catseye,
interesting statistics on that site, all sectors of general aviation on the decrease except for flying training.
more pilots less hours.
if all the current helicopter pilot licence holders in australia were to be employed till they are all used up the training industry could shut down for about ten years.
in flying training in australia we turn over the equivalent of our working pilots every four years.
casa's web site, under statistics, has the current commercial pilots with medicals as under 900. private 600 and some atpl's
of those pilots, 200 were licenced in the past two years.
the numbers are kept around that total by schools putting out 200+ each year.
this number also includes foreign students issued with australian certificates who have since gone home, most never to fly professionally ever, unfortunately.
i have seen very few new machines delivered to commerial operators over the last 10 years.
the private sector is catching up in numbers and seems to be the only part of the industry that can afford new machinery.
it will be fantastic if the projections are realised, jobs for all, utopia. lets hope.