GAO to require report on pilot shortage
 

Gee I wonder what they're fishing for here :rolleyes:

Low interest student loans for flight training. Grants. Make it affordable for anyone from any socioeconomic background. That would solve this problem in a matter of years.

But instead they want a European style of master and apprentice with ultra low time FOs who bring little experience to the job that wasn’t gained in scripted simulator sessions.

No, it wouldn't.

The hardest part of flying is paying for it, but that has also been a discriminator that made those who were serious about pursuing aviation work harder to get there, and those who were not, to drop out and go elsewhere.

I've seen other systems in other countries, such as China, in which those getting in were often those who ought not push a broom across a hangar floor, let alone pilot an airplane.

Quantity vs. quality is no panacea, nor does it save the day.

I started flying in 1975. A Cessna 150 was $16.50/hr wet. A brand new aircraft was under $12000. Then the big lawsuit hit when a gal lost it in an old 172 when the seat rail was worn and the seat slid back on takeoff and she stalled and crashed. Liability drove the costs to where we are today. Try holding Ford accountable with a 20 year old car. Anyway, just one more case for tort reform that we’ll never see..

I also started flying in 1975. The Air Natl Guard unit I was in had a base aero club. Their got their gas via military channels and paid no taxes on it. A 1965 Cherokee 160 cost $8/hr wet. The CFI was a crusty old Master Sergeant who charged $5/hr. He didn't want students who had parents paying all the expenses. He wanted you to have to work for the $$ you spent on flying. I was bagging groceries for $1.70/hr while in high school so paid out of that.

What I'd like to see, and it would be expensive, is for the post Vietnam GI bill to come back for flight training. A guy in my Guard unit was getting his commercial using a Piper Arrow. It costs $40/hr. He paid $4/hr. Having 90% of rental fees paid would sure make it easier for ex-military to get their ratings. And it might help with military recruiting. I remember reading recently the Army missed it's recruiting goal by 25%.