What is the trait you think others assume they have? Top performers in training perhaps?

 

Typical... the government ends up creating the pilot shortage by trying to prevent bad pilots from being hired, but the solution causes bad pilots to be hired at a much faster rate.

 

Former military members have a few life skills embedded. They know how to show up on time, are trainable and understand being part of an organization. And for many, this is way easier than doing push-ups in the mud or cleaning waste recipticles. Give me an enlisted F/O who learned to fly on his/her own vs a CFI living in his parents basement any day, sorry they just work out better.

 

It's finance and statistics combined. To get a sampling off of the bell curve that is optimal, and preferred, compensation needs to be commensurate. It currently isn't, and pilot who as little a 5 years ago wouldn't even be considered for an interview are being welcomed with open arms, and resultant failure numbers support this this. The options are
#1 increase pay to attract a larger pool of qualified applicants
#2 increase training costs to bring up the skill level of the applicants
available.
When 1# becomes cheaper than 2# pay will increase, and it has, unfortunately for the industry it has only attracted the "dreamers" who ultimately aren't the optimal candidates.
Let's face it this industry isn't for everybody, long hours every day, hotels, poor food and extended time away from family means attracting new qualified candidates is going to become exponentially expensive in pay and work rules. It's getting real.

 

The pilot shortage was created by the guys who tried to depart on the wrong, short runway or the 410 club a$$hats, or 3407 clown show.
The simple fact is people don't want to die in fiery plane crash or be killed in their recliner watching David Letterman, when 2 idiots drop a plane on his house, or an unsat who thought that stall somehow meant pull up, and his partner in stupidity somehow thought removing flaps uncommanded was a good idea at low altitude.
Sorry.......you don't have to like it, but you gotta own it.

 

Look up the washout rates in the military flight schools--this ain't beanbag. There are standards, you have a timeline to meet them or it's the train ride home. UPT week could start with an excellent ride on Monday and out the door the next Monday. Embrace it.

GF

 

I never mentioned anything about military training, and while I completely agree that you have to perform or its over its not like there's an axe over your head 24/7 for your first year. Painting it as all doom and gloom is not realistic

 

Want guarantees, head over to Best Buy and get some cell phone insurance. Piloting is a nonstop process of monitoring, from line checks, PCs, recurrent ACARS, and the other guysitting next to you. Yes, ACARS, the company can tell what you are doing in real time via data link, plenty of data channels. Never mind the constant medical poking and prodding, guys always want to avoid Dr Jellyfinger, and want the gimme medical, but EKGs, pee tests, and the multitude of other diagnostic possibilities, mean your onset Diabetes won't be missed and it will not be simple to get back in the saddle. I watch young guys deal with these issues regularly, no one is immune, have a back up plan, because you could walk out of your AMEs door without a medical with little notice.
But, hey it could never happen to you right? It's always the other guy that has it happen to him......you could be the other guy.

 

Okay nut job....

 

You do realize that the Colgan pilots were well over 1500 hours, right?

The cause of the accident was poor training and sleep deprivation. TT had nothing to do with it. Congress DID change the rest rules at least which did actually make sense.



So you forget that there is also the possibility that Congress could relax the rules at any time. They have created an artificial scarcity which following econ 101 leads to not only a price increase but a supply decrease. So much so that the current business model is no longer sustainable in the long term.

The point? The economics of ATP air travel are out of whack, specifically the labor side, and the market will continue to attempt to seek equilibrium until it has achieved equilibrium. One way to achieve it quickly is to change the rules.