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Extraordinary demand for pilots in projected to dominate the aviation employment market until 2035, and possibly further.  As global economies expand and airlines take delivery of tens of thousands of new commercial jetliners over the next 20 years, there is extraordinary demand for people to fly and maintain these airplanes. To meet this tremendous growth, the 2016 Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook forecasts that between now and 2035, the aviation industry will need to sup ply more than two million new aviation personnel—617,000 commercial airline pilots, 679,000 maintenance technicians, and 814,000 cabin crew. Meeting this demand will require innovative solutions — focused on educational outreach and career pipeline programs — to inspire the next generation of pilots, technicians, and cabin crew. New technologies, devices, and training methods will be needed to meet a wide range of learning styles. The growing diversity of aviation personnel will also require instructors to
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Recent posts

Airline pilot scheduling: how does it work?

Many group members ask: what kind of schedule am I to expect once I get my dream airline pilot job? Well, here is some background information on that question.  A pilot's schedule depends greatly on (1) seniority and (2) whether they are a commuter or not.  The primary consideration for anything in an airline pilot's life is seniority. A pilot who is at the top of the seniority list can generally get whatever they want in terms of schedule, while a junior pilot will have little ability to gain desireable days off (weekends, holidays, family events, etc).  At most major US or EU airlines, a large portion of the pilot group based in a particular city does not actually live in that city. For instance, a pilot may live in Minneapolis, MN, but be based in Houston, TX, or live in London, England, but be based in Madrid, Spain. Given some of the undesirable locations that airlines locate hubs, it is little wonder that upwards of 50% of pilots in some hubs choose to commute.
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Working as a pilot with Israeli passport? Challenge accepted.

Being an airline pilot may be a childhood dream for some of us. A dream that requires dedication, perseverance, and, sometimes, utter bullheadedness to achieve. But, the good news are: once flight training and initial internship phases are over, we can chose from many options of pilot employment. The salaries are high and rising. The employment conditions are great and getting even better. American and European passport holders have airline jobs-galore to chose from in the US and the EU; citizens of China and SE Asia have no issues getting employment in their regions; Middle Eastern countries have a major deficit of pilots as well. And Israelis... well, Israelis have a very different ballgame to play. Let’s talk about that. Israeli pilots will face a number of unique challenges, unique to Israeli citizens only. Airline pilot employment options in Israel are very limited: this small country does not have a lot of land, so all the airlines are focusing on flying internatio
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Women in aviation: an Israeli issue.

Many aviation professionals are aware that in the United States and the EU, female pilots make up around 9% of the total pilot group. This means that almost every tenth pilot you see walking by your gate in the airport is a woman. The percentage of female pilots in these counties has been growing steadily since the 80's and expected to double by 2025.   So, why there used to be so very few women in aviation? Well, several factors were to blame: a more traditional, family oriented place for a woman was envisaged by the conservative society of that era. And, of course, there was a purely physical aspect to the issue: old, pre-fly-by-wire civilian aircraft technology required considerable physical strength to control a passenger airliner in abnormal situations, such as engine failures or rudder jams, etc. Physical connectors, such as cables or torque links, used to join pilot controls directly to hydraulic jacks and then to aircraft's aerodynamic surfaces.  With the new F
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Can Israelis and their Middle-Eastern neighbors work peacefully and productively together in a modern flight deck?

Aviation industry is expanding. Fast. And the boom in pilot jobs as a result of expansion and increasing pilot deficit in the United States, Europe and Asia is creating attractive opportunities for aviation professionals from Israel to seek employment outside of their native land. Not surprisingly same goes to pilots from many other middle-eastern countries. Naturally, the possibility of Israeli pilots sharing airliner cockpits with the sworn enemies of the State of Israel and their close neighbors is becoming very real. Should the passengers be concerned? We were lucky enough to catch an interview with one of our members and current Delta Connection airline captains, who gets to fly with Syrian, Iranian, Jordanian, and Lebanese nationals often. Here is what he says on the issue:  "You have to understand, that first of all, pilots have a sense of community and even comradeship, if you will, which overrides all political squabbles that take place among the leaders of our count
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