Originally Posted by
sqwkvfr
No, it is not.
This ATP requirement is going to lead to a shortage of people with 1500 hours willing to work for regional airlines and a subsequent move toward a "frozen ATP" like the JAA/EASA countries (states?) of Europe.
....a system where only the rich get to play and any idiot with the money can find himself with a "frozen" ATPL, 200-some hours and a direct entry into the right seat of a mainline aircraft.
This 1500 hour ATP requirement is a bad thing....no matter how well intentioned, it will backfire and not work to our benefit.
Remember, you heard it here first.
I don't believe this will be the case. What I do believe will happen is that the leading universities around the country will get in bed with lenders / government backing (ie. guaranteed loans) and return ever so slightly to what it once was where you actually had to QUALIFY, based on strict academia and motivation, for the loans.
Lenders will stop producing loans for places like Flight Safety and ATP as the number of defaults are skyrocketing.
Believe it or not, not every individual that wanted to get into aviation was actually able to get into aviation back in the day. Also, not every one of them had to pay for their education as most aviation universities had scholarship programs for those fortunate to be picked out of the hundreds that wanted to go.
This will help aid getting the best of the best again. Now, we still have to get wages back up across the board