I worked at the dollar way mobile mini mart while in college to pay for my flight training. It took me 6 hours behind the counter to pay for one hour of flight training. I also sold stuff and took out student loans. It took me 5 years to work my way through college and flight school, but that is not the point.

The point is that there are flight academies that can, and do, crank out brand new commercial multi-engine pilots in 3 to 6 months. It took me much longer but that is not the issue. It takes less time to become a pilot than it does to become licensed to cut hair. Airlines can wave the college requirement if it suits them. There are airline pilots flying in America today that have as little as a king tape education and a cram course flight academy under their belt.

There was a pilot who use to post here that was a ski instructor one winter and an airline pilot by the following ski season. In contrast it takes 2 to 4 years of dedicated daily effort to become a plumber. They also have a hard job that few would want to do. As a result they are justly compensated for their efforts and are valued by their employer. A pilots investment is incredibly cheap in comparison. So long as the flood gates are held open there will never be a pilot shortage and the value of pilots will continue to plummet.

Skyhigh