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Posted

We have been discussing this latley.

 

Does It seem the job market is slowing down?

 

It looks like it will be harder for the new CFI's to get jobs with Silver State closing and a recent influx of new instructors from all schools.

 

It looks like the Gulf is getting full on pilots because they seem to want people closer to 1,500 hours now instead of 1,000 pic.

 

I have heard that Air Evac and Air Methods seem to be getting close to full.

 

I have heard operators say that they are not "hurting for pilots" like they were 2 years ago.

 

I don't know anything about seasonal stuff like fire fighting and tours. Does anyone have any speculation on those fields.

 

Any way, this is just for discussion. I am trying to get a feel for the industry. I am sure there are a lot of you high timers out there that have some great insight for use up and comers.

 

MD

Posted
We have been discussing this latley.

 

Does It seem the job market is slowing down?

 

I dont think you need to worry. Think on the plus side. With silverstate closing down there are now hundreds if not thousands of pupils badmouthing the training industry discouraging new pilots to start up. There are certainly hundreds who were with silverstae who now have a huge debt and no licence. There will probably be another hole open up in 3 or 4 years with no new pilots to fill it, and that will coincide with the ever rapidly retiring vets.

To me, the future looks good - it may be harder to get to the 1500 hours now, but if you can get a teaching job, stick at it, and you will get there Good Luck.

 

ps: I wish everyone who got caught up in that SSH fiasco all the best - and no disrespect or gloating of any kind is intended in this post. I feel for each and every one of you affected by that school. All the best for the future.

Posted

This is a very good topic for me, I've been researching and saving money for the last four months and was hoping to begin training very soon. The GOM jobs upping there hours to 1500 started me to worrying about whether or not jobs will be availble. I know there are not guarentees no matter what kind of job you have but I'd hate to be like the poor fellows and gals at SSH with 70k in debt and no job. I know nobody knows for sure but I'd like to hear more feedback about the state of the job market in the next two to four years also. Thank you all for your time, Jeff.

Posted
This is a very good topic for me, I've been researching and saving money for the last four months and was hoping to begin training very soon. The GOM jobs upping there hours to 1500 started me to worrying about whether or not jobs will be availble. I know there are not guarentees no matter what kind of job you have but I'd hate to be like the poor fellows and gals at SSH with 70k in debt and no job. I know nobody knows for sure but I'd like to hear more feedback about the state of the job market in the next two to four years also. Thank you all for your time, Jeff.

 

 

This is a good topic. Well, as stated the influx of laid off SSH CFI's will make the CFI market that much harder to get into. However, there are still plenty of jobs open in the Gulf and even more so in the EMS industry. The way I see the market right now is that there isn't a shortage of pilots but a shortage of qualified pilots. If you look around you'll see a lot of openings but the requirements are higher than entry level as a result of the mission profile. For example, EMS and out of country oil and gas and military contract pilots. The nature of the aircraft being flown and the type of flying being done mean higher job requirements. Trust me, jobs like EMS are not entry level. That is to say CFI to EMS.

 

There have been many studies done on this. All of them have indicated that the industry as a whole is still growing and so will the demand for pilots. I wouldn't worry too much about it. The biggest bottle neck in the industry right now is CFI jobs, as a result of the SSH melt down. If you can get past that then you should be alright. I have suggested to some, that if they have a hard time getting a helicopter CFI job to consider going the fixed wing route. Airlines are on the up swing and hiring.

 

Food for thought

 

JD

Posted

According to the FAA's Airspace Utilization Forecast, the need for new pilots will increase 13% over the next seven years just to meet the anticipated growth in the fleet size and utilization hours. This does not account for the pilots needed to replace attrition.

Posted

I would have to say that the job market is not slowing down overall. If you look around right now everyone is hiring, all the gulf companies, the EMS 'majors', and there are dozens of utility companies large and small that are advertising right now. Air Methods alone has 18 openings posted today. That's external openings, internally there are alot more. The fact that utility companies are advertising speaks volumes in itself. Even 10 years ago that didn't happen, if you needed a pilot you either hired one that you knew or that one of your's referred to you. The thought of hiring someone completely unknown, found by an ad was completley unheard of.

 

That being said, the one place that it might slow down is the entry level. Hate to say it but now is probably not a good time to be a CFI or a student. The market just got flooded with, well, it just got flooded. The unfortunate truth is that supply is now probably exceeding demand. How long will this last? The next six months or so should be very telling. It could last for years. Could cause barely a ripple, however my guess is that it will be at least a few years before things get back to 'normal'.

 

Final thought...is there a pilot shortage? Yes and no. The mass retiring of Viet Nam era pilots that we've been hearing about for years is, I think a product of misguided airline-style thinking. You gotta remember that was a long war and there was a pretty good span of ages coming out of there. With no mandatory retirement age like the airlines a lot of those guys are still flying. It's basically been a gradual filtering out with some guys that I know who look and act like they could go another ten years. It's not going to be like some people thought with a sudden void in the industry.

 

On the other hand try and fill a position today. It's not fun, used to be (just a few years ago) advertise and get 50 or 60 resumes. Now you might get 20, with ten of those unqualified, five who are just fishing and four who want to use your offer as leverage with a current employer.

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