It is no myth, but in fact, current reality. And things be gettin mo' real every day. My major airline is sucking up regional pilots by the boatload. Military too. Our average new hire flt hrs over the last year? 8500hrs+. I suspect we hire 1000 pilots this year (again) and possibly push to 1200. The other majors are hiring big numbers too.

Somebody is going to feel a big pinch when it comes to regional pilot manning. Today's challenges are just a dress rehearsal.