While textbook economics agrees with you, he's right on this point - there are plenty of corporate pilots that have zero desire to fly for even a top 121 major/legacy carrier, regardless of compensation. It might be ego driven because they don't want to be a "copilot", or it might be as simple as they lifestyle simply is not appealing to them regardless of the "price". After all, there is something to be said about choosing your own hotel, having a rental car, driving to whatever restaurant you want, the ability to take your sticks with you to many destinations, etc.

I've met FAR more miserable airline pilots than I ever have miserable corporate pilots.

Nice thing about this industry is there's something for everybody...

 

[mod note]

Please resist the urge to be personal or accusative. Constructive arguing is the proper goal for these discussions.

 

The average career span of a corporate pilot is not that long. I'm not going to spout numbers but I recall reading somewhere it was only a couple years. Again I'm talking average time with one company.

Corporate flight departments are volatile and unstable. While this is not universally true the majority of corporate pilots hop around quite a bit between jobs. Mostly jumping around 135 operators to build type ratings and time or looking for that next big opportunity. The job can be unstable and unpredictable. A pilot may say one year he would never leave his job and the next be working somewhere else.

 

One can change jobs a dozen times in Part 91 (like what happens in MANY career fields) and still not have the desire to fly 121. Many have BTDT and are content with their chosen path.

Taking your experience with you and starting at compensation equivalent to that is pretty nice...even if top-end compensation (ON AVERAGE) isn't quite what a major airline captain makes (again, ON AVERAGE).

Again, different strokes for different folks and all that...

 

I guess a major or legacy is not. If you don't like the ship you're still stuck with it, and if the ship sinks you guessed it, you will go down with the ship! job/position and pay stagnation is all around and throughout this industry.

 

Well you just hit the nail on the head! Exactly!

The reason they aren't interested in airlines is primarily because they can't take their experience and pay with them to a new job due to seniority restrictions.

Regional airlines are designed to appeal only to people just starting out. There are plenty of pilots able to take those jobs but they aren't competitive with pay so they don't bother applying. This is the primary reason why they're not interested.

PS...I have no idea what bozobigtop said in that previous post.

 

This may have been answered here already but on average how many Military pilots get hired by the major airlines yearly? And if possible how many retire yearly.

 

CB thanks for pointing out the nature of internet message boards. With that said, no pilot shortage at the majors.

Thanks

 

Not a single person I've seen is arguing that there will be one. There will be a shortage at entry level positions further degrading GA and a financially viable career path.

 

I'll argue it. Boeing and ALPA claim the majors need to hire an average of 4,200 pilots/year for over a decade. The regionals have 16,000 pilots left, of which the majors consider around 6,000-7,000 desirable pilots. I'm sure the majors can and will adjust those standards down quite a bit, but there are still a lot of regional pilots who will not want to make the jump ever, especially if the regionals start sweetening the pot to stay. That is not enough pilots for the majors. The military is not going to supply significant numbers, and civilian flight academies have few American students. Despite claims by ALPA, I've not seen any evidence that there are significant numbers (like even a few thousand) of expats able to come back, or qualified pilots working in other industries and willing to come back. If there were, this would be the time to come back. From a pilot perspective, when mass hiring is obviously going to happen, you get your seniority number whatever it takes. Industry experts don't understand that.

The majors want a pilot shortage, they need a pilot shortage, and they are getting a pilot shortage. They will make huge money when the regional and low-cost airlines stop suppressing prices, and demand greatly exceeds supply. If the pilot shortage can be spun into a "crisis", the airline industry is guaranteed to get lots of favorable legislation to permanently lower pilot labor costs. Programs like DARPA's ALIAS program will get a massive boost to eliminate aircrew labor, although it seems to already have a lot of steam propelling it.