Perpetuating the myth...

Fred0311 · November 7, 2012

I know I know theres no such things as a pilot shortage... However skywest has been sending people to get to know the students in my aviation classes (they are mixed fixed and rotor) to keep tabs on students because as he told me the majors such as delta will be farming out all their pilots soon and they need to have new ones lined up... I know this is fixed wing but I can hope that it may thin out the bottom heavy pool of rotor pilots to make room for us up and comers. So im sure its been asked before but I'll ask it again. Would a shortage of fixed wing airline pilots have an appreciable affect on on rotor wing hiring?

Flying Pig · November 7, 2012

So your asking if more potential helicopter pilots will go FW because of better hiring opportunities? Maybe a few, but not enough to make any difference. I dont think. I dont know many people who sit back and decide helo or airplane based on potential hiring shortages. Again, even FW... I see plenty of high time CFIs sitting around trying to get hired. I also see high time dual ATP pilots with plenty of turbine time not getting any calls back from major operators either. This entire myth about pilot shortages at all are pushed by flight school marketing. There may be a shortage of pilots with actual marketable experience but there are more entry level pilots than the industry knows what to do with.

avbug · November 7, 2012

...he told me the majors such as delta will be farming out all their pilots soon...

Either you didn't understand, or he wasn't telling you the truth. It doesn't work like that. Where exactly is a regional going to "farm out" their pilots?

There's no pilot shortage. There never has been, and won't be.

I know this is fixed wing but I can hope that it may thin out the bottom heavy pool of rotor pilots to make room for us up and comers.

Check that hope. Compare apples with apples. A change in fixed wing hiring trends doesn't open up rotor opportunities any more than buying a car helps make better oatmeal.

Would a shortage of fixed wing airline pilots have an appreciable affect on on rotor wing hiring?

There is no shortage of fixed wing pilots, airline or otherwise, but no, it would have no effect on rotor wing hiring. Why would it?

There's not going to be a pilot shortage.

Again, even FW... I see plenty of high time CFIs sitting around trying to get hired. I also see high time dual ATP pilots with plenty of turbine time not getting any calls back from major operators either.

I don't know what you consider to be a "high time CFI," but if they're sitting around it's their fault, and if they're not getting hired, they're not qualified, not trying hard, or don't know how to look for work. It's definitely out there.

Major airlines are calling back. However, if someone has recall rights, whether or not they're high time is irrelevant.

As for getting calls back from employers...I maintain a regular practice of searching for work...one never knows when one will need to be looking, or when a change in circumstance or employment might occur. It's best to be looking, because if one finds one's self out of work and isn't familiar with the market, one is already well behind. In the past few weeks, I've had five calls for work or interviews for work. I'm regularly turning work down. Why is it that "high time" pilots with "plenty of turbine time" can't find work?

It's certainly not because there's no work. There certainly is.

Fred0311 · November 7, 2012

Thats about what I expected... And I'm not trying to be argumentative, but it just kinda struck me to have a hiring authority from an airline standing in front of me saying "we need pilots". Regardless if they do or don't it is irrelevant to rotor I suppose.

eagle5 · November 7, 2012

Would a shortage of fixed wing airline pilots have an appreciable affect on on rotor wing hiring?

No!,...and I'll bet anyone a trillion dollars that there will NEVER be a shortage of helicopter pilots!

BH206L3 · November 8, 2012

Total BS. I know FW guys and I am one myself, I know a guy who is an CRJ pilot and he has been on the street for almost 3 years. He is Capt. qualified. I would be real careful here, don't go and join the profession because some body says gee we are going to be hiring out the wazoon. Its a flight school ploy nothing more. And you are not going to get there just out of flight school either, and with the low student numbers, flight instruction is not the slam dunk like in years past either. Student starts are way down if you have not noticed. Helicopter I would bet is a bad as its ever been I know the fixed wing side of the house is in the dumpster. And I been around since 1974 with this foolishness.

Fred0311 · November 8, 2012

Sorry to hear that, I hope things improve for him.

avbug · November 8, 2012

Being a "CRJ pilot" doesn't really mean much. For a number of years now, it's been an entry level position, and those who come into it with a few hundred hours and never do anything else really don't have much qualification to stand on when they find themselves on the street. That's the price of trying to take the easy way to the top.

Total BS. I know FW guys and I am one myself, I know a guy who is an CRJ pilot and he has been on the street for almost 3 years. He is Capt. qualified.

Really? I'm a qualified B747 captain. So what? Total BS? Hardly. Here's the hard truth: if you can't find a job in three years you're either not looking very hard, not qualified, or don't know where to look. It's that simple.

I went looking for work this summer and found it right away, within a week or two. Right back to work. I entertained several jobs during that time, turned down several interviews, and recently have had five crop up. I just resigned an assignment, and currently have two active ones going at the same time. Can't find work? There's no way, if one is remotely qualified, one can't find flying work right now, unless one isn't looking, or isn't looking properly.

If you're out of work and can't find work, what are your qualifications, and what are you doing to find work?