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.
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.
I'm sure that every person is quite aware of the road ahead of them, to becoming a Commercial pilot, prior to the commencement of any flying training.
It's explained to every person, that wants to be a Commercial pilot, that a "license" can become invalid at anytime, if they cannot hold a class 1 medical certificate.
If a person cannot hold a Class 1 medical, it means, something has gone wrong with the body, which is beyond a person's control.
It's also explained to every person, prior to commencing their first training flight, that there's no guarantee of getting a flying job, after completion of a CPL qualification.
Any person that wants to enter this "pilot game", is well aware of the pitfalls along the way to a commercial flying career.
Everyone knows the beast (aviation) they are up against and the medical and flying licenses and standards that must be maintained, to work in any aviation job.
I have "no sympathy", for any person that has done their flying training and spent over 100K in training, and cannot find a job in aviation.
I'm sorry, but people knew what they were signing up for, prior to taking their first training flight.
There's no use in people crying after all the time (years) and money's spend.
There's no point in people blaming the aviation industry, everyone's aware of the challenges involved.
Obviously, if a person cannot get an aviation job (any), they will have to enter the workforce or study something else.
It's not that glamorous in other careers, i know quite a few people that completed I.T and Accounting degrees, and couldn't get into that type of work.
The first year of University drop out rate is currently at 20%, because people find the course too hard or feel, it wasn't what they expected.
There's a world wide demand for Commercial pilots at all levels of aviation, a person has to be in it to win it, same as the lottery,
but a person must also posses the required flying and medical qualifications, to get to the next level.
It really isn't that hard to be a pilot!