Pilot Steve Taylor's plane on display at EAA AirVenture, July 24, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Being a pilot or an airplane engineer may sound like fun and exciting careers, but like many other industries, the aviation field is having a hard time finding workers.
Commercial airline pilots are still in short supply.
It’s due to an aging workforce facing mandatory retirement, fewer pilots exiting the military, and barriers to entry, including the cost of training.
“Enrollment, the inquiries are quite high,” said Ben Castner, enrollment specialist at Fox Valley Technical College.
Castner says interest in aviation is growing, but there are some challenges.
“Because of the high inquiries and the number of people, there’s a shortage to instructors, the number of planes available, things in that order, so it’s a balancing act,” he said.
Because of those issues, there’s currently a wait list to get into the school’s aviation program.
“We’re running a little over a year out right now to get in if you want to start the entire program with Fox Valley Tech,” said Castner.
But Castner does say there’s hope on the horizon. That gap is good news for those who just graduated.
“We as a college have found a way to help them get started and then transition or get blended in to the college,” he said.
According to Oliver Wyman, a consulting firm, North America is about 8,000 pilots short right now. The firms says that number could reach 30,000 by 2025.
“It’s on the verge of being a national crisis honestly,” said Jay Gallagher, managing director of Aviation Search Group, a recruiting company.
Gallagher says the shortage is due to a generational problem.
“There’s a lot leaving every year with the mandatory retirement age, things like that,” he said.
The House voted to pass legislation that would raise the mandatory commercial pilot retirement age to 67 from 65, last week.
Gallagher says if that was to go into law, it could be good and bad.
“There’s some people that are healthy to continue doing it but there’s also a good reason for regulations like that to keep us safe in the sky,” he said.
Gallagher believes the new age is a temporary fix to a long term problem.
“It’s more about bringing the right people into the industry,” he said.
Both Gallagher and Castner say being able to showcase what they have to offer, and recruit at the world’s largest air show and fly-in convention is the perfect way to do that.
“General aviation shuts down for this week every year so you know, every pilot in the country is probably here so we meet a lot of candidates, can help put a lot of people to work and then we also meet a lot of new clients that we can go to work for them and help them find people,” said Gallagher. “It’s amazing to be here, it’s an honor.”
For more information about how to become a pilot through FVTC, click here.
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