SayAlt

So does pole dancing. Anastasia Sokolova is a genius.

JamesNoBrakes

No, it doesn't. I guarantee if you only have that degree, you can't be hired as a pilot. You have to go to pilot-school too.

People tend to rationalize their situation because they "want to believe" they can make it to the international 777 job. Some will make it. Many(most) will not. People experience this kind of denial of reality in many walks of life. Basic human psychology. Unfortunately, this shifts the focus away from making the present situation better, which is great for the employer.

RB211

Pfft, you want that 777 international job? That's simple, go down to NW 36th ST in Miami with a decent amount of big jet time like in a 767. Where do you get decent 767 time? Same place! Everything in life, the outcome is forged with a mindset. Be it a 777 pilot, a doctor, or a shoe polisher. Everyone has it within themselves to devote a large portion of their life to reaching a goal. Not everyone can afford it however in the pocket book. That simply is just anothet pre-req you must get out of the way. Everyone is their own worst enemy.
Talking about dreams? Please, anyone who has spent any amount of time in this industry comes to the realization that the only thing that truly matters is Quality Of Life. You may find your comfortable zone as a lifer at a regional in the training department, maybe its long haul freight, maybe it's teaching aviation at a university. It has nothing to do with being a loser, and everything to do with getting comfortable. For myself, I have a 4 year degree, and over 200 college course credits. Took all the pre-reqs for a medical profession, and everything else I ever was interested in. I do what I do because it interests me the most.

Bellanca

Comparing pilots to doctors is an apples to oranges comparison.

But becoming a pilot requires a fair amount of specialized training (also expensive). Also, quite a bit of tenacity to work one's way up the ladder in this career field. However, I wouldn't compare this to the level of education and training in medical school and residency.

Law School may be a better comparison. Though admissions standards are high (therfore it's tough to get into) the coursework itself isn't particularly difficult if you can study, regurgitate information, and think for yourself. Like aviaton, you can have an undergrad degree in anything, and most people that put forth a 100% effort can handle the classwork itself. While I believe most people can get through law school, much like most people can get their pilot certificates, we really don't have much comparison to the JD that graduated in the top 25% of their class from a top 10 law school...

Just my $.02

Slick111

So I hear that the RAA is trying very hard to rescind the ATP rule.

Discuss.

Rahlifer

Well, duhhh. Of course one still has to go to "pylot skool" to get the ratings. And let's be honest, anyone with a big enough checkbook can buy all their ratings for a pilot job. That's the entire business model of all the pilot factories out there.
The college degree is mandatory for all reputable airlines, but the field of study is irrelevant. You just have to check the box to get past the HR filter.
Again, the comparison between doctors and pilots is simply ridiculous. One can not simply plunk down a bag of money at a school and become a doctor in 12 months.

Rahlifer

Yeah. This thread has drifted a bit.

One of the suits at the RAA made a derogatory comment about pilots "wasting time" doing things like crop dusting, instructing, traffic watch, etc because it has no relevance to part 121 ops. I disagree. The first thousand hours or so are where you really learn how to be an aviator. It's just yourself in command of an airplane, fully responsible for all decision making. No one is holding your hand. It's called experience, and there's no way to buy it. Some folks may be gods gift to aviation and learn it all in 250 hours, but most folks really need a bit more time before they're ready to be a valuable resource in the cockpit.

FirstClass

At this point rescinding the rule my be more harmful. We'd move from an airline pilot shortage to a cfi shortage.

But even before the 1500 hour rule, weren't we already on a path to a shortage with less people entering the profession due to pay and QOL issues?

The 1500 hour rule really had nothing to do with the events of 2001 through 2010 which would probably be some of the main causal factors. No doubt though the 1500 rule exacerbated the problem though.

CBreezy

If the government is truly concerned about the "pilot shortage," they need to commission a study to accurately determine how many of those fancy new Private, Instrument and Commercial certificates are eligible to work in the US versus international carriers.

We all need to remember the staggering amount of pilots needed to staff flying across the booming international market, especially the Asian market. A large percentage of them are being trained in the United States. Not until a real effort is made to find out how many US pilots are being trained, we will never have any idea to what extent this shortage will impact the US market, if at all.

FirstClass

A lot of recent studies have been conducted regarding the pilot shortage, the most notable one being

"GAO Report to Congress on Current and Future Availability of Airline Pilots"

But I think you are right, of all the training that goes on in the US, how many of those pilots will leave the country? I would think this is a report that could be generated without much difficulty. For example, there is special paperwork involved for the training of foreign students before they are allowed to be trained. My guess is though this is not in the FAA database but maybe DHS.