Business Aviation Pilot Shortage

A few days ago Aviation Internationa News (AIN Online) published an article titled: Bizav Leaders Seeing Shortages in Qualified Pilot Pool. I have been saying this for a while.

Airlines are recruiting all over right now and if corporate jet owners don't offer better terms their pilots will leave to join the airlines or another biz jet owner.

Should a pilot be paid the $300,000 a year salary mentioned in the AIN article? Well, it depends on a number of factors:

1. What aircraft you operate. For the larger Global 6000s, Falcon 8Xs, Gulfstream G550s we are certainly looking at $250-300K x year.
2. Roster Pattern. Ideally, 15 days on-15 days off works well with 4 pilots and maybe a couple of freelancers to use if and when needed.
3. Medical Insurance pension, loss of and other benefits.

The private pilot should be better trained and remunerated, as the job is more challenging. Private jets can go into so many more airports. As a pilot, you may have never been to a particular airport. Airline pilots mostly go to the same places and land on well served long runways.

I am happy to see the market is starting to adjust, as I have seen many pilots leave the industry because the terms and conditions were not what they used to be. Mainly, over the last 20 years salaries stayed the same, hours flown tripled and everything else around us has gone up in price.

As a private jet owner, you want to hire a good crew and keep them long-term. Look for the right personality match, pilots with good experience and if they don't have experience on your specifi aircraft type, send them on a course. This always pays off in the long run.

The market is good for pilots but I would also say for private jet owners too. Sensible remuneration packages need to be put together and this will make both pilots and owners happy.

Fabrizio Poli is an independent aviation consultant specialized in aircraft sales. He is also an accomplished Airline Transport Pilot having flown both private Jets and for the airlines. Fabrizio is also a bestselling author and inspirational speaker & has been featured on Russia Today (RT), TRT World, Social Media Examiner, Bloomberg, Channel 5, Chicago Tribune, Daily Telegraph, City Wealth Magazine, Billionaire.com, Wealth X, Financial Times, El Financiero and many other Media offering insight on the aviation world. Fabrizio is also regularly featured as an Aviation Analyst on Russia Today (RT) and TRT World. Fabrizio is also aviation special correspondent for , Most Magazine. Fabrizio is also considered one of the world's top 30 experts in using Linkedin for business. You can tune in weekly to Fabrizio's business Podcast Living Outside the Cube available both in video & audio. You can also follow Fabrizio's aviation videos on Biz Jet  Fabrizio's latest book "Health4Flyers", the first natural-health book for pilots, flights and frequent flyers is now available worldwide.