Hi guys,
I think this is a very interesting thread. It is a good question why there doesn’t exist more accessible statistics regarding the issuing of certificates and the employment of pilots.
Talk:
Well I guess that the only ones that really would benefit from these statistics would be those who is thinking about becoming a pilot. And maybe those guys who have finished their flight training and are now considering changing career due to the lack of jobs.
It will not benefit the flying schools and neither will it benefit the CAA's which is also basing part of their economy on the fee's collected from new certificates and renewals. At the same time these are the guys sitting on the figures and statistics.
The CAA will probably be much more helpful when it comes to providing the figures they can provide, contrary to the flight schools. The flight schools of course have a much greater interest in painting an often misleading picture and selling their training.
Mad Jock already posted a link that are showing some interesting figures from the UK CAA.
Point:
I think there need to bee some kind of resource to counterbalance the picture painted by the flight schools. It should be based on facts and figures like the license transactions provided by the UK CAA, and as far as possible be collected from as many local CAA's as possible, air lines etc.
It could also help to shoot down some of the classic flight school clichés that cannot be backed up. Like the ”big retirement” coming soon story etc.
The only resource/channel, that I can think of, to reach pilots considering flight training is the internet. With good
SEO you should be able to reach a good amount of people considering a career as a pilot.
I think they deserve to have a better chance of getting relevant information about the job-situation in the industry they are about to enter. And it could in the end help create a more balanced situation in the industry as well.
If you think this is a good idea and are willing to help then send med a PM.