I will believe it when it happens
 

I don't know how many times I have seen articles like this. It needs to hurry up and happen already!

At the regionals? Maybe. At the majors? Never.

USA Today "Pilot Shortage" (ya right) Article
 

So I open my hotel room door this morning to find this on the front page.

Demand for airline pilots set to soar - USATODAY.com

I can't tell if it's an advertisement for ERAU or a poorly researched article about the aviation industry. It's loaded with the same "pilot shortage" crap we've been hearing for decades.

"Today, flying for a regional airline for many individuals has become their career," says Cohen, noting that while opportunities at larger carriers have decreased amid several mergers, pay is rising in the regional sector, and pilots are able to fly larger and more sophisticated aircraft. "They make lifestyle choices to stay at regional carriers because benefits, compensation, (and the) type of flying suits them well." Says the Roger

The most poignient (someone spell check that!) quote in that article:


"Low-cost airlines such as Southwest, Virgin America and AirTran increased their pilot staffing 11.2% in 2010 over 2009, while regional carriers increased their pilot numbers by 4.9%. Major network airlines, however, saw their pilot workforce drop 1.3% last year, the bureau says."


Also look at who they talked to, ERAU and Cohen...

"Sivyllis." You think it's pronounced like syphilis?

Interesting article.

Obviously a piece written by Cohen at the Regional Airline groups request / suggestion. They need to get kids back to mortgaging their parents house / cashing in their retirement plans to get them trained !!!!

I'm sure more than one parent read this and is getting the wheels in motion to send Junior off for that great career regional job. And the airlines get to hire another 250 hour wonder for sub $20k/year.

Win, win !!

PS: When these BS tactics drain the market for dirt cheap labor, the articles given to USA Today and other mouth piece rags will suggest "ab initio Multi-Pilot" schemes.

It looks like all the likely rag "news" papers got the same basic crap sent to them from Cohen. Here's a link to last years version. They are right on schedule, to the day:

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/le...tml#post830508

How can they even call this journalism? Did they even do research or just print the article written by ERAU's admissions department?