I'd like to use this medium for communication among peers in a geographically widespread area but engaged in a global business were occurrences in a foreign country 2000 miles away can easily influence what is going to happen to your or my job next.
All of your post is well said, but I also concur with the above statement.
As you have basically outlined in the second paragraph, the youngster in question is actually the son of one of the owners of a local air charter/flight school business. I spoke with the owners of one of the flying schools what the going rate is to get trained from "0" to Commercial Pilot in Nicaragua these days. I believe he told be either $30,000 USD or $35,000 USD. Now you consider the commercial aviation scene in this country these days. There are a couple of flight schools put together by high-time professional pilots who are trying to stay flying. A number of what I would consider unairworthy cropdusters ply their trade in the boondocks. Two regional airlines-- La Costeņa and Atlantic Airlines fly turboprops domestically. FO's make about $600 USD per month, whilst Captains anywhere from $1200 to $1500 USD. Some of the guys who come on to these companies are "paying their dues" to go on to TACA (if they are fortunate enough) to earn $2500 USD a month as FO, and about $4000 USD a month as Captain.
Raising $30K to $35K in this country is a tough enough task, but with the salaries offered by the local carriers there is little reasonable return on investment (cost of living isn't dirt cheap either), so I would consider the wages offered by La Costeņa and Atlantic to be starvation wages (I certainly couldn't live on what they pay their crews). Wages have been artificially supressed due to a historic abundance of experienced pilots from the military or the former Lanica or Aeronica (the C-152 instructor at one of the flight schools is a C-208 Captain at La Costeņa-- previously he flew DC-3's, DC-6's, Curtis Commandos and Boeing 707's). A friend who used to be an inspector at this country's Aeronautica Civil cites that most of the pilots in this country are in the 40's (all positive signs towards a pilot shortage and the supply/demand curve to swing in our favor), however in the meantime there is a downward push on crew renumeration.
Supply/demand is not the only threat/carrot though. Factors such as a rise in fuel costs will cause additional pressure on workers to take home less pay so that air traffic doesn't drop-- the flying public doesn't want to know that air travel is inhertantly expensive.
Anyhow, you are correct that there is little relevancy these days with the cockpit of a Cessna 152 and the office of an Airbus A320. Interesting thoughs
flufdriver love to continue but it's time for lunch.