That, in my opinion is the MAIN reason. It's all supply and demand. Doctors control the supply, and so by keeping the supply at a reasonable level, they ensure they can get paid whatever they like.

Are doctors smarter than pilots? I think not. I've spent my share of time around them and their brains aren't any bigger.

After medical school, doctors must apply to residency programs for the specialty in which they hope to practice. There are residency programs for orthopedic surgery, dermatology, internal medicine etc. Each year, thousands of US graduates compete for positions in the various programs. Each year, hundreds of internationally trained applicants also apply for these same positions AND OFFER TO WORK FOR FREE. The "work for free" mentality is not limited to aviation. The diffeence in medicine is that the docs don't sit back and let the government stipulate their professional requirements. If that were so, anybody would be able to be a doctor and enter the workforce.

Isn't it time that pilots take control of the profession? As pilots, we let others determine who joins our ranks. Isn't that fundamentally wrong, especially since flying is a privilege and not a right? Why should we have to be convincing people that places "pay to fly" schemes do more harm than good? If we had our own professional body, we could regulate the type of person who enters the profession, and have a professional disciplinary body.

Being a fresh CPL, there isn't much I can do but educate people on how some practices hurt the profession, but rest assured that as I move up, I'll keep trying to better the profession.