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Part of the reason why so many airlines have been struggling\nin recent months and years is a substantial pilot shortage. Current estimates\nplace the deficit at around 8,000 pilots \u2014 with that figure projected to grow\nto nearly 30,000 pilots by 2025. Although the airline industry is desperate to fill\nthese positions, there is only so much that can be done, given the intense\ntraining and safety requirements for pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the factors contributing to the national pilot\nshortage is that small- to mid-sized airliners struggle to fill their positions,\ncausing a ripple effect throughout the industry. Many of the mid-sized airlines\nserve as \u201csteppingstones\u201d for pilots before working at the major carriers, so\nthe fact that these airlines have so many open positions means that the major\nairlines do not have enough incoming talent to fill their ranks. Thus, the\ncommercial airline industry has to resort to unorthodox means to source new\npilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aviation industry has had a rocky road in employment.\nFor several years, there were more pilots than open jobs, but as the workforce\ncontinued to age, airliners faced a crisis when more pilots retired than young\nnew ones replaced them. This situation has only worsened in recent years, as\nthe COVID-19 pandemic caused many workers near retirement age to retire early\nand some professionals to change careers when commercial airlines reduced\noperations in the height of the shutdown. Now that operations have returned to\nnormal, airlines are struggling to staff their craft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aviation industry has taken many steps to combat the\npilot shortage over the years. For example, in 2007, the mandatory retirement\nage for pilots was raised from 60 to 65 in an attempt to prevent the workforce\nfrom hemorrhaging so quickly. However, this was only a temporary solution, as\nthe focus needed to be on finding new, young pilots to join the workforce. More\nrecently, many airlines have begun to cut some requirements to become a pilot,\nhoping to address this immediate need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How aviation education can help solve the pilot shortage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The advent of accelerated aviation education programs has\nalso enabled aspiring pilots to enter the workforce more quickly with the\nskills they need to thrive. These programs can ensure that a pilot meets their\nminimum hours requirements for certification and gain the knowledge they need\nto pass examinations, but also an in-depth understanding of the safety and\noperational requirements of becoming a commercial pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the main advantages of aviation education is that it\ncan be completed in a shorter time than the education required for other\nspecialty careers. For example, beyond an undergraduate degree, becoming a\ndoctor takes four years of medical school, followed by several years in\nresidency; becoming a lawyer generally takes around three years of law school,\nand becoming a pilot can take as little as five months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Granted, this timeline depends heavily on how much time\naspiring pilots can put into their education. A student studying part-time will\ntake longer to complete their education than one studying full-time \u2014 but\ngenerally takes less time and is, therefore, more affordable than other\ndisciplines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, although the cost per unit for an aviation education\nmight be similar \u2014 or perhaps even slightly higher \u2014 than other professional\npost-graduate education options, the shorter length means the overall cost is substantially\nless. For instance, the cost of an education to become a doctor is more than\nfour times greater than that to become a pilot, so even though a doctor\u2019s\naverage salary is more than a pilot’s, the pilot will earn a better\nreturn-on-investment on their education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The aviation industry could also help combat the pilot\nshortage by touting the many benefits that working as a pilot offers. For one,\npilots tend to have extremely flexible schedules \u2014 often working several days\non followed by several days off, rather than a typical 9 to 5 job five days a\nweek. Beyond that, pilots literally travel the world for work. Depending on\ntheir schedule, a pilot may get to spend the night \u2014 or even a full day \u2014 in\nanother country they can explore. And, of course, most pilots have access to\nfree or discounted travel in their time off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To address the national pilot shortage, airliners must be\nwilling to make adjustments to increase their workforce without sacrificing\nsafety, particularly by focusing on recruiting a younger base of pilots to\naccommodate the older guard aging out. The crucial first step is a deeper\ninvestment in aviation education, which will allow them to bring in new pilots\nquickly and address this situation before it becomes worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Blue-Line-InstructorStudent1-edit.jpg\")