Originally Posted by
KirillTheThrill
Where are they going to find the 175 sims?
Between SkyWest (owns the majority) Mesa, and Envoy, there might be a clapped out sim in Afghanistan we could utilize. How long will the process of buying sims and hiring instructors take? Probably years, time UAL doesn’t have.
What are the most pilots UA has hired AND TRAINED in a year. Now you have to utilize your already thin resources to hire AND train RJ types. Your answer to this issue seems simple, but it’s not.
I thought Rick had a great idea with the 2000 hours or at least 3 years of probation. Unfortunately problem pilots can get through with 1000-1500 hours of piston only. I’d carry that even if they bought out a regional. Once on property at UA they need to prove themselves for 2,000 hours blocked at UA before being removed off probation (or 3 years, which ever comes first).
This is all purely hypothetical and highly unlikely, but if a company like United were to take back the 175’s that they own, the regionals currently flying those aircraft wouldn’t need to fill those sim slots and they would become available for other companies to lease. SkyWest for example is a company that both operates and leases aircraft. If a legacy were to approach them with an offer to lease aircraft and sims, that could be a better deal than simply losing the revenue when the flying is pulled anyway.
Things are changing again. Some smaller markets are losing service while others are seeing larger aircraft. One very effective way to deal with a shortage of pilots, is to simply require fewer pilots. Instead of 6 flights on a 175, they get 3 flights on a 737. The shortage of pilots is an industry issue, not something only affecting a specific company. The industry will adapt, and I expect that adaptation to involve fewer flights, serving larger markets on larger aircraft. Another option would be a modern and efficient 50 seat aircraft. Embraer is talking about a turboprop, but what they are talking about wouldn’t fit most scope clauses since it has more than 50 seats. Either way, the clock is ticking, aircraft are aging, scope isn’t changing, and replacements don’t seem to be likely. What ever happens, we’re all just spectators along for the ride.