Boeing Is Offering Ab Initio Training As A One Stop Shop From Zero Time To The Cockpit

By Tom Woodward

Boeing forecasts the demand for commercial pilots over the next twenty years is approaching critical mass. By 2033 North American (US and Canada) will need an additional 88,000 pilots. Europe will need 94,000 pilots and the Middle East an additional 55,000. The largest region, Asia, will need a whopping 216,000 pilots, more than North America and Europe combined. A total of 533,000 pilots will be needed. The outlook for AMT's is even more promising if you are trying to break into that field. The forecast for Airline Maintenance Technicians is even great at 584,000 positions needed. Where are these pilots going to come from and who is going to train them? Boeing thinks they have the solution.

"The challenge of meeting the global demand from airline professionals cannot be solved by one company or in one region of the world." Said Sherry Carbary, Vice President of Boeing flight Services. "This is a global issue that can only be solved by all of the parties involved-airlines, aircraft and training equipment manufacturers, training delivery organizations, regulatory agencies and educational institutions around the world." This demand is driven by steadily increasing airplane deliveries, particularly wide-body airplanes.

The Boeing Pilot Development Program is a comprehensive training solution that leverages the experience of Boeing and Jeppesen to provide essential training that the airlines need to meet the increasing demand. The aim is to take qualified candidates from screening to and ATP and progression into the right seat of a Boeing airplane by providing Customer-focused practical ground and flight training to an Airline Transport Pilot License, High performance jet theory, fixed and full motion simulation training focused on airline operations through an experienced global flight-training network.

In theory this is a great idea and companies like ATP have been doing this for years. Boeing anticipates the cost for a new pilot to receive their ATP at $100,000 to $150,000, but here is the $100,000 question (no pun intended), how do you entice young kids to forgo a career as a computer game programmer where they can make $60k right out of college vs $18k starting wages for a pilot? This, after a college degree and the associated cost plus the $100-$150K to Boeing for their training. This business model works great for the foreign market as flying over seas cost a multiple of what it cost here in the US and many foreign students are subsidized by companies, governments or wealthy parents. Unless Boeing can work out how to reduce the cost or increase the starting and top pays there won't be enough young one coming into the program. Even with a public school education you can easily see that the ROI won't work.

FMI: www.boeing.com