They get a lot better benefits and pay than we get in the regionals, the should get that for the sacrifice thy give. If you think 50k/yr is pretty good for being a professional pilot then kindly stay the hell away from this industry. I didn't bust my ass to get through school and work to pay for flight training and sweat my ass off in
a Cessna teaching people how to land for an OK job making 50k/yr . If 50k is all I should hope to earn then I sure as hell wouldn't have picked this. I never expected to get rich but I didn't expect to be eternally poor. If you're just excited as **** to fly an airplane and don't care about compensation stay out of this business, we don't wan you. I'm excited as **** to perform brain surgery, maybe they'll let me do it since I think 35k/yr is pretty good . Yes I am mocking your smileys.

 

Lol i hear you, trust me. I'm not saying 50k is an acceptable top out rate... but starting out it's damn good. I'm just about at 55k with my IT career in yr 7 with a B.S. But yes flying is a job that requires many sacrifyces and deserves a damn good salary. 50k should be dead minimum for a regional FO and 35 min for CFI... But it aint all roses elsewhere either. Forgive spelling this is typed on my phone...

 

Yes my spelling sucked because it was from my phone. I'm sorry I guess I mis-read your post. As a starting salary I suppose 50k/yr is ok but not after that, it should be significantly higher.

 

You clearly did not do your research before you busted your ass off in school (was it REALLY that hard?) or work (tell the truth, mommy and daddy paid didnt they) to think that you could actually make a descent living in this career. Sadly, only person to blame is your self. You are part of the entitlement generation who thinks that they should be flying the heavies getting paid 100,000/year and upgrade right when you get the mins. Please reexamine your "expectations" of this industry before shunning others.

 

Short term, maybe. Long term no, unless you are going to start putting R/C airplane pilots into the 121 environment.

 

UASs/UAVs/drones are decreasingly manned by rated pilots-it is now a separate career field with a separate syllabus that does not include UPT. And while a drawdown is occurring, USAF pilot production has generally been unchanged in the last 10 years, ultimately resulting in the current shortage within the service.

"Short-term" will be at least a 10 year window, likely longer.

Bottom line, I don't think the implementation of the "1500 hour rule" will result in a pilot shortage. There will be plenty of qualified pilots to meet government requirements. Will ATPs/military pilots fly for the starting wages paid by many regionals (except in cases of maintaining recency)? I don't know. Time will tell.