Originally Posted by hyflyt560
Every one of those students going through the programs you mentioned fit into the statistics because they start out with Student Pilot certificates and work their way through Private, Commercial, etc.
Take a look at the FAA website. From 1990 to 2005 there is a drop in Commercial Pilots (FW) of 32,000 pilots. Conversely, there is an equal increase in ATPs. Overall, there is a drop of almost 93000 total pilots.
The high cost of flight training and aircraft ownership is making it difficult for the average guy to become a pilot. I think that the statistics show that the hobby pilot is going extinct. Today over 93% of student starts have professional intentions. In the end we have fewer total pilots but a much higher percentage of career pilots. The raise in ATP numbers I feel supports this.
SkyHigh