Flight levels

‘This time around it has arrived and on a rather grand scale.’

One could be forgiven for thinking that this is a great time to be a young pilot on the rise. The upper age restriction of 27 for airline applicants is a thing of the distant past, as are some of the very high experience requirements for even the lower rung general aviation jobs. And while certain aspects of the recruitment environment are favourable, it is still not enough to entice some who would once have been regarded as prime prospects.

In conversation with one young potential pilot recently, I gained some valuable insights. Having recently completed their final year of schooling, they had previously desired a job amongst the clouds. They had undertaken the correct subjects, gained the marks and also registered a few hours of flying training and some years of service in a cadet unit. In every way, they had walked the correct path to find their way into a cockpit. But something changed.

In their final year of school, they wisely reviewed their options closely and, in their mind, a career in aviation did not shape up. They had considered enlisting with a branch of Defence, but the prospect of a substantial “Return to Service” was too great for the young mind to grapple with and a career in the military was not a preferred option. Reviewing the civil option, they added up the training costs, both part-time and via a cadet scheme, and saw a sizeable debt ahead of them. This in itself was not a killer blow, but the long line of “what ifs” that followed was. What if I don’t secure a job? What if I fail my training? What if my first job doesn’t provide sufficient income to both pay back the loan and afford rent? Heaven forbid, what if I have a medical issue? Reservation after reservation surfaced and logic overcame their passion.

Additionally, the inevitable comparisons took place. They had already been offered ‘early entry’ by a number of universities. Two employers had offered a salaried position with the flexibility to study incorporated into their work schedule. All the while, wearing wings faded further and further from view.

Intrigued, I spoke to more and more bright young individuals with a similar thought process. Many had also spoken to established commercial pilots and these folks had warned them off the career as, “It isn’t what it once was”. Many also expressed a desire to remain central to the city, rather than taking the traditional trek to the outback. Again, the stories filtering down to them were of isolation and relative hardship, while the Bush apprenticeship was once considered a normal chapter in a civil career – if not an adventure.

In fairness, there are still a number of impressive young pilots in training, undeterred by hearsay and the “what ifs”. Their positivity, ambition and dedication are inspiring. However, the question that remains is whether these aspirants are to be found in sufficient numbers to fill the expanding chasm?

It is difficult to conceive a ready-made fix. There is always debate about fully-subsidised cadet schemes and finding a means of reducing the fiscal burden but in these discussions I sensed something deeper existed with these once would-be pilots. Firstly, the concept of a career has changed. Once, for many, an airline career was seen as a job for life and even the ideal airline could be named. However, for these young folks they do not consider a lifelong career choice. A working life is a journey that can turn and pivot any number of times and committing to a sole purpose is not particularly alluring. Even speaking to a current airline first officer, he reflected that this wasn’t his career and would be on his way elsewhere soon.

A portable skill set that can easily transfer across a range of vocations and nations is the language they speak, and observing the speed at which change takes place in the modern era, one can understand their viewpoint to a degree. Other jobs-for-life such as the banks, Australia Post and so on have proven that they too are very susceptible to change and redundancy is not far behind.

Aviation is an industry where experience is a valued commodity. Measured in hours and gained over years, it is a field that is virtually diametrically opposed to a new age philosophy of short-term commitment and instantaneous gratification. That is not to say that one is right and one is wrong – they are different eras after all. However, aviation can’t lower its bar purely to make up the numbers.

Undoubtedly, there are tough times ahead in filling the world’s flight decks. There is no shortage of impressive young men and women graduating from our high schools, but the challenge lies in enticing more of them into the aviation field and then retaining them. Cadet schemes are one avenue, but aviation is a broader endeavour than airlines and flight crews. Engineers, air traffic controllers, cabin crew and so many more will be needed if we are going to keep our aircraft aloft. And let’s not forget that our new F-35s will also need a generation of fighter pilots coming through.

We ‘old folk’ may perceive these times as being ideal for fledgling pilots but the real challenge lies in convincing our aviation professionals of tomorrow that this is actually the case.