I completely agree ... assuming our economy here doesn't just keep plummeting into a steeper downward spiral over the next few years, we should be seeing some drastic changes in the economy and the aviation industry...

Everyone that has been alive for 15 years knows that our economy goes through cycles ... right now we are in a deep trough, and the worst trough we have seen since the Great Depression (although I'm not convinced that this isn't just as bad as the Great Depression taking inflation into account). Not to get into politics here, but our country is in more debt than ever before (the figgin debt clock in NY ran out of room to keep counting!!). But, over the next few years, hopefully we can start pulling out of this, and start crawling back towards another crest in the cycle.

If/when this happens, our economy will boom once again, and this should be right around the time when all the age 65 guys start retiring. What happens then? BOOM!! We see a hiring spree much like (if not better than) 2007. All of the major airline will be pulling guys from the regional level with several thousand hours to come work, and then the regionals will have to replenish their own pilots and the hiring boom begins.

One can only hope that this is how things will turn out!