Good pilots seem to be hard to find and the realities of a pilot shortage are starting to affect the aviation industry - not only in North America. However, the largest requirement will come from the Asia-Pacific region which alone will need 90,000 new pilots - soon!
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High pilot training costs, several years of earlier hiring freezes in top markets, and the threat of technology replacing pilots in the not-too-distant future has deterred the next generation of talent.
Regional airlines have doubled starting salaries and bonuses in recent years, which heralds stiff competition for lower-time pilots, as regional airlines typically serve as time/tenure builders for younger pilots.
The pilot shortage which is affecting commercial and private aviation is affecting the military as well, as fighter pilots are leaving the military in droves for cushier, better-paying jobs in commercial and private aviation.
Read more in Rene Banglesdorf's article:
https://www.altitudesmagazine.com/insider/the-realities-of-the-pilot-shortage/.
Flying Magazine writes:
"It would be tough for anyone even remotely close to the aviation industry not to realize there is a shortage of well-qualified pilots here in the United States. The effects of the age-65 retirement adjustment in 2009 really began grabbing airline pilots out of the cockpit the past few years.
Adding to the problem is an airline industry expansion worldwide that Boeing believes will demand nearly 800,000 cockpit crew members, 117,000 in the United States alone, over the next 20 years.
Just for good measure, let’s toss in the 2013 change to Part 121 that requires all airline pilots to hold an ATP certificate, a tightening of requirements that hit regional carriers particularly hard."
1,500-Hour Rule
The 1,500-hour rule required first officers (co-pilots) in the US since 2013 before flying for commercial airlines to have at least 1,500 hours of accrued flight time, instead of the previously 250 hours to qualify for an Air Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate. ATP pilots also need an additional 1,000 flight hours before serving as captains.
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Cargo Airlines
"FedEx, the world’s largest airline by freight tonne-kilometers flown, is dealing with an impending pilot shortage. The Memphis-based carrier is expected to lose 150-200 of its 4,500 pilots this year and a similar number each year for the foreseeable future.
The reason for this departure is that many pilots are reaching the federally mandated retirement age of 65" - writes Henry Carmichael in Freight Waves.
The reason for this departure is that many pilots are reaching the federally mandated retirement age of 65" - writes Henry Carmichael in Freight Waves.
Whilst there is clearly a pilot and flight/simulator instructor shortage in these parts of the world - it isn’t for inexperienced cadet pilots straight out of flight school, it’s for experienced First Officers and Captains. An experienced Captain takes years to train and build up the required experience. There has likely never been a better time to get your pilot’s license, but for aircraft operators, large and small, new trainees may come too late.
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