Originally Posted by
SonicFlyer
If a pilot spent $250k to become a pilot, then they are an idiot.
Ok yeah, me saying $250k is an overboard statement. But $180k seems pretty common for private through CFI.
Anyone who has been told that there are airline pilots make $600k a year and believes them is very naive.
Quoted
"The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average salary of a Commercial Pilot is $77,200 per year. The lowest-paid 10 percent of Commercial Pilots earn $39,430, while the highest-paid 10 percent earn more than $147,240 annually."
The monthly payment on a 10 year $180k school loan is almost $2000 a month. Try making that payment making $39000 a year.
The market tells us that people are crunching the numbers, looking at ROI and overall quality of life and that's part of why there is shortage.
Beyond that the history
shows us the airlines making a bad name for themselves with extreme low pay. I remember when most regionals paid $12k a year for first year FO's.
Personally I think most of the problem is a general lack of interest in making a career in aviation.