I couldn't see a "pilot shortage" in Europe. May be a shortage of pilots willing to do a job for peanuts. After long years in this business i think i have never seen so much pressure to the pilots to work more, to earn less and to take more risks in flying. I know a lot of pilots having more than 5000 hours, several ratings in her mid forties and burned out by the daily job searching hard to find a better engagement. Longlining, ag/forestry work, fire, short the aerial work is under big pressure. Also the EMS sectors have lowered entry earns and social benefits compared to the increasing life costs. A lot of operators have closed and the new operators and the older chiefs still in the business handle the usual pilot just as a short term "cost factor" and never looking into the future.
The flight schools telling myths about a bright future to the new guys, we have a lot of frustrated military pilots ready to cancel the mil job immediately and all are ready to work for allways lower incomes.
May be the offshore business is better but onshore the situation isn't good.
Last edited by tecpilot; 23rd January 2007 at 15:22.