>I really don't know where the airlines are going to get the next generation of pilots from.
The military. As usual.
The military. As usual.
Right now the airlines have managed to talk high school grads into taking out huge student loans and drop 100K+ on a for-profit school, then take a job making ~ 20. There's no way that's sustainable though.
No real idea on how accurate that is, just stuff I've overheard in pilot lounges at airports :)
Interestingly, though, the navy is has a glut of pilots right now.
I was going off all the information that came out after the Colgate Air 3407 crash in regards to how feeder airlines treat their pilots.
I've talked to several CFI's who are moving into regional carriers and they report the same environments, i.e. high hours/low pay.
It sounds like maybe you're set if you can clear that hurdle and move directly to a "real" airline?
The major airlines love, love, love military pilots, especially ones that muster out around o-3, o-4 because they are in their late 20s/early 30s (lots of years left before mandatory retirement), they are already completely trained, have tons of time flying planes (compared to civilian pilots of the same age), and they are almost overqualified for ferrying passengers in terms of abilities/skills.