johnpeace
#199 of 201
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2003
- Posts
- 841
Not this again...you get old.
He's almost right. This IS an easy job for modestly intelligent/capable people to do. It's not all that demanding and it's not a hard job to be really good at.
The problem though is that flight time requirements for newhires are going to be financially unattainable. New airline pilots would HAVE to be professional pilots with 1000 hrs or so of actual, professional pilot experience. Few people can afford to rent an airplane to fly 1000 hrs in.
But, what will likely happen is some form of reduced flight time mins (500 hrs? 300?) for graduates from some training program that looks good on paper (ATP? God help us!). Which just puts us right back at 300/25 'pilots' who have a bunch of experience riding around in an airplane with their buddy...but virtually no real decision making or even critical thinking/situation evaluation ability.
Kinda' like the last hiring spree.
Regional airlines will subsidize Part 142 training for new employees and bind them with an employment contract and promissory note. Providing initial training from zero to hero is still far cheaper than paying competitive wages to attract employees that would have to be projected through to the entire pilot group. It's not what you want to hear, but it is the least expensive solution for the airlines.
They still haven't hit the bottom of the barrel yet. When they do, they will buy some pilots and start from scratch - not pay everyone more. After all, why should they pay YOU more? - you're already doing the job for present wages.
I don't think our unions would find that acceptable at all. That amounts to the company offering newhires a substantial asset/benefit (their flight training) that isn't available to the rest of the pilot group.
Perhaps our JCBA should reflect the potential for this and include language to mitigate it.