There’s a Shortage of Pilots in 2021

It’s no secret that people aren’t flying as much these days as they used to. This is due to the necessary travel restrictions and precautions around containing the spread of COVID-19. But as the world returns to normal, flights will resume, and that means there will be more pilot jobs open in Dayton, OH.

It’s true that the aviation industry has seen a large amount of pilot layoffs in the past year, but industry experts still predict the need for 27,000 new pilots by the end of this year. That’s part of a larger trend, as analysts forecast there will be 264,000 pilot jobs opening up within the next 10 years.

This is due to a combination of pilot attrition (retirements and career changes) and industry expansion. North America will see about 65,000 new pilot jobs, including in Dayton, OH, in the next 10 years, while the greatest increase will be in the Asia-Pacific region with about 91,000 pilot jobs forecasted for the next decade.

Commercial pilots will be the greatest need, with an estimated 426,000 pilots being employed for airlines and 58,000 for business jets. Here are some requirements for training to be a pilot in Dayton, OH.

Commercial airline pilot training

Flying an airplane, whether it’s full of passengers or not, is a huge responsibility. You are responsible for not only the lives of all on board but the safety of everyone in your flight path and on the ground beneath you. It stands to reason, then, that there is a lot of training and education required to become a pilot.

For starters, whether you take the civilian route or the military route in training to be a pilot, you will need to first earn a bachelor’s degree. This can be in any field of study, but subjects like science, math and communications can help prepare for a pilot job.

As a civilian, training to be a pilot requires at least two years of study. The first step is to earn a private pilot certificate. This includes a medical exam, a written exam and at least 40 hours of flight time where you learn the basics of flying a single-engine aircraft.

Then you will need to log 250 hours of flight time to earn an instrument rating, which helps flying in low-visibility conditions, as well as a multi-engine rating. This will open up eligibility for a commercial pilot license. Finally, to work as a commercial airline pilot, you will need at least 1,500 hours of flight time to earn an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate.

In addition to being able to handle all maintenance and service needs as an FAA-certified fixed base operator (FBO), First Flight Aviation is a partner with Sinclair College, serving as a FAR Part 141 operator and flight school. When you’re looking for training to be a pilot in Dayton, OH, contact First Flight Aviation to get started on your educational journey. We look forward to helping you as you begin the process of becoming a pilot!

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