RickAir7777:

I was looking for honest replies and I appreciate you being straightforward. Remember, my inquiry started when a FO for a major airline, knowing my background, said the pilot shortage may make me a potential candidate.

A few years back, a regional airline that had many former military helicopter pilots in its ranks was willing to consider me, knowing that flying IFR in a helicopter is very similar; in fact, more challenging, than doing so in an airplane. (I have 229 Actual Instrument hours, more than many regional applicants). They also respected that all my time operating off aircraft carriers, with NVGs, performing multiple demanding missions, meant I could probably do just fine flying the line.

However, you are right, I do have mostly rotary wing instincts, and during emergencies, you want someone with airplane instincts! Again, thank you for your honesty, and keep it safe, gentlemen!

 

Hey, If you can figure it how to autorotate a fixed wing aircraft....RESPECT!

 

Oh they'll auto-rotate. But the real trick is arresting the descent rate prior to touchdown.

 

I now it is hard to swallow that your overall general aviation experience isn't counted for much, but I'm willing to bet that your EMS helo job wouldn't give me a look with my background/expereince if I had 125TT in a helo.
Since you have little experience flying anything larger/faster than a T-34C (I'm assuming your FW experience is in USN Primary training only or therebouts), why would you make the statement that flying a helo in actual IMC would be more challenging? One of the things that seems to get the helo transitions I saw coming through training was often the speeds at which things happened in the FW world.

Being a multi-tasker will definitely help you with whatever type of flying that you do - that is across the board. again - do you think that my NVG time, carrier experience (limited as it is), and possibly that fact that I am use to very dynamic maneuvering would impress the chief pilot at your operation?

Now I'll tell you where you will get FULL credit for your knowledge and experience (if they are hiring again after sequestration) would be the CBP. There is an extensive thread on APC (use the search function) with a wealth of information if you might be interested.

 

Lesson learned for me - if you post early in the morning or late night, proofread your post well before hitting "submit"! Looking back, I can see that my post may have been offensive, and I apologize for that. When I said that "IFR is harder in a helicopter", what I really meant is that current airline pilots who are former military helicopter pilots have told me that my IFR helicopter skills would translate well in the IFR airplane skills. But I do hear what you're saying, USMCFlyer, about things happening faster in the jet...

As for CBP, I have looked into it - the big factor for my family would be yet another move. There's been so many already in our Navy/civilian careers.

Again, thanks for your honesty all, and Fly Safe!

 

I wouldnt bank on that. Doesnt matter if its a regional, legacy, or LCC. When youre hired, its as a full time pilot able to give them 18-19-20 days a month. Maybe, maybe when you become senior enough you could drop/trade/giveaway as much as you could. Even that's not certain. Also keep in mind some (I SAY AGAIN some) can be restrictive about doing commercial flying outside your job.

The situation youre describing would be more along the lines of joining a guard/reserve unit and mil dropping as much of your airline schedule as possible.

And as far as NetJets is concerned, don't bank on them hiring anytime soon.

 

Would like to know if there is a chance to know how many CFI initial are issues every year. Since looking at the commercial certificates statistics will obscure the pilots available to work in the USA. This could maybe give us a more accurate picture of the real shortage, of course, taking into account the % of pilots that do not go that route and the number of career CFI's

 

See the FAA statistics pages. Here's the one for 2012 (2013 is not out)-

US Civil Airmen Statistics

I've looked at various statistics such as the number of ATPs by year, see my chart, and it does not support the notion of a large pilot shortage in the airlines. To criticize my chart however, I should add something about total number of jobs by year to show the disparity between pilots and jobs, as well as the number of "active" pilots who are not actually present in the US work force and perhaps cross ref it with the number who hold first class medicals.

 

[QUOTE=Cubdriver;1570698]See the FAA statistics pages. Here's the one for 2012 (2013 is not out)-

US Civil Airmen Statistics

I've looked at various statistics such as the number of ATPs by year, see my chart, and it does not support the notion of a large pilot shortage in the airlines. To criticize my chart however, I should add something about total number of jobs by year to show the disparity between pilots and jobs, as well as the number of "active" pilots who are not actually present in the US work force and perhaps cross ref it with the number who hold first class medicals.


[/QUOTE

interesting chart, so any international pilot that got their commercial certificate in USA and went back to their country is included in the chart?..or not... I also assume the thousands of pilot that for the sake of having a lower insurance rates would have their commercial and atp certificates active, which in the USA could add thousands...

 

That's what I understand this data includes, anyone who holds an "active" certificate however that is defined as of the survey date. We had a debate on another thread about how many fresh comm/atp holders leave the country each year when they are done getting them, and we know that quite a few do, probably hundreds per year as a low guess. Whether that changes their "active" vs. "inactive" status no one here seems to know. However, I find it interesting to note that comm/atp production is fairly constant over the last twenty years and is not getting smaller by any stretch of imagination. This is partly why I insist the alleged pilot shortage is minor. I do think there is a minor shortage, but there is not enough evidence to support the notion of a large one.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics says there are 66,400 airline pilots in the US in 2012. Interestingly enough, they predict a shrinkage of this sector to 62,100 persons in the next ten years. See-

Airline and Commercial Pilots : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

If this is the case, and the historical data shows a steady supply of atp-rated pilots (it does), then a pilot shortage would seem unlikely to develop if it hasn't already. In addition, one should find it interesting that if there are 146,000 possible active atps in the US, and only 66,400 airline pilot seats need to be filled this year, there is no pilot shortage indicated. At least not by this data.