[No one wants to pay back 57k if they decide they want to leave, or heaven forbid wash out in training.]

This is a very valid point. What is termed a "hiring bonus" is actually an indenture. Can you imagine if every employer called half your salary a "bonus," and you had to pay it back if you didn't continue to work for a specified time? If it was truly a bonus, then $35,000/yr must be a living wage. Is anyone living 20 days a month on the road (and possibly also commuting another 10 days) for $35,000/yr? If you count all the hours away from home, that's less than $5.00/hr. I wonder why there's a pilot shortage?