Posted on 01/14/2022 9:27:33 PM PST by SeekAndFind
bttt
Where is everyone going? Many are going places within the region. KC to Saint Lou. Balmer to The Burgh. Places like that.
This will drain pilots from the military. When it’s time to re-up many will go commercial.
Killing Americans in more ways than one
True but just so civilians understand, pilots, like other officers don't "re-up" like enlisted personnel do. Officers have an Active Duty Service Commitment (ADSC) which extends based their Entrance to Active Duty (EAD) date, what training they've received, any Permanent Change of Station (PCS), and schooling. They can refuse assignments that would extend their ADSC with the intention of resigning their commission and separating from active duty.
Frontier needs on average a hundred pilots per month (both captain and FO’s)
I gotta think this is gonna really hurt the bottom line of the airlines. Between reduced revenues, paying pensions and the cost of hiring and paying new pilots in a sellers market, dollar outflow would be quite substantial one would think.
One pilot class where I work had thirty candidates in it and just seven made the grade. Some classes had only fifteen.
Sounds like an environment where pilots can write their own ticket.
In my job I get the weekly airline metrics. Their flight hours are flat, and, while some analysts think the flight hours will increase 30% this year, I think they will fall by year’s end. We see optimism in the industry, but we also see extreme caution in falling aircraft delivery rates, aircraft upgrades, and in fuel block purchases.
It’s good to hear standards are at least being held. I am watching pilot trainees get passed on by instructors and busting their checkrides. One DPE said he is stunned by the lack of quality in the candidates. He has written disciplinary letters for multiple instructors we all know that simply passed on those candidates because the candidate was under a time crunch to get licensed.
True but there’s a shortage. I kept being asked if I’m staying on and I respond with “well, we’ll just see how things go”
My answer would be, “What are you offering me?”
When NYNEX was having its financial troubles, the brilliant 30 something MBAs running the place thought they had the answer to all the company’s woes. Get rid of all the 50+ year olds! They played around until they came up with an offer I couldn’t refuse...so I signed. Then all these smart guys (and gals) got thrown a curve ball. The company got bought out by Bell Atlantic. Most of that brain trust was now on the street. Bell Atlantic slowly went about winnowing down its workforce...until it got to my craft. We were the last to be given final approval because BA realized how much we were needed. They sweetened the pot nicely if we would only stay for two more years. (lol) Had I not had family obligations at that time, I would have hung around for those 24 months to take a taste, but instead I retired at 54 and those in charge were truly sorry to see me and many others depart.
I had a neighbor who had a son working at a regional airline. It’s really the equivalent of mucking out the stalls hoping you’re going to get the chance one day to train horses for the Kentucky Derby. If you do the math they are working on an hourly basis for minimum wage or less. But it’s how you get your start to fly for the “real” airlines. Pay them a reasonable wage and these shortages would magically go away.
They know I’m thinking about going back to flying bizjets at my old company; they’re offering some pretty nice deals. I like flying the ‘Bus321 though.
Money is important, but it ain’t everything.
Good luck making your decision.
It’s not the money but the experience I enjoy.
Then there’s pork, beef, chicken, petroleum, supply chain, justice system...
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