It really makes very depressing reading. I'm sitting my stage 2 ATPL's next week and it doesn't help my motivation knowing that the future for newly trained pilots is so grim.
In many ways I am one of the lucky ones, in that I have a stable career as a teacher that I can always return to, and my financial risk is minimal due to getting out of the buy to let market at just the right time with some cash in hand.
but I do wonder now about where all this will lead. My aim has always been to instruct, maybe some taxi flying, after that I'm not really too bothered. I've always been safe in the knowledge that even though getting to fly "something big and shiny" is getting harder and harder, the shortage of instructors would mean that I could get a foot in the door, so to speak and knowing that I already enjoy teaching, that I would quite happily carve out a new and exciting career for myself.
Now I wonder if even that will be realistic in six months time, the combination of high oil prices, less money to spend and high unemployment among experienced pilots will make this task almost impossible I fear.
Sometimes I wonder If it's just not meant to be, this is my third, and at the age of 33, final attempt at becoming a professional pilot.
in 1992 when I got my PPL through an RAF flying scholarship, the RAF was closed for new entries and at 17 the money needed was just not available.
Again at 24 I tried after moving to Denmark, after saving for years I happily paid my savings to a training company which promptly went bust! (let that be a lesson to all those who consider paying all up front! it could happen to you!)
Third time lucky!, maybe not after all
difficult times my friends
regards D-G