underscores the imperative need to foster an inclusive and psychologically safe environment to attract a diverse talent pool, easing some of the workforce shortages that departments face. “There are many more opportunities in the airlines than business aviation, and the airlines do a much better job making those opportunities visible to prospective employees,” Broyhill says. “That’s not a condition that will likely change unless business aviation can develop a unified front like the airlines.” PAY RAISES A SHORT-TERM SOLUTION? As for alleviating the pilot shortage, Kit Darby, a veteran aviation consultant with his own firm, provides some additional context. “We’re short 24,000 pilots in this country right now,” Darby says. “Raising the pay doesn’t make any more pilots.” Instead, Darby points out that in the past year, to make up for the wave of senior pilots that retired in the early days of the pandemic, airlines have hired in record numbers, boosting attractiveness with lucrative contracts. “It did bring some out of the woodwork,” Darby says, noting, however, that it may not be enough. Darby emphasizes the need to improve pilot training programs, which would involve revisiting the Airline Safety and FAA Extension Act of 2010, aka the “1,500- hour rule”—which he calls absurd to begin with—and
mentions that simulators can effectively train pilots for various maneuvers required for certificates. “I’ve got 15 years teaching in simulators after I retired from the airlines,” he says. “And there’s absolutely nothing you can do in an airplane that you can’t do in a simulator. We could raise the retirement age, which I think will probably happen, but it’s only a partial solution.” Finally, he suggests immigration reform, specifically the National Interest Waiver, could allow carriers to hire qualified foreign pilots to fly their aircraft. Amid all of these, Darby says the pressures causing the pilot shortage, and hence driving up wages, is nowhere near over. “None of those things we mentioned, the National Interest Waiver and raising the [retirement] age and lowering the time requirements, will be enough. The shortage is not going to be cured by any of those.” Numbers don’t lie—there probably hasn’t been a more lucrative time to be a pilot. But if the industry cannot solve its pilot woes, where will that leave us? [ MICHAEL WILDES is a corporate pilot and chief operating officer for Dreams Soar Inc. Previously he was FLYING’s business aviation editor. He holds a master’s degree in logistics and supply chain management and a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical science, both from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He worked at the university’s flight department as a flight check airman, assistant training manager, and quality assurance mentor. Follow Wildes on X (formerly Twitter): @Captainwildes.
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