Pilot Employ ability 2020

Pilot Employ ability looks promising in 2020

Aviation is one of the most reliable transportation amongst all other transportation, although the investment and the competition relatively high and almost all safety aspects being standardized internationally compare to other means of transportation, consequently learning experience as well as employment does not varies significantly across the globe.

From the initial training to the employment phase, there are many stages that pilots need to go through various phases, similar with other professional career phase such as doctors, engineers, etc which requires prior experience proportional to their employability and careerpath.

For pilot average learning curve in the old days, the requirement is straight forward, where either you are recruited by the air carrier or self sponsored.

Employability

The chart  above is analysed from US bureau of transportation statistics and FAA statistical data. In order have correct chart interpretation, the detail explanation is required, in this case, the license holder is taken from FAA websites and displayed the license  holder of CPL and ATPL in order to see the pilot license holder availability nation wide. While the Employed pilot data is taken from US bureau of transportation statistics and limited only to the company that generate annual reveue of US4M, therefore the remaining small charter operator or operator that is considered non significant revenue is excluded.

Future

So what is the future pilot employability looks like ? the CPL license holder is slowly diminishing, due to the regulatory requirement which requires the pilot that must have suitable experience in order to jump to the higher career and career demand from the airlines that the inexperience pilot may have big challenge in facing the existing experienced pilot, the CPL scheme is no longer attractive.  Some part of the world such as Europe, have already implemented MPL  (Multi Crew Pilot License) where part of the requirement that the ATO (Aviation Training Organisation) shall have agreement with Air carrier and significant number of take off landing (12 take off landing) on the type  with minimum of 240 hours flying training (ref PART FCL MPL training).  The cost may not be the only issue, however to get there, the airlines will have to select the candidate from the high school, some low cost carrier may put conditional requirement such as placing security deposit until the trainee completed the training phase.

What is next.

There are many options that the CPL holder can proceed to pursue with their career, however the number of intake may not be absorbed with the number of job availability. Considering numbed of aircraft delivered  (in the US) until 2015 for narrow body and above with the total of 5580  Major carrier, 1221 national and regional totaling 6800 commercial aeroplane,  with assumption of average minimum crew of 10 pilot per aircraft, this requires at least 68000 pilot, and it is aligned with the pilot employability chart for major carrier. What about alternative entry, the remaining unscheduled and charter operations (from GAMA 2015 data) aircraft delivered worldwide for Business jet and turboprop accounted for 28119 aircraft, with the estimate population in the US about 50%, there are about 14000 aircraft with estimate of 4 pilot per aircraft, will requires 56000 pilot that may be used to gain your career path,  there are hopes, its just how to find the way to get there.