Rhino:
(And again, the original Rhino moniker was given to the F-4; long before even the A-model Hornet flew)
While I agree the military is self-limiting, it isn't a good analogy for the Free Market, Capitalism, or for that matter, Constitutional Rights and freedoms.
Yes, mil-pay is based on a seniority system. But within that system is a system based on merit...you don't get promoted unless you prove your worth (yes, we know there are exceptions to the rule).
Yes, entrance standards are high. But within your squadron(s), upgrade to section/division lead (2-ship and 4-ship Flight Leads for you USAF brethren), or Squadron IP is again based on merit. The guy who goes to Weapons School; the guy who ends up as XO or Skipper: usually based on Merit.
Unlike the airlines, your pay is not based on the MGTOW of your airplane.
The military is an interesting microcosm. During the Cold War, I wondered aloud that it was ironic we were fighting a foe who had similar operating characteristics to our own military! THEY decided what job you got; THEY decided where you lived, THEY decided how much you were paid, etc. I said: "I'm fighting communism..within a communist organization!"
The UCMJ is the best example of how the military is not exactly the same as the rest of society (regarding the Constitution). One set of laws for civilians; second (usually harsher) laws for the military.
Your argument would hold water if guys were going to civilian-owned and operated flight schools where they flew T-6As and T-38s, flying the same syllabus as the Air Force, and when finished, wondered why the Air Force didn't hire them.
Under the Free Market, there will always be some guy who wants to start a flight school, and some kid who wants to take lessons, who will believe that if he goes to their school, he'll next be a Capt on a 747. That's why I said people will never be self-limiting. You could extend that logic to say that is why we have laws, governments, the police, the military...maybe even religion. They apply the limits we won't self-impose.
Again, I am not aware of any profession where the government has limited the number of people who can apply/train for.
We
do have a de facto limit on the number of airline pilots: the number of pilots the carriers are willing to to hire. That's not really any different than your argument about the limits in the military: a lot of guys want to get in, but (in theory), only the best get selected. Merit, again.
There
WAS a time when everyone who was an airline pilot had an ATP. It was before de-regulation. But as soon as it was de-regulated, people rushed in to make money or find jobs (see my earlier post). There was no self-limiting, so we ended up with too many seats, not enough passengers.
Profits fell, except for upstarts. My theory? The most senior Capt at an upstart has 0-1 years of seniority...he's not geting paid much. To compete with the upstarts, the established carriers had to cut prices...and the bottom fell out of the major-carriers' pay.
I agree: standards for 121 ops should be higher. That isn't a limit on how many people can try: but it would be much more expensive for those going the civilian route. That's why, in the old days, the vast majority of airline crews were ex-mil.
Unfortunately, airline hiring practice standards were politically changed in the late 1970s. The change wasn't bad; the implementation was. To meet certain quotas, some pilots at United (and I'm sure, other carriers) were hired with as little as 150 hours and a PPL. Not a typo: one-hundred-fifty hours. I've got no problem with who they hire, as long as they hire the
best-qualified. I believe in merit. That's not what happened. Once the bar had been set that low (experience-wise), the regionals followed suit.
And, if it was up to me, the airlines would be like the military: seniority
AND merit.
RJSAaviator76:
The reason companies are advertising for RJ Capts in these gardens-spots for high pay is because
they can't get anyone to do the job. It's the Free-Market again, and supply and demand. When you have hundreds or thousands of RJ captains available in the states, you can offer a low wage, and someone will take it.
But when there are few/no Captains available because the majority of the local populace has never driven a car, let alone flown an airplane, and living/political conditions are deplorable, you have to sweeten the pot to attract the talent you need. (And then, it is usually only for short-term).
When an ex-pat takes a job like this, even when it has big annual bonuses, the majority of them can only take so many years before they want to get out. Then, the airline hires another guy at the same starting wage...keeps their costs down.