OT: FW jobs

[Karl]

FW pilots

[r22butters]

Ah yes,...the cycle begins again. ,...

[EYW-MIA]

That is great but where is the report on Helicopter pilots???? <_>

[Karl]

That is great but where is the report on Helicopter pilots????

They've been talking about this going to happen for months and never once mentioned Helicopter pilots in anything I've seen.

[EYW-MIA]

I agree.

 

Butters are you thinking about crossing over to the fix wing side?

[gmsemel]

I been hearing this tripe since I took my first flight lesson in 1974! Its the same old same old. Nothing new. Back in 1974 - 1976 went I did my fixed wing training. The Major Airlines need three to fly most of the airplanes they flew. A Captain (PIC)an FO and a Flight Engineer. Outside of a few DC-6's and a couple of 727 operating in Alaska, The Flight Engineer seat when by way of the dodo. Automation of the Flight Deck saw to that. One less seat one less pay check and when you need 5 or 6 full crews per aircraft it adds up. Yea there will be jobs for pilots with the right mix of flight times, certificates and ratings. But the Idea that there is going to be wide spread shortage pilots is at best BS. Pilots are a dime a bakers dozen at best and it has been that way for decades. Sure a person can go learn to fly and maybe get a job with a commuter at some point and maybe if all the planets aline get on with one of the Majors, when I learned how to fly, there was PanAm TWA, Eastern, Pedimont, Huges Air West and a few more I cant off hand name, these are all gone. The Idea that anybody with a straight face can say what is going to happen in 20 years is laughable. Most have no Idea what the economic climate is going to be in 6 to 12 months let alone a couple of decades down the road.

[r22butters]

Butters are you thinking about crossing over to the fix wing side?

 

Back during the "Great Helicopter Pilot Shortage", while struggling to find out exactly "where" it was, I relayed the story to an airline pilot I knew who had just been laid off. He replied, "Yah, I'm still looking for our last shortgage too"!

 

Never believe anyone who claims there is a pilot shortage!!!

 

So, no!

 

I suppose a better initial post would have been,...here we go again!

[EYW-MIA]

Thats why we have all the experience and wisdom on this site. To help educate us through all the propaganda. If it was not for them we would all be lost.

[rjl2001]

Here's another story about it from the front page of USA Today: Demand for Pilots

 

Admittedly I do not follow the fixed wing industry all that much, but I think that there is some credibility to these articles. Some pretty knowledgeable people in the industry are talking about it being the largest pilot hiring boom in history. Plus, I've heard this from people that appear to me to be pretty unbiased. For example it seems like whenever I heard about the helicopter pilot shortage it usually was put out by a helicopter flight school. Naturally I could see where some bias might exist there, as these schools rely on new recruits to keep their business going. On a side note I also think there is some substance to the Vietnam era helicopter pilots reaching retirement age story. To me though it seems like this will open up jobs that require a lot of experience, not sure how it will trickle down to the younger/less experienced pilots. It does seem like there is a surplus of low time helicopter pilots right now. Anyways, we know its a cyclical industry and its been on the downward curve for a little while. Hopefully this upswing will have a greater magnitude as predicted by some. If I were thinking of starting fixed wing flight training this would be a good motivator.

[EYW-MIA]

Here's another story about it from the front page of USA Today: Demand for Pilots

 

Admittedly I do not follow the fixed wing industry all that much, but I think that there is some credibility to these articles. Some pretty knowledgeable people in the industry are talking about it being the largest pilot hiring boom in history. Plus, I've heard this from people that appear to me to be pretty unbiased. For example it seems like whenever I heard about the helicopter pilot shortage it usually was put out by a helicopter flight school. Naturally I could see where some bias might exist there, as these schools rely on new recruits to keep their business going. On a side note I also think there is some substance to the Vietnam era helicopter pilots reaching retirement age story. To me though it seems like this will open up jobs that require a lot of experience, not sure how it will trickle down to the younger/less experienced pilots. It does seem like there is a surplus of low time helicopter pilots right now. Anyways, we know its a cyclical industry and its been on the downward curve for a little while. Hopefully this upswing will have a greater magnitude as predicted by some. If I were thinking of starting fixed wing flight training this would be a good motivator.

 

 

Yea the Vietnam era pilots are leaving true. But Iraq has drawn down. They have few military helicopter there now. I am in Afghanistan now. They are pulling out the Helicopters here too. Lots of civilian contracted helicopters to transport us around now. Now our government wants to pull out the troops starting next month. Not only will there be a lot of unemployed people but there will be a lot more pilots needing work like after Vietnam. So get those flight hours I am sure the experienced pilots here will tell you its not getting better no time soon.

 

They work in the fields not some statistics office or trying to sale aircraft. Nor are they trying to boost interest for people to buy stock in boeing. Ask the people working that are here on the site.

[r22butters]

Some pretty knowledgeable people in the industry are talking about it being the largest pilot hiring boom in history. Plus, I've heard this from people that appear to me to be pretty unbiased

 

That's just how they lure you in. I rebuttaled to a pilot shortage article once, when he wrote back he stated that although he did speak with some operators, he then said, "it had never occured to me to speak with pilots."

 

On a side note I also think there is some substance to the Vietnam era helicopter pilots reaching retirement age story. To me though it seems like this will open up jobs that require a lot of experience, not sure how it will trickle down to the younger/less experienced pilots

 

They've been holding that one over our heads for at least eight and a half years now (that's how long I've been a pilot)! Every so often they push it back a few more years.

 

There are more than enough high-time guys to go around. Trust me, it won't trickle down

 

It does seem like there is a surplus of low time helicopter pilots right now.

 

There will always be a surplus of low-time pilots. Flying for a living is a very popular/desireable career, and remember what P.T. Barnem said...

[EYW-MIA]

I have a friend that works for Koren Air. He likes the job but his contract is up and he is going to leave. In Korea there is a major shortage of pilots that is true. But as it was explained to me you can not go above 1st officer because he is not Koren. Pilots are held in high regard there like they use to be way back when before I was born in the US. The Koren Pilots are trying to sue the government for hiring foreigners to fly there airlines.

 

The biggest issue beside he can not make captain with them is the when the crew moves around the captain is always first every where they go. He enters the elevator first. He hangs his coat first. your stuff can not touch the captains. He said lots and lots of trivial crap like that and its all grounds for dismissal.

 

Now i have friends that fly for Qatar. They love it and want leave and there pay is more then a FedEx pilots. They get a private home on the water and can do what they want.

 

So the way I take it, most people cant live a life like a military person and most people have a hard time leaving the nest egg. So unless the young pilots got the time and no families I personally dont see many going overseas to crazy countries to live on a contract and away from American style culture.

 

I could be wrong but this is just my opinion. Look at me I am a Flight Engineer in Afghanistan. How many people would really come do this mind you the money is more then I could make being a pilot with 25years experience but I hate this. I was going to do it for 5 years but the plan is getting smaller so I can home and get my license and fly state side.

[r22butters]

So the way I take it, most people cant live a life like a military person and most people have a hard time leaving the nest egg. So unless the young pilots got the time and no families I personally dont see many going overseas to crazy countries to live on a contract and away from American style culture.

 

You'd be surprised what we low-timers are willing to do to build hours. I've applied to India, New Zealand, Australia, and South America. I've even tried to volunteer as a pilot with the Peace Corp, and Salvation Army,...and I'm practically 40! Its not like I'd move over permanately, just until I had enough hours for an entry-level job back here.

[Karl]

You'd be surprised what we low-timers are willing to do to build hours. I've applied to India, New Zealand, Australia, and South America. I've even tried to volunteer as a pilot with the Peace Corp, and Salvation Army,...and I'm practically 40! Its not like I'd move over permanately, just until I had enough hours for an entry-level job back here.

If you want to see what low time pilots will do watch Ice Pilots.

[EYW-MIA]

You'd be surprised what we low-timers are willing to do to build hours. I've applied to India, New Zealand, Australia, and South America. I've even tried to volunteer as a pilot with the Peace Corp, and Salvation Army,...and I'm practically 40! Its not like I'd move over permanately, just until I had enough hours for an entry-level job back here.

 

 

Check out Molson in Canada. They are out here. In Afghanistan that is.

[EYW-MIA]

If you want to see what low time pilots will do watch Ice Pilots.

 

 

 

Columbia Air is out here too. They need good pilots because the ones they have are nuts and scary. lol.

 

 

This is not braking any rules by posting companies that work in Afghanistan is it? If so i am sorry I will remove if needed.