year. I know an airline pilot flying a airbus 320, making 150k+ a year.

[Murmur 3,941]

6 hours ago, leon310 said:

Your right, and that is why you see so many airplane crashes now.

What? Accidents per million flights have been trending downward for at least 30 years (see the Evolution of accidents per million flights chart):

https://theblogbyjavier.com/2019/01/02/aviation-safety-evolution-2018-update/

Edited October 12, 2019 by Murmur

[snglecoil 1,828]

Shortage or not, In the US at least, Part 121 (aka airline jobs), ATP requires a minimum of 1,500 hrs. There are exceptions for military and college aviation programs. But Joe off the street isn’t getting an airline job with less than 1500 hours of experience. As someone climbing the front side of that curve, that’s a lot of flying. It doesn’t always ensure a perfect pilot, but it does create a big enough barrier to entry to encourage those that pursue it to do so seriously and with purpose. 
 

Part 91 and 135 corporate jobs don’t require nearly the hours. But competition for those “private jet jobs” flying rich people around is high enough to ensure those aren’t going to low time pilots. Small charter and freight jobs will be going to the lower time commercial pilots (but still usually 500+ hours for insurance reasons). Ironically the flight instructor job is where the shortage may be having the greatest impact in terms of quality. That’s truly unfortunate as is sets up a harder path for new pilots. 

[leon310 26]

16 hours ago, Murmur said:

What? Accidents per million flights have been trending downward for at least 30 years (see the Evolution of accidents per million flights chart):

https://theblogbyjavier.com/2019/01/02/aviation-safety-evolution-2018-update/

Ok, I was wrong.