Originally Posted by
serthwrmtym
The barriers are artificially high because of the 1500 hour rule which is completely arbitrary.
Nothing wrong with maximizing your paycheck, but what you're trying to do in this situation is this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent-seeking
And I am actually a free market guy who supports eliminating the EAS completely, along with the rest of the the FARs that are protectionist in nature. But if the EAS is eliminated and the 1500 hour rule is not, it is going to worsen the pilot shortage at the regionals.
There is not a pilot shortage. There are 250,000 pilots in the US with at least a commercial/instrument or ATP. But many of these pilots have long chosen other professions because of the abysmal compensation and quality of life in this career.
Only very recently, some airlines have temporarily increased starting pay and bonuses to the $50k-$60k range. The results: many qualified (often middle-aged) pilots have decided to enter the career as they are now closer to being appropriately compensated. It was a pay shortage, not a pilot shortage, and increasing pay has increased the supply of willing laborers, as expected.
An attempt to retain EAS as some sort of subsidized, entry-level jobs program is misguided and distorts the labor market. Our nation is $20 trillion in debt and we can't afford to waste money like this. We are over-taxed, and it's time to cut spending. EAS is relatively minor, but it's a perfect example of wasteful, frivolous spending.