Pilot shortage in the US?

[lifeafteraviation]

I'm not sure what some of you guys are talking about...

My point here is that I believe the old school seniority system we consider so sacred is what is damaging this career the most when placed into today's environment. It is the very thing that allows regional airlines to hire low time pilots at low wages and promote them to captain after a year while experienced pilots sit on the sidelines not because they are being discriminated against but because the economics don't allow them to take those available jobs (insert quote here for those who want to point out the obvious fact that experience doesn't always equal skill).

As I've said before, airline piloting is the only professional position I can think of that forces a system of mediocrity with no incentive to excel beyond your peers. We complain and whine but we are our own worst enemy. Most airline pilots in the USA can't even imagine how a true open job market would work for them, unless they've flown corporate or overseas (insert angry quote here for all those who secretly know they are mediocre and depend on the seniority system to hold their jobs and advance to captain).

A college degree is just a piece of paper that proves you have the ability and incentive to achieve. It's not a measure of intelligence or of stick and rudder skills. I am in no way trying to insult those who have achieved a great deal without a degree but clearly those people should understand more than others the additional obstacles they have faced without being able to present that paper during the interview. By simply arguing that no pilot needs one is rationalization (lets see how many pilots post their resume here again).

By the same token I will argue that a seniority number is just a piece of paper also and only proves you have stuck around, maybe got hired at an opportune time and have at least passed the minimum standards. It's no more a measure of intelligence or of professional ability than a degree you earned years ago.

If we abandoned this entitlement based career structure and competed for the best jobs on a level playing field the pilot shortage would not be a problem for the airlines and the pay and benefits of being a pilot would increase dramatically. Training costs would be reduced as we stopped pairing high time co pilots with captains half their age and experience simply because of the circumstances of a highly fluent job market.

I will point out (before someone pull quotes my comments in later posts) the obvious origins and necessity of unions and job protection to protect pilots from negative career backlash when they stand their professional ground. Keep in mind pilots aren't the only professionals who must often stand up to conflicting corporate and financial pressure in the interest of safety. There are other ways to protect your career and the world is a different place than it was when this all started.

This thread topic is about the "pilot shortage" and I believe we will see some changes coming as a result of the world wide pilot job market that's opening up. Those changes will be good for some and bad for others.

I consider this an important and obviously controversial topic and welcome a heated discussion but please refrain from the personal insults and posting your resumes....or pointing out my typos.