The Minister of Aviation was in town on his way south from Oregon to Los Angeles. He noted that he has been delivering instructional lessons to a duo of student pilots, perfecting their skills. He also noted new FAA Rules requiring 1500 hours of flight time for qualification of the Airline transport rating. This has caused considerable turmoil in the airline industry causing a shortage of qualified pilots. Warned some time ago that this was coming, airlines have been unable to make up the shortfall. Hence, flights and routes have been cancelled, causing passengers to scramble for fewer seats, especially on the smaller, short haul carriers.
Since the military is no longer the prime source of experienced pilots, airlines are stuck between a rock and a hard place. To train or not to train their own, that is the question. Of course, small carriers cannot afford the expense of flight schools. Major carriers abandoned in house training facilities years ago, relying on schools and university programs. In addition, a four year degree is required for the jet transport rating. Raising the bar by a considerable amount will have industry leaders scratching their respective heads: where are the pilots going to come from? God forbid we pay them more. We already took away their pensions. Now, we have to give them more rest time, too. What's this world coming to?
Keep your eyes on the skies. Our Minister noted that he will soon be leaving on a Southwest inspection tour, gathering aviation news from various sources, to include Mexico. We will be waiting for the results.
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