Do younger pilots have an intrinsic sense of entitlement?
 

There is a good article in the latest edition of Air Transport World magazine. It's titled "Where have all the pilots gone". It's about the shortage of pilots at the regional level and has several interesting quotes from people in the flight training and regional airline industry. Kent Lovelace, the chairman and professor of aviation at UND says that regional airlines need to improve their pay to create a larger pool of applicants. He also points to another phenomenon- a new generation of pilots who are different from their predecessors. He says that a study done by the Wilson Center for Public Research on behalf of ALPA noted that younger pilots had "higher expectations, short timelines and an intrinsic sense of entitlement."

The reports says that regional airlines are quick to point out that low base pay can rise quickly because of growth and the very real prospect of upward mobility. Pinnacle VP Phil Reed says that a pilot there can make $90,000 within a few years.

ALPA VP Paul Rice suggests a flow though that would enable regional pilots to move up to their mainline partners, while others are counting on the Mulit-Crew Pilot License to help with the lack of new regional pilots applicants. Embry Riddle reports that it's enrollment in it's aviation program has increase 25% in the past two years.

What are your thoughts on how to improve not only the supply, but the quality of regional newhires?

I don't have the panacea for what supposedly ails this industry; I just hope to God that all these new hires don't look like the dork in your avatar. What exactly does that one stripe mean?

I believe that photo was taken off some fool's website that goes to UND and thinks that UND and/or himself is God's next greatest gift to the industry.

I think thats the F/A uniform


In all seriousness there used to be a some reward after the years of sacrifice flying around for true "Commuter" airlines, now you could be stuck at the regional level indefinitely........
Seems like this whole sense of entitlement came with that huge "Self-esteem" movement that I remember in middle school. Everybody is special and we are great and we can do anything blah blah blah. ITS ALL BULLSH*T. You are not special and you cant do anything you want! My friend is a teacher and god forbid he "disciplines" a student for doing something wrong, he gets a call from some jackass parent threating a lawsuit, "my little boy is special, how dare you yell at him" blah blah blah. I dont want to continue my rant but thats generally what I am seeing, young people expect the world to be handed to them, because thats the garbage their parents have fed them, not to mention you watch 30 minutes of MTV you see Cribs, My Sweet Sixteen, and the O/C how could you not expect the world on a platter after watching that garbage.................

I sound like my parents:p

I believe from within the industry we call the Ironic Sense of Entitlement: SJS.

haha.. that definitely is that guy's picture.. I think that thread was taken down :D

yeah, cause you turbo-prop guys don't drool over Turbofan engines or anything..........

Men call em "thrust Levers", little girls call em "Power Levers":p

The sense of entitlement is endemic to many people, not just young pilots. Schools these days give an "A" to almost all the students regardless of ability or intelligence. How can a school have all A grade students? This happens in law school, too, where I was told once that I had to say how good this dumbster is so as not to destroy his self-esteem. People just don't understand the value of hard work and earning something on your own.

Well said. This is why so many people (with heads on their shoulders) keep saying "What the hell happened to this country?"

yeah, I've a lot of interesting articles lately that our generation as a whole is affected by that self esteem movement/upbringing. I think it's definitely true, our generation is more assertive, but at the same time more demanding and self entitled.

ahahahha.. actually I don't.. I LOVE the that louda$$ deep throaty sound turboprops make! (esp in beta mode on the ground) I think it's sexy :D