The Pilot Shortage – From Student Pilots to the ATPs

Aviation is now facing an incredible pilot shortage, a shortage greater than anticipated in the past. Young pilots learned of the upcoming pilot shortage when told the World War II pilots were retiring, followed by the Korean aviators, then the jet jockeys of Vietnam. Somehow, those shortages never seemed to happen. Today, it is a different story. According to statistics maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration, the number of active pilots dropped from more than 800,000 in 1980 to just over 633,000 in 2018. Over the course of those years, the numbers steadily declined with an occasional uptick over the period. Many have speculated as to the decline of pilot numbers. For the most part, investigation of those numbers concerned the airlines. However, the problem is deeper. To understand the situation, industry leaders must look at the source of this pilot shortage, not just the end consequence of fewer airline pilots. Our youth today are not entering aviation as in the past. Are teachers and guidance counselors in our schools giving students credit for their intelligence? Are we in the aviation industry helping them to discover the exciting world of travel and flight? Or have they decided, through their personal research, that the admission ticket is priced too high to enter the field? This paper/presentation will explore these and other questions regarding the future of the number of pilots – from student pilot numbers to those who fly simply for pleasure, though the number of airline transport pilots “working the job.