In my opinion, this is getting blown way out of proportion. It's one thing to say that you must pay for the first 250 hours, given that most of it's training. But don't forget that before the new rule was in effect (2013)....and before the airlines were hiring pilots at 250 hours (2002-2010)....there was a time when a pilot had to have 1500 hours to be competitive (1996 or so to 2002 or so )....and before that, a pilot needed to have not only several thousand hours, but a few hundred hours of multi-engine time (late 1980's to the early 1990's).

Here's the deal: going forward, pilots will do what we had to do "back in the day" to get from 250 to 1500: they'll have to be CFI's. Or they can go tow banners somewhere. Believe it or not, there ARE options for getting from 250 to 1500 that don't involve writing checks. You can actually get paid to get from 250 to 1500.

I know many claim they don't want to be CFI's, but here's a little secret: you will learn far more about your craft being a CFI than you can even imagine. I, for one, loved the experience, and I only wish that I live someplace where I could do it part-time.

If you are looking at the time between 250 and 1500 as a barrier, that is only because you have decided it will be one.