Let's see. Diesel fuel has almost doubled in cost. Jet fuel ain't a whole lot different than diesel fuel. If I owned George's Airlines I'd schedule a whole lot of flights, and if they didn't get fully booked enough to make it profitable, I'd cancel them, screw the passengers let them find a different way to get there.
Bartender in April, Congresswoman by November. I think we have a lot of quick learners in this country.Originally Posted by bilgerat
This issue is multifaceted. I was recruited back into aviation 2 years ago because of the shortage. Was shocked at where aviation was when returning. I was recruited back as an instructor after a 30 year hiatus. The only reason was because most instructors were being snatched up by the airlines. Once someone has the qualifications they can get on with the airlines. Someone mentioned that they are trying to lessen the quality of pilots. The FAA actually made the qualifications harder over the last 20 years. So if they do lessen the standard’s then it would be back to where they were 20 years ago. The shortage was happening before Covid hit. Covid only made it worse. Most senior pilots jumped at the chance for early retirement. Those pilots had to be replaced with first officers. Those first officers have to go through training. This is where it gets interesting. All training is done in simulator’s. There is only so many available. This is where a lot of the backlog is coming from. All of this is a compounding to create what we are seeing. I am waiting on a training slot for a corporate type rating and it could be months before a date opens up. My daughter is in a airline training class right now. She only applied at 2 places and both places contacted her within hours to set up an interview. I won’t go in to all the details, but she was under the age and total hours needed to be hired. Both places offered her a job once she was old enough and had the required hours. 1 week after she was old enough she start with the airline. I only say this to point out that the airlines are hiring. In fact they are hiring anyone that has the qualifications. I tell everyone, if you have a child that is looking for a career there is nothing better right now. I mentioned that this is multifaceted, and there are other factors playing into this. But most have to do with training. One of the phrases that is going around right now, is that there are not enough assists in the world needed to train the amount of pilots over the next 20 years.
A co-worker booked a round trip to a wedding. The outgoing was cancelled, but they are still required to take the return flight with no option to cancel it. They are obliged to pay for this part even though they can't get to their destination. Is this even legal?
War Eagle 2072 side console, Mossy Oak, Skinned with carpet,
115 Optimax, Laser II, 19P.
Rod locker, storage boxes, Terrova I-Pilot Link
HB-899, HB-999, Bimini top, Smart Tabs,
44 mph.
Small town mayor to transportation secretary. Funny part is after meeting with the airline executives about this issue, his flight home was canceled and he had to drive. Obviously these airline executives have a great deal of respect for him.
https://apnews.com/article/pete-butt...e67e0d626365a0
Friend of mine is working with a guy to get his instructors license. Then they plan on starting a school.
While I'm not pro or con on him, I hardly call a city of 100,000 a small town.
The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer up someone else.
UPS and FedEx are hiring pilots and Aircraft Mechanics. I know we have 27 openings system wide for Mechs. They are also looking at foreign pilots to fill positions. There is talk again about raising the mandatory retirement age for pilots to 67. I’m not sure about passenger airlines and their issues. It’s a good time to be in aviation.
Ok, medium size city mayor. Just glad we have have the best qualified, most experienced person solving this problem.
I drive by the corporate FedEx hanger here in Harrison, the lot was empty all through Covid until earlier this month now it's full on back to business. Seems like they were using the plane prior to now but there were no other vehicles in the parking lot other than the pilot's and the person that runs the office.
There must be more money in flying migrants all over the country.
My wife was a bartender and worked her way to a really good career. A bartender is knows their people well and certainly has more in common with the locals than say a reality TV star.
Thanos was the hero
There is definitely a need… I chose to quit actively flying about 5 years ago but stayed in the game working as a sim instructor for the USAF. I’ve been recruited by several friends/companies to come back. I’m closer to 60 then 50, not really wanting to work that hard again, but one in particular has me sorely tempted! I have no desire to go to the airlines though… that job is nothing like it used to be. Those guys are being rode hard and put away wet!
"When My Ship Comes In, I will Probably Be At The Airport"
USAF Retired
One of my best friends has 5000+ hours in a rotary. He cannot wait to quit in December when his wife graduates as a nurse practitioner. Even without a fixed wing credential the airlines are calling. There are programs for him to get his fixed wing cert. He got his drone license (said the test was a bear even for a 20+ year pilot) and plans on doing individual contract work. His son flew the Gray Eagle for the Army and got out and found a fantastic paying job out west.
The airlines seem to be competing with the drone pilots. They both pay well.
My Mrs used to have a job that leased a very light jet service for work. The post talking about airlines paying new pilots was spot on. I’m not sure how a new pilot starting in the right seat paid their bills? At that time it was common to be earning about 35,000 a year for a newb.
I have a friend that pretty high up in one of the major domestic carriers. He says the issue is pilots and flight attendants not wanting to work.
Ironically I could never get bartenders to pay attention to me so I married a TV star instead (wife was in a music video when she was a kid!). She's now in HR so I would say she knows people pretty well, or at least all their work gripes.
That's been a problem anytime fuel prices went up in the past. Combine that with the just-in-time staffing of flight crews and a lot of flights would be cancelled last minute. But it's a little different this time around. Wife travels more than I do and she is having flights cancelled weeks ahead as well as at the last minute
