Wages - the limiting factor of hiring

I started flying in the 1980s. It took me 3 years to finish my Private. I was paying for it by working at McDonalds. I remember I started out paying $29 per hour for 150/152. I'd fly, work for a couple of week, fly again, and then dual cross-countries happened. $29 for the plane and $12 for the CFI. Nobody ever told me I could fly "on account" and then pay. I thought every flight was pay as you go. Between all of my long breaks saving up money, and the numerous CFIs leaving for better jobs, and my moving, I'm thankful I finished my Pvt. Luckily I got hired by a flight school and they paid for my Instrument rating.

 

Right now in the US there are many FBO's all across the country that employ young CFI/CFII's that are building their time giving lessons and rides to the general public. Two friends of mine from back home in Georgia did something like this. Owen today last I heard fly's for Southwest and was flying for Airtran when SW bought them. Another friend of mine got his time flying a King Air for the owner of a large chain of Nursing homes based in my old hometown. I am going to repeat my statement of before. One of the primary reasons there is a pilot shortage is mandatory retirement and the flow of military pilots has slowed followed by the increased routes of the airlines and smaller feeder airlines. Both the Airline and trucking industry are tightly regulated. I just cant agree the so called driver shortage is caused by a lack of drivers like the lack of pilots is. It's caused by these horrid driver mills that hire steering wheel holders that should never been in that truck to start with. Most companies have to hire 100 just to get 5 or 6 that stay. This just is not the case in aviation. I will agree however the solutions for both is VERY similar! PAY THESE PEOPLE WHAT THEY ARE WORTH!!!!!

 

The last thing most Americans would want would be to start paying airline-level costs for their goods.

 

Already tried it with something so simple as fast food and it's a complete failure.

 

I am not sure how many noticed the price for produce has started creeping higher, and no one is complaining. The cost of labor is rising due to immigration enforcement. I have been told it will keep increasing to match the wages and benefits they are now having to pay.
I would imagine if trucking wages increased the same would happen, a slight increase here, a slight increase there, no one would notice.
Everyone is afraid of Otto, yet Tesla has said in all of their crashes with self driving, they have no responsibility, the driver is always to keep their hands on the steering wheel. Imagine the first time 80,000 pounds didn't stop and wipes out a bus of kids. No one wants that to happen, and no one wants to have it on their hands.
Eventually wages will rise when there is a real shortage, not a made up one.

 

Im seeing robotic pizza devices replacing workers. Poof no more human worker, just robots assembling food.

Europe has started attempts on cradle to grave basic income using robots themsevles as if they were citizens and taxed appropriately.

 

A couple of Nordic countries want every citizen to have guaranteed minimum monthly income whether they have a job or not. That's one reason they're being flooded with illegal migrant males between the ages of 18 to 38 yrs. old. They dumped their wives and families and left them behind, for the easy life.

 

Those are good points. But the FAA expanded the mandatory retirement age a few years ago, boosting it from 60 to 65. The big demand in pilots is because the airlines have ruthlessly analyzed routes and farmed out the "small think routes" to regionals. You bet the military isn't the source it used to be. After Korea about 75% of airline pilots were former military. Now military supplies about 25-35%. That number is dropping as military shrinks and civilian sources tapped into "student loans". The FAA put a plug in the pilot pipeline with their 1500 hour rule and that oversupplied the lower tiers for while, now those pilots are in the big airlines and the sector from CFI-to-major airline is thinning out rapidly. Even Embry-Riddle, my alma mater, has a devil of a time keeping their CFIs for as long as 1 year. The INSTANT the CFI/II have the hours for a regional they are gone. This is leading to regional jets having a new First Officer and a Captain with just over 1 year experience. The FAA gave 2/4 year aviation program pilots a break from the 1500 hour rule. The FAA, IIRC, is allowing 750 hour military pilots to be eligible for the Restricted ATP license. The inexperience and the reliance on automation is already showing up asa problem.

The passengers on airlines are not going to pay fares sufficient to boost pilot pay from WalMart levels. No matter what passengers say, their action is to reward any airline that is $1 cheaper than a competitor. That's the way I see it. But I failed at the process so I'm sure I'm biased.

 

I don't see trucking wages going up. In trucking it's like the border is wide open. I don't mean immigrants are fooding the driver market. I mean you can take most cubicle workers, get them a CDL, and put them with a Mega inside of 2 months. When any driver can be replaced by a "civilian" in 2 months you have no wage power. And I don't think the governement is wise enough or hnest enough to come up with a solution. Whatever solution they propose will be from some lobbyist desk drawer aimed at helping them, not people on the road or truck drivers.

 

Coming soon...
Drone pizza delivery.