Scudrunners

Get your ATP. Keep flying. Get hours and skill and qualifications when you are eligible. You will be in demand.

Perhaps I am wrong about this, but I severely doubt it.

There’s no one left. I was told that Swoops ground schools are full (10 pilots) for January and February after that they don’t have anyone not even a ATPL resume in the pile.

They made it into a job nobody would want to get into and it looks like now not body wants to get into it. So weird.

When I began flying and ramping at Pacific Coastal out in YVR I probably knew about 40 people training to become commercial pilots.

I think from that group only about 10 of us remain in aviation. 2 are ATC.

I probably would have quit aviation and become an RCMP constable in 2004 if it wasn’t for my US citizenship.

It’s a tough biz to break into at times.

Now ain’t those times.


Shocking that high school kids don’t want to spend thousands of dollars learning a skill, only to work at Radio Shack in Thompson *wishing* for the opportunity to clean airplanes at night on the -40 ramp.

I always found aviation was a lot easier to put money into, rather than try to get money out of.

This is one of my favourite graphs. The other is my investment portfolio which is the inverse of this.
https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/licens ... statistics

With all the information out there young people are not looking to aviation. The industry has done it to themselves, shit wages for decades and even crappier work conditions even downright hostile in some cases.

Why would you want to fly for a living ? Heck those same kids are looking at universities and asking the same questions. Why would someone dump 100k into learning to fly or getting a degree.

Years ago that meant a ticket to the good life, now it’s crippling debt and little reward other than working your ass off and dieing at a desk.

Remember that after they scrape your body out of cubical they post an opening on LinkedIn then send flowers to your significant other in that order.

Kids have options these days and flying doesn’t have the appeal it once used to. Nevermind the quality of the resumes you’re getting today think about the never bothered to apply in the first place.

Further down the list why would someone pump gas or flip burgers when they can do pretty much anything else.

The graphs are inaccurate. They are based on medical renewals. Covid self declarations don't count, hence the steep decline.