Stuck on a hold file

The regional carriers are still recruiting and assessing – they have not stopped after their pilot stocks were depleted by the lure of the majors throughout 2017-2018. But the frustration as pilots languish on hold files is palpable. Some indicate that they have been on hold up to 12 months and that leaves us with an entire cohort of aviators with between 1,000-2,000 hours idling rather than taking off on their next career journey.

The pilot shortage is a reality and the data is there to back it – Boeing is constantly reiterating that 800,000+ pilots are required over the next 20 years. Here in Australia the training bottleneck remains largely unsolved and those ready and eager to progress are now looking outside their homeland with more frequency.

The US for instance has put in place a special visa arrangement that only applies to Australians, so taking a three-year sabbatical to fly at a regional US airline is more attractive and attainable than ever before. What I like about this is that it is a limited time visa and while you can apply to stay longer, we see many of our pilots returning with multi-crew experience, regional jet or turboprop type ratings and an expanded range of flying experiences. These pilots are highly employable for direct entry regional positions.

The progression options that take Australian pilots to Emirates, Qatar, Korean Air or the Cathay Group have much more far-reaching consequences for Australian aviation, as once our pilots have a foothold on their seniority lists, they are less likely to sacrifice the superior remuneration, employee benefits and lifestyle to return home. The benefits offered by those airlines are difficult, if not impossible, for our carriers to match.

2020 is going to be an interesting year – will QF reopen for pilot recruitment, and if so when? How will Virgin rebound from its staffing cutbacks? Will active hold files dwindle as challenges to training availability continue to be tackled? The long-term picture is unclear. As always, I continue to advocate for pilots to make decisions that ensure their employability and to have not only a ‘first choice’ career plan in place but also second and third options (backups for your backups). Progression is a key element of building a flying career and pinning all your hopes on one employer, one airline for a lifelong career can be limiting. Review your options thoroughly, think laterally and set both short and long-term goals.

Perhaps that is an exercise you can perform in the New Year.

As we head into 2020 I will leave you with this; we have a tendency to hope for external things to happen in a certain way, and when that doesn’t happen as planned, we feel sadness, anger and frustration. That means we are letting external factors control our mood and our thoughts. We should rather refrain from entrusting our happiness to external factors and instead, accept things as they happen and make the best out of what has occurred. You can make a new decision about anything at any time.

“Don’t seek to have events happen as you wish, but wish them to happen as they do”

Epictetus.

‘The frustration as pilots languish on hold files is palpable’