That's also an ignorant statement. It does not take the big picture into account.

Next time you may feel the need belittle a 4 year school/university, remember your comments reach further than just those pilots. Purdue, ERAU, UND etc...have a much much larger market than just training pilots. Quite a few of the folks that go there are in ROTC programs becoming officers in our armed forces. Are you belittling them too? How about the engineers working for NASA, Boeing, or Lockheed? You can also extend that to dispatchers, Air Traffic Controllers, FAA, management, maintenance, or anyother feild that those schools educate.

I understand as well as anyone how ridiculous it is to invest more money than necessary in flight training. I would NEVER recommend it to anyone. Infact, I have come to believe that flight training is starting to become economically unviable and will fundamentally have to change. However, I will defend those schools. When I think back to my time spent as a student of ERAU I think back to all the freinds I made. The vast majority of them have successful careers outside of flying airplanes for an airline. A lot of them are serving or have served in Iraq or Afgahnistan.

The only thing I am ashamed of is the money I spent. Go get an education in something that will be marketable outside of flying airplanes but that also compliments it, like engineering. One of those overpriced 4 year schools allow for exactly that kind of education (and you can still fly of campus in a 152).

I think the only belittling are for the ones who paid $150,000.00 to become $20,000.00 airline pilots but I could be wrong.

Npr
 

Now that people are beginning to talk about seeing signs of a recovery some are bringing back the fear of big cost oil. One guy yesterday predicted $20 a gallon gasoline in six years.

Man that would be just about the end of everything.

In any case the price to get your ratings is due to go way up and already has.

Skyhigh

I have/had no intention of belittling 4 year schools. I am belittling the comment made concerning the poster's opinion that 121 ops should be limited to those coming from 4 year aviation universities.

Some are so ready for a battle, they see what they want to see when it wasn't there to begin with.

If you think 2012 is some meal ticket to the airline career you wanted I got a bridge to sell you. To quote my professional formative gospel (Office Space): "thumbs up their @sses, thumbs up their @sses...."

Let's not beat around the bush, you loved the pilot profession, it however did not love you back, as a median. Where you stand in the 5 phases of grief is entirely up to you. Threads like this one reinforce my conviction that life's too short to be putting yours and your family's life on hold for 4-year spans at a time waiting on the next "advertised" window for the next proverbial do-over, that is I believe the textbook definition for the mentally unfit (persistent repetition of the same action with the expectation of a different outcome).

I agree with Bryris. Stating that the only people that can fly 121 must come from 4 year aviation schools is absurd and I'm a graduate of one. I do feel that FAA standard minimums is approriate (ATP mins) for all 121 pilots.

A couple of posters listed how many commercial certs were being issued. Keep in mind not all of those newly certificated pilots want to be professional pilots. Quite a few will do it to save on their insurance of advanced private aircraft. Others will do it to obtain a CFI and be a part-time CFI. Additionally, how many of those certificates go to international students who will return home to fly? Just some food for thought.

^ Best post on this this thread. ^

Short cuts
 

Pilots are rewarded for taking short cuts. When hiring does resume all the wonder kids who were smart enough to hire on at a regional when they were taking guys with only 300 hours will be in the best position to get hired.

The rest who choose to take the long and slow CFI route most likely will be stuck there for a very very long time. Even though many of the wonder kids are furloughed or laid off right now they have part 121 muti engine turbine or jet time on their resume.

It isn't much however they will have a leg up when it comes to getting another regional or corporate jet job. They will be among the first to get hired if or when hiring starts up again. They could easily jump many years ahead of their 3000 CFI peers.

Skyhigh

Good point. I don't know the numbers but I'd go as high as to say 70+% of the new CPL's are foreign students. Almost every FLT school now has international students with the big ones (PAIFA, DCA, IFTA, IATA, etc) pushing thousands through their program each year.

Anyone know the numbers for domestic students verses foreign? Now that PAIFA's all international they're probably pushing 300-400 foreign students (or more) through themselves.

Seconded.

In fact, Life's too short to quibble over coulda, shoulda, woulda or money.

As for the Kübler-Ross model for the Five Stages of Grief, I made it all the way through to acceptance. It is what it is. This doesn't mean I intend to bend over and spread the cheeks for management, but I also understand the economics of the industry enough to have an idea on what is attainable and what is not.