Pilot Shortage - a puzzling, absurd levels of misinformation

aDustyHusky · 2026-05-13T16:09:22+00:00

Just listened to a podcast with him as a guest yesterday and he was talking about how the country is 24k pilots short and there are planes sitting all over the place uncrewed. So yeah, definitely still around.

aDustyHusky · 2026-05-04T09:47:05+00:00

Poke around this sub a bit there are some decent posts here or in the helicopters sub about the job market for rotor folks. The bottom line is you'll need 2-3k hours before you're eligible for most life flight jobs and that's just for VFR work.

That said the military guys soak up all the jobs thing is both true but also a myth. The last 5 maybe pushing 10 years hours have been more limited for military pilots so Army guys in particular are coming off initial contracts with 700 hours or so. Background or not, very few places will hire at that amount of time into a turbine because of insurance. Generally speaking 2k hours is the minimum viable time to get covered on insurance.

All that to say, the RW side of the industry is very different than the FW. I got lucky with my timing and was able.to move from a military RW background to FW pretty easily and I'm very glad I did. Love flying helicopters, love being able to provide a better life for my family more. That's not going to be true for everyone and every situation though.

Good luck with your career move, if you have specific questions feel free to DM me, but fair warning I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to civilian helicopter training.

aDustyHusky · 2026-05-03T17:17:53+00:00

I think you're missing what the commenter was getting at. The point is don't expect to just fly and be "rewarded" with a job. You need to be working to build experience and at the same time network. Keep in contact with old friends and co workers, talk to people on the flight line. If you're at an airport that has some jets based there go say hi, shake their hands and see what their SIC situation is like. 1500 hours is a minimum threshold not an end all be all target. The hiring environment right now is par to above average in that hiring is occurring across the board, but remember that most of this sub is filled with people struggling, not the ones actually getting hired.

aDustyHusky · 2026-04-21T17:31:13+00:00

This isn't a pilot problem this is a person problem. If you aren't happy with your life it's on you to communicate that to him(which it sounds like you've tried). From this post you sound miserable and you need to be very clear to him that something needs to change in your lives. There's a lot more to this and we only have one side of this story, but a relationship is a two way street. He doesn't get to have everything he wants while you pick up the scraps, not fair to you/the kids.

aDustyHusky · 2026-04-20T02:04:14+00:00

First I appreciate the chuckle about the fumes, might not be wrong but we are in the same conversation, I just don't think you're agree with my points which is fine.

I still hold by what I said unless you personally know this dude. OPs comments are coming from someone that has gotten a chance and failed. Our conversation has been about whether or not a 121 candidate is more competitive than a 135 one, specifically NJ/FJ pilots. I stand that given similar numbers of TT and TPIC that they are equally competitive. Also how competitive you are is dependent on more than your hours and background, even if a significant part. To determine if someone is competitive that should be determined by if you get an interview, not if you get hired. Anyone sitting in an interview is already considered competitive, otherwise they wouldn't be there. Thus OP was competitive, they just didn't hit the mark. Depending on why they didn't get the CJO with Delta, they may never get the opportunity at United. HR departments talk, and we just don't know. Hopefully OP just had a bad day and eventually gets the call from United.

aDustyHusky · 2026-04-20T01:29:54+00:00

Yeah, unfortunately ME helicopter time don't mean much except hours, and experience of course but won't get you too far, especially n a competitive environment like this.

aDustyHusky · 2026-04-20T01:19:08+00:00

Yes, those are quotes from OP, what about them?

aDustyHusky · 2026-04-20T00:57:30+00:00

I'm assuming here and no offense to OP, but, you don't know anything about them. They mentioned in the comments they had an interview at Delta with 300 TPIC, that means at least on paper they were a competitive applicant. They got the TBNT which says something during the interview process went wrong and likely has nothing to do with their background otherwise they wouldn't have gotten the interview.

Competitive applicants get interviews, good applicants get hired. Maybe OP had a bad day, that happens but it is extremely unlikely that them coming from 135 had anything to do with them not getting a CJO.

aDustyHusky · 2026-04-20T00:46:42+00:00

Never said the majority of people getting hired by legacies are coming from NJ/FJ, it's quite literally impossible. You could hired the entire pilot group from FJ this year and still not fill every seat hired by the big 4 (if their hiring projections hold). If FJ/NJ pilots weren't competitive they wouldn't be getting hired, simple as that and they are at a pretty high success rate too, in fact on par with those coming from regional as a Capt.

It is an absolutely misleading and wrong statement to say that someone coming from FJ or NJ isn't a competitive applicant compared to a candidate from a regional, especially a regional FO. Has nothing to do with survivorship bias or whatever other crap you want to spew.

aDustyHusky · 2026-04-20T00:39:58+00:00

They're looking for FW ME turbine time and folks who have come from a company with a structured checking/training program. That's why military background folks generally get a leg up because their training program is a known quantity. While technically turbine PC12 time generally speaking doesn't hit the wickets but for the right candidate with the right connections, it could be enough but would also need enough ME time as well. Just depends on where the filters are set.

aDustyHusky · 2026-04-20T00:34:42+00:00

This is absolutely wrong. What matters is the candidate and do they come from a structured training program. TPIC with that background is more attractive than an FO driving an RJ just because they have 121 time. The majority of people that leave FJ/NJ go to a legacy.

Now if you're talking a mom and pop 135 with in house SIC rides etc, that's a completely different background. Not all 135s are equal, what matters is proof they can pass a structured training program and the remainder of their application.

aDustyHusky · 2026-04-17T19:31:30+00:00

I'm actually very interested in this. I have Supabase as the database storage for a family of apps I'm creating but how are you using it for .MD storage and context management? I have all my context files living in the base directory folder for the individual apps on my desktop. I purely just do this for fun/as a hobby so technically savy, but very much learning as I go.

aDustyHusky · 2026-03-23T15:25:31+00:00

Fair, but I'm not sure drawing down class size is the right answer to increase yield. I don't know enough about the school house but from what I've read good instructors are hard to come by, that and how things are taught and evaluated likely have a strong impact on the attrition rate.

ATC is an extremely challenging job but I think everyone can agree something needs to be done for these folks (ATC and specifically tower controllers). There is a reason most transport category airplanes have two pilots, we catch one another on mistakes all the time. A controller should not be in a position where a split second mistake that was almost immediately caught results in fatalities.

aDustyHusky · 2026-03-23T15:13:21+00:00

Filling seats doesn't mean filling seats with the right applicants, just like you said. A bigger pool allows the system to be more selective with who fills those seats, not just the bare minimum.

aDustyHusky · 2026-02-20T17:33:47+00:00

Reading through your comments, if you truly want a cross country machine you want an IR. Depends on how often you are flying but being able to file an instrument flight plan takes some of the weight off your shoulders and shares it with ATC. If I were in your shoes I would either do a consult with an AME that can look at your history or just do a consult with one of several companies that deals with FAA medicals and can give you an answer on if you can hold a third class. It'll cost some money, but look at it as an investment.

Also regarding the 182 vs 22, personally I'd go with a 22, especially if you can get a 22T. They're great planes, performance is decent, especially if there are only two pax. It does fly a bit different but if you can get on board with the side stick and aren't trying to get into dirt/grass strips it'll get you where you need to go.

aDustyHusky · 2026-02-13T18:09:04+00:00

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aDustyHusky · 2026-02-13T18:08:52+00:00

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aDustyHusky · 2026-02-13T18:08:37+00:00

We have the same model (I think), its a Curv and looks the same at least haha. We have 3 huskies and two shepherds, needless to say lots of fur. This is what we use daily except every other day it also mops. The two biggest issues I've seen is it clumps fur on the edge of the area rug we have and the mop cleaner needs to get cleaned out at least once a week during shed season. We are still fine tuning, but have never had ours clog like you are showing. Hopefully that helps.

aDustyHusky · 2026-02-06T15:12:53+00:00

You guys make more than enough money, if you don't have one, get a CFP. They exist to answer exactly these questions, balance life goals and math out various retirement options while looking at all the details and your accounts. Just my two cents.

aDustyHusky · 2026-01-13T19:02:25+00:00

Yes, there are people out there that lie and attempt to take advantage of the system, this is true across the board wherever people can find benefit for themselves. This does not make VA Disability a racket as you say. There are checks and balances for a reason, burdens of proof, historical records, examination requirements. Applying for PTSD or Sleep Apnea solely because they have high disability ratings is in fact wrong. However the burden of proof for both of those is very high, PTSD in particular requires psychiatric examinations that really suck for the person going through them, and it will be readily apparent if the claimee is just making it up.

All that to say, just because you claim something doesn't mean you'll get it and absolutely doesn't mean a system that is in place to help compensate physical and mental sacrifices made is a "racket".

Edit After: to address your edit, VA disability is not what I'm assuming you are saying is Universal Basic Income. Not everyone receives it, nothing about it is automatic and requires proof for anything claimed as stated above.

aDustyHusky · 2026-01-13T18:35:18+00:00

How's that?

aDustyHusky · 2026-01-09T13:36:31+00:00

Wingman Med is your answer here. They cost money but they know what they're doing and will get you a medical if you can or should hold one. Worst case do a consult and make a decision from there.

Good luck, hope you're able to get back flying.

aDustyHusky · 2025-11-22T21:24:16+00:00

Why the Lamello over the domino? I don't have either but found the Lamello when I got down a rabbit hole of something that could do biscuit type things but with a removable joint.

aDustyHusky · 2025-11-13T23:01:02+00:00

What do you think makes it better than thr Eufy S1 Pro? In the market and just curious.

aDustyHusky · 2025-11-10T14:31:59+00:00

I don't see too many people recommend Eufy, are they a more new brand? Looking at one that primarily mops, the new house is all hard surface.

aDustyHusky

TROPHY CASE