Preparing for the best

Regional aviation is often the litmus test for the Australian aviation industry. There are the first signs of sustainable recovery in the sector with job ads up and operators beginning to cast their net wider for quality pilots and engineers. Operators are seriously considering bringing in qualified pilots from overseas to make up for the emerging short fall.

Flight schools are seeing enquiry levels increase particularly with respect to commercial and ATPL courses. This is once again revealing the shortage of experienced instructors, an issue that will require urgent attention from the industry. The challenges will only increase as younger instructors are drawn off to fill vacant F/O seats. To relieve some of this pressure it may be timely to consider adapting the UK concept where specially trained instructors without commercial licences are used for the early stages of training. This may encourage very experienced aviators, including retired transport pilots, to consider working on a part-time basis and passing on their skills to a new generation.