ACP212 Increase In Terminations - An Unintended Consequence of the Pilot Shortage

Increase in terminations: an unintended consequence of the pilot shortage. Welcome to the inspirational, informational, and transparent aviation careers podcast. If you have a questions please email us at feeback@aviationcareerspodcast.com.

Today I purposely do not have a guest because I want to talk to you about a sensitive subject. In the past year I have been working with many pilots, recruiters, and airline instructors who have been frustrated by the current pilot shortage. Pilots are frustrated because they are being terminated in higher numbers. Recruiters are frustrated because they cannot find FAA Qualified applicants and even when they find an applicant they may not be a competent pilot or they may not be a good fit for the airline. Instructors are frustrated because of the lack of competence and perception that the student cannot be terminated. Let’s talk about all of these issues and offer some solutions.

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In This Episode We Discuss (Increased Terminations and Pilot Shortage):

The problem: Why pilot terminations are on the rise.
AviationCareersPodcast.com/pilotshortage.
This is not a new problem.
How pilots can avoid termination.
Minimum Qualifications vs Competency.
Get Training prior to going to the airline.
Show up on time.
Captains: mentor the First Officer – cell phone usage, checklists, attitude.
Be careful how you mentor. Professional standards at most airlines is a great tool.
You cannot say and do anything you want on social media and in public. You are now an ambassador for the airline.
Realize you are not entitled to a job you must earn it.

Advice for the challenges of recruiting.

Define and sell all the benefits.
Discuss challenges of the job along with benefits. Both are important.
Go back and evaluate your successes and failures in recruiting.
Constantly change your tactics.
Most importantly listen intently for any problems.

Advice for instructors.

Start early with correcting attitudes and incompetence.
Begin early with discussing the challenges of training and helping them realize their goal.
Let applicants know up front the percent of pilots who actually make it through training.
There are hundreds of other pilots waiting to take your job.
Collateral damage happens; don’t feel as if the situation is your fault.
I know we all feel special but remember this humbling fact: If you are in the cockpit and can no longer fly it takes only a few hours to replace you as a pilot.