Pilot Shortage??
 

I think its time to separate FACT from FICTION regarding this LAUGHABLE notion of a pilot shortage. Widespread talk of pilot shortages always mean we at the top of an economic cycle.

A little history:

When I started flying in 1986 there was talk of a looming pilot shortage. By 1990 jobs were scarce at best.

In 2000-2001 everyone was again talking shortages. Sadly, the horrific events of 9/11 coincided with an already maturing economic cycle and huge furloughs ensued.

As recently as spring/summer 2007 pilot shortage talk was at an all time high. Now less than 1 year later airlines are dying like flies and furloughs are again rearing their ugly heads. Sadly, the age 65 debacle will mean that the pilot community will take longer to recover than the general economy will this time.

So when things turn around as they eventually will, please let's don't talk about any pilot shortages.

They seem to match with Oil Prices (Shortage / Surplus)

Maybe people won't if you don't start the 10,000th thread on the subject all over again. :rolleyes:

I believe the point has been made on most of these threads that there seems to be a shortage of high-time, experienced pilots...not pilots in general. Whether that's true or not I have no idea and I suspect you don't know either. But by all means, let's stop the back and forth over this issue...it's getting ridiculous.

B2P

I don't think there is a pilot shortage, do you? LOL!

I think there is a real pilot shortage.

A shortage of highly qualified pilots willing to work dismal hours for near-indentured servitude wages with questionable equipment.

Precisely, but there will never be a shortage of pilots willing to do that.

I think there are a shortage of people with a high amount of TT & PIC...

No, there isn't...never has been. What *does* exist is a shortage of people with a high amount of TT and PIC, that will accept regional airline compensation and QOL...as jedinein previously stated. NetJets, CitationShares, and all the legacies that are or were hiring have thousands of EXTREMELY qualified pilots sending them resumes.

The "pilot shortage" that never existed formally went *poof* the day Age 65 was passed...and with 6 airlines just having gone out of business the "pilot shortage" is much deeper than 6 feet under.

I agree with BoilerUp. Age 65 and over 650 pilots on the street now, with significant experience should put an end to the pilot shortage

Well said, even the majority of regional airlines have since stopped hiring, and in some cases are asking pilots to take leave of absences. I would say we are headed into a pilot surplus as opposed to shortage.

welcome to the dark years in aviation!!! but it will change. The reasone I'm saying this is because there are not many US pilots at flight schools anymore, mostly forigners.

I feel sorry for all the pilots that lost their jobs in the last couple of days!!! :o

Good luck to all you out there!:D

The "dark years of aviation" have been going on since deregulation. I can count on both hands the number of "good" years aviation has had since then. If I wanted to count the number of bad years...well, I'd lose my shoes, pants, and would probably have to find a young attractive female to continue counting with me since I'm not wearing pants anymore.

C'mon guys...the world hasn't come to an end yet.

Hawaiian is picking up a lot of new planes and will likely hire many of the Aloha pilots.

Skywest has taken up all the slack of the Skyway op, and I know a few Skyway (and Big Sky) pilots who have all found other jobs...a long time ago.

Once 5 years has gone by, and the baby boomers "re-hit" retirement age (65), things will pick up again...just a prediction. There were going to be a lot of retirements, and now those same retirements will happen, only it will be 5 years delayed.

i have to sort of agree...... are things gonna get tight for awhile....probably. but this business has always been a roller coaster. The airline business is FULL of names of carriers who failed or were absorbed by others... here is just a few...... Braniff, Eastern, PanAM, Muse Air ( bought by SWA in the early years ), Morris Air, Western, Frontier ( the original ), Ozark, TWA, Republic ala Southern Airlines ( now part of NWA ), Peoples Express, Business Express......and dozens more that have come and gone......the reality is the pay and work rules are not what they werent were....and probably never will be again, AND through it all the public has continued to fly and the numbers of people has continued to climb..... the fact that age 65 and this downturn happened around the same time is what really sucks, without "65" ( and no lets not debate that yet again ), even with the downturn most would still be hiring at some level due to retirements....... the only real fact is that this business changes daily..... what the hiring situation will be in a year nobody knows....it is what it is.