Hiring requirements by airlines are cyclical. In the ‘60s and ‘80s, pilots were hired in droves by the majors with very low time and some without college.
In the '80s, Delta picked up a few pilots without college, which was unheard of
, during the hiring spree. In 1989, American Airlines hired one of the youngest chaps at the age of 20, knowing he would have turned 21 before is F/E rate ride would have occurred. Some new hires with the majors in the late '80s had zero turbine time too!
Well folks, the
minimum requirement pendulum has once again swung the other way... many more seats than pilots available. Was the Colgan Airline crash the final straw for TPIC preference by the powers that be? Or will the days of the ‘60s come upon us again when a chap was hired with a commercial, multi-engine rating? Hard to say. Time will tell when this so called
theoretical pilot shortage hits the industry. Will airlines establish universities to train and groom pilots from ground zero in their own image? Time will tell… time will tell.