No age limit is a temporary stopgap.

The other big factor is the continually rising cost of flight training, combined with the continually lowering median family income, along with the banks refusal to lend for pilot training costs.

Exactly. Airlines have been well aware of these retirement numbers for decades. They knew this was coming.

It is a reactionary business. They want to ride this gravy train of cheap labor right to the end of the tracks. The only surprise is I think the end of the cheap labor came more quickly and more abruptly than any one of them had planned.

Better come up with some solutions boys. Quickly.

On CNN yesterday:

Air Force faces shortage of drone and jet pilots - CNNPolitics.com

True. Rasing the retirement age/ending the 1500 hour rule/etc will only be temporary band-aids and will only delay the inevitable. The high cost of entry coupled with the initial low pay has tainted the profession's image. Why be a pilot when you can major in computer science and make 6 figures right after graduation? Until drastic changes are made to make the job desirable again you will have nobody starting training.

And let's be honest. Giving the airlines a few years to "fix" the problem will result in nothing. They will only change when they absolutely have to. They made their bed and now they can lay in it.

It's true. The industry is in an uproar about the pilot shortage, except for the major airlines. They don't seem to concerned.

I do believe that flight training costs at a four year accredited college or University are considered part of tuition. A student can borrow for at least
some of those costs. There's a lot more to it than that. Young people just
aren't as interested in flying as they used to be either!

To the guy that posted about a pilot shortage in the military...

Idk about you guys, but I really don't buy it when they say there is a shortage of people wanting to fly in the military.

I was in AFROTC a few years ago, and over 90% of the cadets wanted to be pilots yet they only selected a fraction of them. If you look into the guard units, same deal...if you think it's hard getting picked up at a major, try applying to a guard unit.

I don't buy the whole military pilot shortage. Hell if they need someone to fly an F-16, give me the keys!

From my experience being a Military training Officer and pilot for an aviation Unit, I can point out that funding has dried up drastically over the past few years. We aren't training as many pilots as before. We aren't given the money to send them to flight school like we were a few years ago.

There's no shortage in the military I literally just got told thanks but no thanks from the reserves. Recruiter had 35 packets for a board this year that only required 3 slots. Trying for the guard before I age out this year but the reality is they'll select some enlisted guy with a private before someone off the street and there's a good shot they'll medical out or wash out before completing UPT. Hardly a shortage in the military.

I won't quote exact numbers, but I have it on pretty good authority that the army alone cut their pilot training numbers by something like 35% (or more) last year.