Will the pilot shortage ever happen?
 

so, yet another post moaning about forecasts by the ever optomistic economists and FTO's telling me by the time ive finished training there will be a job waiting for me! Yeah, right.
Rather than listening to FTO's assuring me my hard earned cash ( around 80k) will secure me a job i decided to come here to get an opinion which isnt clouded by the fact they want their new porsche.
I decided to get my PPL at 16 and passed all my exams and in march i passed my check. With the licence issued im feeling incredible and want to take the plunge into the commercial life as ive always dreamed of.
GCSE: 5A* 4A 1B A* in physics & maths btw.
A level- 3A* A ( yes i know A*, introduced this year)A* in maths here.
50 hours TT with bronze gliding award, part 3 completed in the RAF and corporal rank. Yeah, i kinda like flying.
NO UNIVERSITY DEGREE!! I'm really not into going to UNI, yet more money to spend and another 3 years away from my sheepskin seat in the 737 ;)


Im looking for an honest opinion here, is it worth me going into flight training ? I would like to become a pilot, infact love! But if i am coming out of training with a huge debt, no TR, below 500 hours TT and with no chance of getting a job infront of all the FAR more experience pilots i really cant see the point in training.
Many thanks for any help, Regards,
PPLpliot.

There are never any guarantees for a job whatsoever and no, there is not a looming pilot shortage. There are dozens of threads on this. FTO/FTU's use this as a marketing tool! We are still waiting for the shortage they started talking about 30years ago. The only shortage is or will be be captains on medium and heavy jets with thousands of pic hours on type as Asian and MENA carriers expand their widebody longhaul fleets rapidly.

Be smart with your money and how you spend it. Despite what the lazy ones will say, there are alternates to spending £20,000+ on a Type Rating, and spending that especially without a job offer is just a dumb move that will no doubt create a financial hardship for many years...unless daddy is rich, even then, it doesnt make it right

Go to university, get a degree, develop yourself in other areas and fly for fun - that way you have equipped yourself with other skills and are ready for the shortage when it comes...

Please do not listen to the FTOs.

G:ok:

Welcome to Pprune Wannabees!

There are lots of experienced pilots who will help you get a foot on the first rung of the ladder but they do expect you to do some research yourself.

Read through the archives and other threads here and you will find that all your questions have been asked and answered many times over - and quite recently!

The aviation business is cyclical and does swing between famine and feast but at present there is a glut of pilots and we are suffering a major recession. So probably NOT the time to start training. Gijoe above speaks good sense.

Before we get all the same people spouting the same diatribe I'm closing the thread.

HWB