Kids in aviation

[Panama Jack]

Not many people training to become pilots in Nicaragua these days, not with av-gas at $6 per gallon and Cessna 152´s renting for $130 USD per hour dual/ $110 USD per hour solo. Then yesterday in La Prensa´s weekly Aquí Entre Nos insert there is a page about this 15-year old fellow.

http://www.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2005/abril/15/aquientrenos/rostros/rostros-20050414-01.jpg


Read the article here (Spanish) (http://www.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2005/abril/15/aquientrenos/rostros/)ç

[flufdriver]

Hi Panama-Jack,

You're just about keeping this forum alive on your own, thankyou!,

Unfortunately I have not been of much help recently, eventhough I do like to engage in interesting discussions, it just seems that there is not much interest in discourse unless it is to slag somebody or something. If one tries to stimulate discussion on something aviation related it usually ends up being a one-post-topic. I know this is called a rumor network, but quite frankly I am too busy to waste my time on rumors that seem to have little basis in fact, instead I'd like to use this medium for communication among peers in a geographically widespread area but engaged in a global business were occurrences in a foreign country 2000 miles away can easily influence what is going to happen to your or my job next.

Which brings me back to your comment about the lack of interest in young people to become Pilots. You refer to the cost issue, which in my opinion is only half the story, clearly working conditions and remuneration for professional Pilots is at an all time low, that fact is not lost on intelligent youngsters. If they invest the same amount of dedication and perseverence that it takes to become an airline Pilot in another field of endeavour they will be much more successfull. That leaves us with the diehard aviation enthusiast, s/he will make a good Pilot and since there are relatively few of them, in due time supply of Pilots may be exceeded by demand and working conditions will improve. who knows? Then again, it won't be long now before they start mixing in some remotely controlled aircraft, first it will likely be package carriers and after some time, some marketing genius will propose a roundtrip fare to europe for $200 in something like an A380, where you will be joined by 800 other fun seekers and they will gurantee that the aircraft is controlled by experienced Pilots, they may forget to mention that said Pilots are not on the aircraft with you and that the same person will perhaps control 3 or 4 flights simoultenously from a desk on the ground. Then eventually, the whole relevance of flight training will be questioned, after all it seems to bear little relevance to the job, who needs flight training to "fly" a flight Sim on your computer right?

cheerful thoughts!

Fluf

[Panama Jack]

I'd like to use this medium for communication among peers in a geographically widespread area but engaged in a global business were occurrences in a foreign country 2000 miles away can easily influence what is going to happen to your or my job next.

All of your post is well said, but I also concur with the above statement.

As you have basically outlined in the second paragraph, the youngster in question is actually the son of one of the owners of a local air charter/flight school business. I spoke with the owners of one of the flying schools what the going rate is to get trained from "0" to Commercial Pilot in Nicaragua these days. I believe he told be either $30,000 USD or $35,000 USD. Now you consider the commercial aviation scene in this country these days. There are a couple of flight schools put together by high-time professional pilots who are trying to stay flying. A number of what I would consider unairworthy cropdusters ply their trade in the boondocks. Two regional airlines-- La Costeña and Atlantic Airlines fly turboprops domestically. FO's make about $600 USD per month, whilst Captains anywhere from $1200 to $1500 USD. Some of the guys who come on to these companies are "paying their dues" to go on to TACA (if they are fortunate enough) to earn $2500 USD a month as FO, and about $4000 USD a month as Captain.

Raising $30K to $35K in this country is a tough enough task, but with the salaries offered by the local carriers there is little reasonable return on investment (cost of living isn't dirt cheap either), so I would consider the wages offered by La Costeña and Atlantic to be starvation wages (I certainly couldn't live on what they pay their crews). Wages have been artificially supressed due to a historic abundance of experienced pilots from the military or the former Lanica or Aeronica (the C-152 instructor at one of the flight schools is a C-208 Captain at La Costeña-- previously he flew DC-3's, DC-6's, Curtis Commandos and Boeing 707's). A friend who used to be an inspector at this country's Aeronautica Civil cites that most of the pilots in this country are in the 40's (all positive signs towards a pilot shortage and the supply/demand curve to swing in our favor), however in the meantime there is a downward push on crew renumeration.

Supply/demand is not the only threat/carrot though. Factors such as a rise in fuel costs will cause additional pressure on workers to take home less pay so that air traffic doesn't drop-- the flying public doesn't want to know that air travel is inhertantly expensive.

Anyhow, you are correct that there is little relevancy these days with the cockpit of a Cessna 152 and the office of an Airbus A320. Interesting thoughs flufdriver love to continue but it's time for lunch.