Surely if anyone is to pursue a career in flying (or any other sector which requires significant financial investment), then the onus is on the prospective student to make that call?
Im not trying to defend the FTO’s, but I do wonder how many flight training graduates are out there now that did nothing but buy into the glossy brochures? I tend to think not many given the significant financial outlay. Perhaps I’m just naive?
Not just the FTOs though was it?
Every six months or so somebody would be on here breathlessly linking to an article claiming the world would be short of 100,000, 500,000 or 1,000,000 pilots within the next...and it wasn't just those who were actively looking at sitting in the seat that got carried away - there's no doubt some parents saw funding their nearest and dearest as a financial investment and were looking for a return, rather than a way of facilitating their offspring get into a personally rewarding career.