" The Pilot Shortage..the Pilot Shortage Is Coming

[Canrotor]

How about this to get this site going............


Hello All,

Once again,i just read another article about the upcoming helicopter pilot shortage and the lack of "experienced" helo pilots.

All the low time pilots on this site have received excellent info from the regulars here about how to get that first job.....
-right place,right time
-determination
-good attitude,good attitude,good attitude

So what about the employers..?? If this said " pilot shortage " is in fact around the corner,what should employers be doing to get these 100 hour helicopter pilots to the "EXPERIENCED " level....???

Should employers lobby for lower insurance minimums to get the new pilot started...??
Should employers take the risk,bring on the new pilot,and train them to the required level...hoping this pilot will stay with the company for several years to come...??
Should all the helo flight schools be training to a higher standard or "total " number of hours required to get the commercial lic...??
Maybe helicopter companys don't feel they have to do anything..!!! Maybe even if they think a pilot shortage is around the corner there are "SO MANY " 100 hour newbies' knocking on their doors they can just sit back and be very picky on who and how fast they need to hire.....??!!

Other wanna be helicopter pilots must be reading these articles because i am still amazed at the number of people putting down the $40-70 grand to get the commercial helo lic training....most schools have a waiting list...!!!!!!

I hope the "SHORTAGE" is coming or there are going to be alot of 100 hour pilots with a huge debt load...!!!

COMMENTS....COMMENTS...!!!!????

Happy New Year to all...........


Canrotor

 

[rainman]

I don't know about other companys out there but ours just laid off some experienced people both VFR and IFR??

Pilot overload seems more fitting.

Maybe the economy will somehow turn or more fire action will save us again?? :huh:

 

[deuce bigalow]

If you do the math and figure the number of guys in the biz over 50 that are going to pull the pin in the next few years, then yes there does seem to be a problem for the companys. A problem of their own making for the most part, although there was help from the insurance companys and the customers. IMHO this is a great time to be getting into helo aviation ( if you don't count the unbelievable increase in paperwork over the past few years). And the really great news is that the old farts that manage to stay airworthy will be commanding the "REALLY BIG BUCKS" finally after all these years. Or maybe we'll just roll over like we always do and do it for the glory. I am really looking forward to the day when the big companys have to turn down work because they don't have the crews. What comes around really does go around. Happy New Year to all and have a safe 2004. B)

 

[Outwest]

Hey Deuce, you have been commanding the big bucks for years, it's just that no one is listening to your commands! By the way, I thought you were headed for warmer climes MF. Cheers

 

[MagSeal]

"I am really looking forward to the day when the big companys have to turn down work because they don't have the crews. "

Duece, it had been happening already back when I was with CHL. My base managers would be sent out on seismic, I'd be left with a nice clean, ready to go 206, with daily calls for it, but they wouldn't send me anyone to drive it (they must have some excuse I'm sure). I'd just sit back, continue answering the phone, and watch Highland and Ultra take it all away.
And I wondered why my base wasn't showing revenue.... :down:

 

[widgeon]

The shortage will not only be pilots but AME's and other support people . When I look around the shop where I work the number of grey haired people with over 20 years experience are probably 10 times the number of guys with less than 2 years. Many of them will be retiring in the next 5 years it seems very few companies are taking the necessary steps to ensure continuity. I am sure the same probably applies in the fixed wing world.

 

[Charles W.]

What is even more frightening is combining the loss of the old school people with practical experience with the mess that trying to comply with the random different interpertation and enforcement of CAR's by some of the new breed in TC and we have the recipe for disaster.

God help us.

Allah help us.

Buddah help us.

Someone help us.

Dr. Chas W.

 

[highbladedown]

I agree with â€Widgeon’s†observation relating to AME’s, there is as much a shortage of experienced AME’s and in some cases more so. As far as the “new breed†within TC, well there is not as much as you think. Transport has had a hiring freeze for the last three months now and will continue down that route for sometime to come, and that’s a fact. TC personal are just as fed up as some of the aviation types are. A great deal of TC personnel are expected to do more with a great deal less, be prepared there are a couple thousand CAR’s amendments in the works so if you don’t want to end up in TC site for corporate offenders and non-corporate offenders one best brush up on the “interpretation†skills from a Flt ops and AMO perspective. I’m one of those guys with 30 years of experience and I have spoke with many pilots and Engineers that have decided to pull the plug because they are fed up with the way the commerical industry is going.

 

[highbladedown]

Just to give you an idea of proposed amendments........try looking in here.

Status of Notice of Proposed Amendments - Transport Canada Civil Aviation

http://www.tc.gc.ca/CivilAviation/Regserv/...Status/menu.htm

 

[Charles W.]

Yes, highbladedown:

Some are fed up, their problems of course is they can't kick their real problem, some of their managers, out the door. Hint, Hint , start in Tower C.

I am presently involved in a legal wrestling match with TC and some of my supporters in TC are more fed up than I am......

I can just avoid contact with the regulator here in Canada by not being involved in any activities that they can moniter.

My friends in TC on the other hand have to consider all the years of pensionable work they have in the bank versus their retirement date. So these poor bast..rds are really between a rock and a hard place.

But we havent seen anything yet, just wait and enjoy what you have coming down the road as TC moves further into the police state mentality.

I was never a very religious animal, but I almost get on my knees before going to bed at night with gratitude to whomever runs the universe that I am able to get the hell out of commercial aviation before the inmates are truly running the asylum.

I do however plan on staying involved on the side lines helping people like Blackmac keep some semblance of sanity in the industry....maybe , hopefully.

Dr. Chas W.

 

[highbladedown]

I know what's coming down the road, the last 7 years I have been knee deep in regulatory and manufacturer issues, aviation law and trying to protect a few companies’ butts from being fried. Not to mention trying to make pilots and engineers more aware of exactly what to expect and how to prepare and protect themselves as well as the organization, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Some organizations would just assume risk paying a fine then lose a revenue hour and to push their people to limit, been there, done that, as I’m sure a large number of us have. The observation I have made over the last 7 or so years is that if companies and individuals are trying to do their best to remain within the regulatory structure then Transport is seen as less hindrance (just an observation), we are not all perfect and it's not a perfect world. Although as we all know Transport philosophies seem to vary region to region based on the individual’s mindset.

 

[Charles W.]

Hmmmm...

I was surfing the proposed ammendments and can't wait to read the new " Physical and Mental Requirements " 424:17

Will we have to prove we are mental to stay in the flying business?

Dr. Chas W.

 

[highbladedown]

Other way around I think...........sometimes mentally irregular (yo Rockie) for getting into it.

 

[Charles W.]

Highbladedown:

We all know that CAR's are interpreted differently from region to region and from inspector to inspector.

I also have surfed the regulations and aeronautics act trying to understand how one can conform.......

Can you explain to me why there is no continunity in interpretation from one office to another?

And can you explain how we are expected to conform to something that no one seems to agree on how to interpet?

And of course we will now be faced with reams of amendments with no expetation that they will make things clearer.....

Chas

 

[highbladedown]

I will tell you how one must conform.... the Transport Canada approved Operations, MCM, MPM, Maintenance schedules etc. for a company in question must show compliance. If not it will be an audit finding of Transport Canada when they either carry out ramp surveillance or carry out routine company audits, trudt me they will catch it. If the company has a good working Quality and training programs in place it will help prevent the company from embarassing regulatory situations. As pilot and or engineer one was must adhere to how the company-approved manuals by TC are written. If not one will leave themselves wide open. I witnessed it all first hand, I have been through the entire process with Transport, and yes in most cases it is a matter of interpretation, the final and ultimate responsibility rests with the owner. I’d gladly pass on the TC site that deals with fines if you wish, unless you already know about it. Each section of the Regs carries it’s own penalty amount in a $$ value, one for the pilot and or AME and the other for the company. So for example if you were the pilot in command and were performing a task under CARS 625 Appendix “A”, one that you were trained by the company AMO and failed to make a log entry for the elementary task you could be subject to enforcement action, the company could be fined “x” dollars and the pilot “y” dollars…especially if the company Ops and MCM/MPM state that log entries will be carried out under company policy and CARS 625.

Hope this helps a little…..