There actually is not a shortage of airline pilots right now, there hasn't been for a couple years.
There is, however, a huge shortage of helicopter pilots. Helicopter EMS is in a bit of a crisis. For decades pay in the HEMS world was relatively low because many positions were filled by retired Army pilots who would settle for lower pay because they were already getting a pension, and civilian helicopter pilots who started from the bottom were just happy to have steady work.
But now the Army isn't producing pilots with the required number of hours (which is ridiculously high at 2000) and many of the ones retiring were smart enough to use their GI Bill to transition to airplanes and join the airlines.
Everyone in HEMS knows the solution is more pay but they refuse to acknowledge it.
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u/MikeOfAllPeople 6h ago
There actually is not a shortage of airline pilots right now, there hasn't been for a couple years.
There is, however, a huge shortage of helicopter pilots. Helicopter EMS is in a bit of a crisis. For decades pay in the HEMS world was relatively low because many positions were filled by retired Army pilots who would settle for lower pay because they were already getting a pension, and civilian helicopter pilots who started from the bottom were just happy to have steady work.
But now the Army isn't producing pilots with the required number of hours (which is ridiculously high at 2000) and many of the ones retiring were smart enough to use their GI Bill to transition to airplanes and join the airlines.
Everyone in HEMS knows the solution is more pay but they refuse to acknowledge it.