May
31
Richard S. asked:
I’m 30years old and considering becoming a commercial pilot. Do you foresee any changes in the industry? Will there really be a pilot “shortage” in years to come? Is the industry doing anything to improve labor contracts for pilots?
GUS
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I’m 30years old and considering becoming a commercial pilot. Do you foresee any changes in the industry? Will there really be a pilot “shortage” in years to come? Is the industry doing anything to improve labor contracts for pilots?
GUS
Comments
5 Responses to “What is the future like for commercial pilots?”
BURTON
In thirty years the cockpit will look entirely different than it does today. There will be a human pilot sitting in the left hand captains seat and a large pit bull on the right where the copilot now sits. The captains, job will be to feed the dog. The dog’s job will be to bite the captain if he touches anything. hahahahahaha
TERRY
John B’s answer reflects one possibility. The capabilities and reliability of modern avionics are evolving great. The navigator/flight engineer breeds are now almost extinct and soon so might the co-pilots. Computers are becoming more and more reliable, the DO-178B is ensuring that the software will function as required.
It is a long shot, maybe prejudiced by my profession, but I feel there wont be any pilot “shortages”, the pilot’s job might be less demanding than it is now. Maybe 10 years from now we might have the first autonomous airliner flight.
There might be a pitbull “shortage”!
GENE
Yes, there is and will continue to be a pilot shortage.
Many airlines have had to reduce their flight schedules as they simply do not have the crews to fly them. My airline lost over 3,000 hours one month as we simply didn;t have the pilot staff to cover the flights.This shortage is especially hard at the regional level right now where even getting half of the scheduled interview candidates to show up is difficult. (Then at least 1/4 quit during training for a better airline opportunity or fail out.) Boeing predicts that the total number of planes used by airlines around the world will more than double by 2025, to 35,970. To keep pace, the airlines will need to hire more than 210,000 pilots globally, more than double the number currently working!
Changes?
Always. Predicting them exactly? If only we could! The next decade will be very interesting for sure…
Improving labor contracts?
Yes, the airlines will HAVE to do SOMETHING! Their pilot retention and therefore business depends on it. Plus, after 9/11 so much was taken away, to keep up with inflation the contracts will have to be enhanced.
I think that this article will address much of what you are asking about:
“Empty Cockpits: Less Can Be More at the Bargaining Table”-
It details the pilot shortage and what kind of affect that will have on labor contracts.
As for you making a career change, I suggest arming yourself with all the information you can so there will be no surprises. Often what people dream of is not what they actually get. Check out:
&
(They have a forum on their message board just for people looking to career change and become airline pilots. I started over at age 32 and it was very helpful to me as was ).
KRISTOPHER
In terms of shortages or how easy it will be to get a job, it depends opn where you live. Some places particularily in Asia are needy for Commander positions and that will remain for a while. In more western countries however, things are more stabilised and getting into the majors for some takes years of hard work and low pay.
WARREN
The aviation industry is constantly changing and no one can say for sure what the state of the industry will be months from now, let alone years.
As it stands now the market seems to be hot and there is plenty of movement, but it might be different once you finish your training and get to a point where you are ready to look for a line job. There are plenty of on-line articles available on a monthly basis, if not daily, debating everything aviation related.
There will always be a need in the field of aviation. There are so many other options outside the stereotypical “bus-driver” for the airlines that immediately comes to peoples’ minds when you say pilot; it’s just that not all of them will be grand 6 figure postions.
As for changes in the industry, it will only change when change is forced. Air carriers will start to offer nicer benefit and scheduling packages and pay scales when they can no longer attract pilots with a simple offering of employment; and with the increase in air travel pilots are become a rare and valuable commodity once again. From there it will create a trickle down effect causing other companies up the ante to keep pilots on board or even attract new hires.
It all comes down to how much do you love flying? Starting out in this career field you sometimes have only the love and passion for flying to get you through the early stages of your aviation career. If it is something you really want to do, go for it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are too old to be entering the market. From that point it is all about how bad you want it.