Crashy,
Someone on these forums posted a letter to The Times or the Telegraph which was dated from sometime in the 1950's. Some of the names and technology were changed but the message was ostensibly the same.
Little has changed. The airlines have previously relied heavily on military pilots and chumps who will pay for their own training. Sponsored cadets make up a small minority of commercial pilots,in the grand scheme of things.
With the military producing less and less pilots and desprately trying to hold on to those they have, once business returns and starts to expand airlines will have to find pilot bods from somewhere. There are,depending on who you believe, between 700 and 1200 unemployed CPL/ATPL&IR holders with valid Class 1 Medicals who are working in B&Q or growing roses at the moment. I cant remember what the industry standard is for crewing one aeroplane (7 or 10 bods per airframe) but this number only represents the possible increase in UK registered hulls of between 70 and 172. I am sure my basic arithmetic has some huge holes in it but airlines will need to find pilots from somewhere.
Cranfield Oxford and Jerez have shifted their focus from airline cadets to self sponsored people,this surely is a sign of things to come.
BTW, I had a chat with someone who persuaded me that I shouldnt set fire to my CPL. I hope the guys who are trying to help me over the wall are muscular, I am not getting any thinner........