Thread: Pilot shortage causes cancellation on rural Australian routes

Originally Posted by Bigbjorn

I bet a good percentage of those who flew Lancasters and B17's were clerks, farmers, carpenters, etc. and never finished high school. Are not airliners almost automated these days and the pilots job is to talk to the controllers, take over if something fails, drink coffee, and fondle the stewardesses.

I know this is going back in the thread a bit, but here's a ver good example of how compicated it is - I watch quite a few of this guys videos as I like his naration style and explnations of what he is doing. I would consider myself an inteligent, well educated person but I really doubt I could get my head around all of this - not only the complexities of navigation, but understanding the tower directions, accurately interpreting them but also the distraction of the chatter going on that doesn't relate to what he is doing - I've always loved flying (well not so much commuting on commersial airlines but I've thankfully had many other opportunities to tag along in smaller aircraft) and planes and have the utmost respect for Pilots. 👍

Thanks for that Homestar. It brought back quite a few memories. I spent three months slumming it on my best mates couch while on holidays in the USA quite a few moons ago. He was flying charters out of Executive Airport in Sacramento mostly in Aero Commanders and Turbo Commanders. His boss was pretty cruisy so I was lucky enough to go out on most of their charter flights and went all over California and neighbouring states. When we took any aircraft under the weight limit for requiring a co-pilot, I got to fly in the right hand seat checking maps and radio freq's. It's not called 'air traffic confusion' for nothing! My mate is back in Perth now but grounded as he is the permanent carer for his invalid 86yo mother. Given the current shortage I hope he doesn't have too much trouble getting back in the air when the time comes, since he has already been out of flying for a couple of years. Fingers crossed!

Employers and employer groups (bosses unions) regularly bleat about a "Shortage of skilled labour", "Can't get qualified staff' etc. There is only one reason for this shortage. The employers have not trained sufficient staff. Whether apprentice, trainee, cadet, student on bonded scholarship. They are not available because the employers have not trained sufficient bodies. They mostly want someone else to train their skilled labour and relieve them of the cost and bother. You probably need to train three to have one 35 y.o. remaining in the industry. People leave their trades and professions because they decide they don't like the job, have been poorly paid, treated like ****, find better paying clean jobs in another industry, sick of working in the outback on mine and other sites, got in the grip of the furry magnet and the magnet wants to live in an East Coast capital and so on.