From the editor: Jobs in the mailbox
Postcards from the pilot shortage
Classic pioneer
Before the Grumman Gulfstream I—or G1 as it’s commonly known—those wanting a modern high-performance corporate turboprop had war-surplus conversions to chose from. The G1 changed all that. It was the first purpose-built airplane aimed at the corporate market. This eight- to 12-seater had modern touches for its day—such as an auxiliary power unit for ground power, and starts independent of battery and ground-cart power sources. Its comprehensive warning annunicators for engine and other malfunctions presaged today’s crew alerting systems, and its 1,910-shaft horsepower Rolls-Royce Dart engines had water-methanol injection systems for better takeoff and climb performance at high density altitudes. Some 200 G1s were built from 1959 to 1969, but fewer than 40 remain in service today. And their good looks still hold up.
Learn more about pioneering aircraft in Freedom to Fly: AOPA and the History of General Aviation in America, available now for $39.95.
www.aopa.org/freedomtoflybook
Maybe you’re like me, and have an instrument flight instructor certificate and a type rating. If so, you probably have been receiving postcards asking if you want to up your career by instructing for airlines in ab initio training programs, or just plain want to sign up as a new hire—as a captain!
I’m not kidding. My home mailbox at one point was getting a postcard a week. Most recently came a pitch from Lufthansa Aviation Training USA, based at Litchfield, Arizona’s Phoenix Goodyear Airport. That’s where those selected by Lufthansa begin their flight training in the Grob G120A, Cirrus SR20, and Beech Bonanza. Why did this sound so familiar? Because I visited the same school in 1988 and wrote an article about it. Back then the school was busy. Now it’s apparently cranking out pilots at warp speed.
Want to teach for Lufthansa? The pay is $56,000 per year, says the postcard, plus a $12,000 signing bonus and $2,000 toward relocation fees. There’s a 401(k), medical and dental benefits, 15 vacation days a year, eight holidays a year, and airline travel benefits. Want to learn more? Google “Lufthansa Aviation Training.”
Then came a card from GoJet, which operates under the United Express and Delta Connection names. They offer a $50,000 new-hire bonus for “near-entry” and “direct-entry” captains—those with at least 750 hours flying for Part 121 carriers. “We offer unique programs to help our pilots gain the experience they need to get to the majors faster,” GoJet says, adding that 50 new Bombardier CRJ 550 regional jets will be arriving in 2019 and 2020. Also, if you bring the postcard with you to the interview, you’ll get a $50 Visa gift card.
Do deals like these cut into the ranks of highly qualified instructors and airline newbies? I don’t know, but the postcards keep coming. I’m not exactly an ideal candidate for either of these latest offers, but maybe you are. If so, the future is bright. Boeing says the airlines will need 637,000 new airline pilots between now and 2036. That’s nearly 100 pilots a day, or four pilots an hour. The need is so great that some airlines are taking Lufthansa’s lead and teaching nonpilots to fly from scratch. Younger pilots with turbine experience are bound to find special favor. That signing bonus and Visa card are just icing on the cake.
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