Originally Posted by
detpilot
"In fact right now there are more CFI's then there are students to teach. "
This is simply not true. There may be more "licensed" CFI's than "Licensed" student pilots, but the majority of those CFI's are doing other jobs (121, 135, etc), and are not actively instructing. The regional hiring frenzy has sucked up most CFI's, and many flight schools (including the one I teach at) are DESPERATE for CFI's. So much so, in fact, that we've just had our pay scale raised to $28/hour, not bad for a 141 CFI.
We have 42 airplanes, and 36 CFI's. We are turning students away to work on core classes (Degree/flight program), because we simply don't have enough instructors to keep our planes flying. And, we are losing an average of 6 CFI's per month, while hiring an average of 2 per month.
There is a coming qualified pilot shortage.
Based on the information I have read and my friends who are pilots, there definitely is a pilot shortage. My buddy who is a pilot for SkyWest said the pilot shortage is already here. In regards to ATP flight training, you dont just complete the course and go to an airline. They have agreements with airlines that will hire ATP pilots with lower mins, but you must instruct for at least a few months before you can get hired by one of them. I understand the legitimate concern that the fast track training program might not adequately prepare commercial pilots to fly, however, that is why for most of the regional airlines you have a to instruct and gain a couple hundred extra hours before getting on board.
In contrast, I think it depends on each individual going to ATP. Some people can soak up information quickly. I graduated college in 3.5 years, and have the same knowledge that others who took 4-5 years to graduate. My friend at SkyWest has flown with some pilots who went through ATP and said most of them are very good pilots. One negative he mentioned, is that some of them are arrogant and think they know everything. Also, if a pilot isnt prepared or knowledgeable enough to then they will not pass the Regional Checkride. Does anyone see where I am coming from?