Originally Posted by
CaptFuzz
I agree that increasing 121 FO mins to an ATP could have a significant effect of moderating the oversupply of airline pilots, therefore leading to better pilot compensation from the airlines. However, I'm not sure why the FAA would require a 4 year degree to be a pilot. Unless it's a requirement for some sort of aviation degree (and I'm sure ERAU would love to see that regulation) I don't see having a federal requirement for a 4 year degree really having any correlation to someone's ability to safely pilot an airplane.
And I see no justification to giving preference to US citizens (over, say, resident aliens) unless you're going to start requiring airline pilots to have security clearances (and there's no reason to do that).
As a side, I wonder what an ATP min for 121 FOs would do to compensation for other sectors of the pilot industry (135, CFIs, ect.). I could see it creating a glut of low time pilots, leaving a larger number of CFIs to compete for potentially less students, driving down CFI pay even further.
(for reference, I have a 4 year degree, a security clearance, and am currently applying to regional airlines with less than ATP mins)
College degree is required for all professional jobs so why shouldn't it be required for Professional airline pilot jobs? Major airlines require it and Congress wants to make the hiring requirements for regionals equal to majors. So yeah, I think college degree should be required. BTW, military requires it too, if you want to be a pilot. A college degree does not have to an aviation degree.
I think eventually, pilots will be required to get a security clearance if this CrewPass will become a reality at all US airports. Plus, why should we have to compete with aliens for few pilot positions there are in the US? We can't go over to France, Italy or Germany and get an airline pilot job with Air France or Lufthansa unless we get French or German citizenship so why should some European pilot come over here and take our jobs? All government jobs, law enforcement and related defense contractor jobs also require US citizenship. So it's not a new concept.
A CFI payrate is not relevant to our discussion. Why would ATP requirements lower CFI payrate? There's no correlation. At any case, CFI payrate is not likely to go down. If anything, it is projected to go up along with the cost of learning to fly just like everything else in this country.
An ATP and 1500 hours should be required at a minimum to be hired as an airline pilot and there is no shortage of pilots in the US with this qualifications.
You must be an aviation major from one of those schools like Embry Riddle or UND, or Flight Safety International. Otherwise you would not be making a comment like the one you made. I mean you write you don't see why a college degree should be required but if it is required it should be an aviation degree? So you don't think a college degree will make a better professional pilot unless it's an aviation degree? Your argument holds no logic and thankfully you are in the minority as well as not being a member of our profession. There are thousands and thousands of unemployed US pilots right now and when regional and major airlines start hiring again, there would be no shortage of ATP pilots with part 121 experience. I find it ironic that only people objecting to proposed new hiring requirements are people like you who are not even a professional pilot yet.