Time machine: "Australia's Pilot Shortage"

[Edward Terry]

I was looking through my old files today and came across this video. I believe a discussion on it is still locked on the old board. It's an excellent example of how rapidly things can change!

[Peter D]

I wish there was a pilot shortage..

[Chris W]

Its amazing, that was a year ago now.

[Brenden S]

Don't you worry when all the downturn is over it will be going again, so keep at them hour building flights and you will get there eventually. Geeze its taken me 8 years to get Licenced.

[Hugh Jarse]

In 12 to 18 months the "new" shortage will be worse - because very few people have taken up flying training during this down time.

Just keep on truckin' you hour-builders

[Alex Watts]

Hmm... I am not too sure about the lack of pilot's taking up flying training at this present time. Swinburne University has just had an intake of around 100 in to its 3 year bachelor of aviation degree, not to mention about 20 in TAFE... When I began 2 years ago, there were about 40 in the degree and I thought that was heaps!

In 3 years time I would imagine there to be about 100 SECIR rated CPL pilots looking for jobs from Swinburne alone!

And all this can be attributed to the introduction to FEE-HELP, government funded flying.

Alex

[Matt_L]

Originally Posted by Alex Watts

Hmm... I am not too sure about the lack of pilot's taking up flying training at this present time. Swinburne University has just had an intake of around 100 in to its 3 year bachelor of aviation degree, not to mention about 20 in TAFE... When I began 2 years ago, there were about 40 in the degree and I thought that was heaps!

In 3 years time I would imagine there to be about 100 SECIR rated CPL pilots looking for jobs from Swinburne alone!

And all this can be attributed to the introduction to FEE-HELP, government funded flying.

Alex

Thats Swinnies Alex. If you look at UNSW for example- their course has fewer then 20 students of which a good majority are foreigners here to study and then go home.

Same story really happening at most flying schools at Bankstown (Aerospace, Basair, Proflite, SAC, SFTC etc etc).

Swinburne/Oxford Aviation is quite unique in the number of local students.

Cheers

[Nick W.]

Thanks for shedding light on something you don't know, Matt. UNSW has 47 offers for their flying stream this year, of which you'll be presently surprised/shocked (by the sounds of it) that most are actually local students.

Furthermore, those international students actually exemplify what the aviation industry is - an international industry. With that I hardly think it's fair to be critical of international students coming to Australia when it shows how skilled the Australian industry is if people from all around the world are coming here to train, and when a lot of Australian student pilot's solution to the pilot shortage is to train here and then leave overseas to airlines like Singapore and Cathay Pacific.

I honestly don't understand why people are so against international students. From a purely fiscal perspective, they pay a lot more to be here, expand courses and give those instructors among us building hours the students to build hours upon. Never fully understood all of it...

N

[Hugh Jarse]

Thanks Alex, Nick and Matt,

What you have to remember is that once you have a CPL, a job is not guaranteed, even during times of pilot shortages. There are many reasons why a relatively high percentage of CPL holders either never start flying professionally or fail to go on to an airline job. Here are just a few:

1. An unwillingness or inability to relocate from a major centre (and higher paying, non-flying job);

2. Unsuccessful at interview/sim;

3. Loss of interest in the career, either pre or post-employment;

On my TAFE ATPL course there were 80 pilots. Of that, around 30 actually pursued a flying career. Of that 30, less than 10 are still flying 20 years later

None have been "medicalled" (spl) out.

So you can see that even though there may be what seems a large number of candidates on a particular course, the reality is that significantly less than half will a) actually go flying for financial reward, and b) remain in the industry long term.

In my little part of the world, when there was an abundance of qualified and well-experienced pilots circa 2000, we had a success rate of around 50% of applicants into the company I worked for. 8 years on, the success rate was around 20%.

So, in a nutshell, just because there is a pilot shortage does not guarantee that you will get a job. You have to possess commitment and determination. That hasn't changed in times of shortage

[Matt_L]

Originally Posted by Nick W.

Thanks for shedding light on something you don't know, Matt. UNSW has 47 offers for their flying stream this year, of which you'll be presently surprised/shocked (by the sounds of it) that most are actually local students.

Furthermore, those international students actually exemplify what the aviation industry is - an international industry. With that I hardly think it's fair to be critical of international students coming to Australia when it shows how skilled the Australian industry is if people from all around the world are coming here to train, and when a lot of Australian student pilot's solution to the pilot shortage is to train here and then leave overseas to airlines like Singapore and Cathay Pacific.

I honestly don't understand why people are so against international students. From a purely fiscal perspective, they pay a lot more to be here, expand courses and give those instructors among us building hours the students to build hours upon. Never fully understood all of it...

N

Nick,

I am in no way trying to bag UNSW but dont tell me there are 47 people in the Bav because there simply are not. I know people who are there at UNSW and have advised me of otherwise and at best 20 ish, maybe 47 offers but i wonder how many took it up.

In terms of foreign pilots- I am not trying to demonize them either- I am just stating that the swinburne/tafe is almost all local students and this is what is the topic of this post- Australian pilot shortage not Worldwide