My ex-wife was 'tarded. She's a pilot now.
Posted on 11/12/2012 8:46:40 AM PST by george76
U.S. airlines are facing what threatens to be their most serious pilot shortage since the 1960s, with higher experience requirements for new hires about to take hold just as the industry braces for a wave of retirements.
Federal mandates taking effect next summer will require all newly hired pilots to have at least 1,500 hours of prior flight experience—six times the current minimum—raising the cost and time to train new fliers in an era when pay cuts and more-demanding schedules already have made the profession less attractive. Meanwhile, thousands of senior pilots at major airlines soon will start hitting the mandatory retirement age of 65.
Another federal safety rule, to take effect in early 2014, also will squeeze the supply, by giving pilots more daily rest time. This change is expected to force passenger airlines to increase their pilot ranks by at least 5%. Adding to the problem is a small but steady stream of U.S. pilots moving to overseas carriers, many of which already face an acute shortage of aviators and pay handsomely to land well-trained U.S. captains.
...
all U.S. airlines, including cargo, charter and regional carriers, together employ nearly 96,000 pilots, and will need to find more than 65,000 over the next eight years.
In the past eight years, not quite 36,000 pilots have passed the Federal Aviation Administration's highest test, the Air Transport Pilot exam, which all pilots would have to pass under the congressionally imposed rules.
For passengers, the biggest impact is expected to be at smaller, regional carriers.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Look, the liberal schools are pumping out kids who can’t read and want to ‘earn’ a hundred dollars an hour for being a stupid union member.
Here’s the ‘liberal solution’: provide job training for high school dropouts who can’t get jobs because they have ‘issues’ with violence. Train them to fly planes for $8,000 an hour, give them a union (one that donates money and time to the DNC), and call anyone a racist or ‘phobe’ who objects. When planes start falling out of the sky call in the MSM bullies to rough up those who complain...
There’s no Construction worker shortage - greedy unions killed those jobs.
The airline industry is one of feast or famine. In a former life, I flew long haul international freight, very brutal schedules. With the time zone changes (my personal best is 46 in a five day period) one could see their fellow plots age before your eyes. My job went away after 9/11/01 and there was nothing there for some time. I had to move on. To get current now would cost a great deal of money, with little guarantee of a position. The position simply is not as appealing as it used to be, I don’t see it improving anytime soon.
Of course my Gold Seal instructor managed to teach me every maneuver the way the DE hated most. It was a pretty bad check ride, but he passed me, money changed hands, and I got my piece of paper.
The reality of the airlines is this. The troubles of the airlines have burned through a generation of pilots who despite being hired by the majors during the late 90's spent much of the last decade furloughed, losing pay, retirement, and quality of life. The 65 rule change just pushed upgrades to captain back another 5 years. Most of them are regretting their choice to get in the airlines in the first place. Of the 20 guys from my reserve squadron that flew for the airlines only three haven't been furloughed in the last decade. Several have switched companies. One flew for USAir, United, and finally at FedEx. He and the other FedEx pilot are the only ones making decent money. The rest make more by going on military leave. A third of them have completely quit the airlines. Another third are constantly going on long term military leave.
These aren't the guys this article is talking about, but they are indicative of the problem coming up in the airlines. Who would want to do a job that requires a massive investment in training for a job that still qualifies you for food stamps. No thanks
Of course my Gold Seal instructor managed to teach me every maneuver the way the DE hated most. It was a pretty bad check ride, but he passed me, money changed hands, and I got my piece of paper.
The reality of the airlines is this. The troubles of the airlines have burned through a generation of pilots who despite being hired by the majors during the late 90's spent much of the last decade furloughed, losing pay, retirement, and quality of life. The 65 rule change just pushed upgrades to captain back another 5 years. Most of them are regretting their choice to get in the airlines in the first place. Of the 20 guys from my reserve squadron that flew for the airlines only three haven't been furloughed in the last decade. Several have switched companies. One flew for USAir, United, and finally at FedEx. He and the other FedEx pilot are the only ones making decent money. The rest make more by going on military leave. A third of them have completely quit the airlines. Another third are constantly going on long term military leave.
These aren't the guys this article is talking about, but they are indicative of the problem coming up in the airlines. Who would want to do a job that requires a massive investment in training for a job that still qualifies you for food stamps. No thanks
Thanks for posting this. My son in law was a private avation pilot for about six years. He is now an avation safety instructor. He has been waiting for Southwest to start hiring younger pilots. SW usually tries to get very experienced pilots with a lot of flying hours.
The major airlines have had 1000-1500 hours as a min for over a decade...
I’m a pilot, married to a pilot. We know many pilots who have taken up other careers. I saw my husband Friday and Saturday after not seeing him for nearly 8 months because he had to take a job flying a VIP private jet that’s not at home base much. He was able to talk the company into training a back up pilot who’s been unemployed for 2 years. He was fired under trumped up charges so someone making less money with the company could take his position. It’s not uncommon and we personally know pilots it’s happened to, including my husband who’s company claimed that they didn’t get his voluntary furlough paper work, so adios. He had very top seniority and had been a check airman, so was making one of the highest salaries. As far a suing the company- fat chance. They have millions to drag it out forever and we’d go broke. Also, there’s the 600 hour wonders hired by the majors to meet minority quotas. Then there’s dealing with the FAA...talk about evil, corrupt government. I quit flying 12 years ago. And with Obozocare, I’ll be making all my nursing licenses inactive, which is 2 out of 6 that I hold. I won’t be going back. I’d rather work at McDonalds if I have to work than work in health care again.
Bfl
I went to school in ‘01 to get my ratings, thinking I was going for freight or airline work. My first flight was 9/10/’01, doh!
It never worked out, as I couldn’t stand the debt I was accruing. Also, they really puff you up about your future, bringing in highly paid pilots to speak. One guy flew a triple seven to Japan and back once per week and was making a quarter of a million dollars per year. THAT gets you pumped up!
But reality started setting in. Two kids that had graduated from the same program had gone on to a 4 year college to finish a degree and instruct. They came back touting their brand spankin’ new right seat positions. Starting at $19,000/year.
Underwhelmed, I was. Plus the realization that a starting Kindergarten teacher makes 1.5X that salary to eat crayons and sniff glue with the kidlets. I dropped out of the program. I don’t regret it for a minute either.
My ex-wife was 'tarded. She's a pilot now.
I checked about a flight instructor job yesterday. This one recurrent training outfit starts its part-time instructors at $8.50/hour, jumping to a whopping $12.50/hour after being fully trained. No guaranteed minimum on hours worked. No full-time jobs are open.
Pilot jobs have long been notoriously low-paying until one reaches the top echelons of the majors’ union pay scale.
HF
New pilots are no problem:
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