Originally Posted by
cnnnn1
As a young person with a CPL, I just don't think the airline industry is as attractive as it once was. I finished my CPL training in 2009 before losing my class 1 medical for 3 years (based on a CASA decision not even based on the most appropriate medical evidence available).
This period of time (just after the GFC) was immensely difficult for new pilots to get their foot in the door and I've had multiple friends around my age who simply gave up chasing the dream.
I've since become a doctor and just instruct on the side casually. The cost of flight school, the complete unpredictably and mistrust of the job market, disqualifying CASA medical decisions (often not perfectly predicated on the current medical literature), strange recruitment strategies employed by aviation organisations/airlines (often not merit based) and the repeated disappointments during that period of almost no hiring has put many young people off the career. I've had numerous friends slog it out for 5 years+ and face multiple redundancies (due to the collapse of regional airlines) and just became burnt out and, sometimes, severely mentally unwell during the process of progressing in the career. In addition, many of these friends saw others get much further than them with cadetships (that shall not be mentioned) when they simply didn't have the finances to afford this option.
In contrast with medicine (and other professional jobs), which has a very clear and more predictable career trajectory, aviation, even for those with an incredible passion for it, just became less and less attractive as a realistic and sustainable career.
A tiny handful of my friends who started their CPL training with me have made it through the slog and finally into airlines (good on them), but there are dozens more who just crashed out and could not deal with it any longer.
Maybe the 'do your dues' attitude of struggling endlessly for a career in the airlines is an admirable and righteous concept, but many young people simply do not have faith in the career that they envisioned aviation as once being. It is seen as a hostile and cut-throat career choice. Even though many other careers are immensely difficult to succeed in, many I've spoken to just see aviation as an incredibly risky long-term career goal.
This is just my two cents/my opinion.. but I think the aviation industry will need to regain the trust of young and ambitious aspiring aviators if they want to see more candidates signing up for the hard slog ahead.
Well said. I learnt to fly back in 2000 and amongst my group of 8 or 10 that started I think only 2-3 of us are still in the profession. It’s a damning one I agree, even after making it to one of the 2 major airlines in Oz you see the rosters, the way you’re treated by management, the time spent away from home and it’s just not worth the money on offer. I moved o.s. and whilst many of the previous gripes still hold true at least the money is better.