We at Flying have written extensively about the apparent pilot shortage, which has caused the airlines to offer major incentives to join their work forces and increase their pay and benefits to make the initial phase of the career more attractive. The lack of qualified pilots has also affected bizav flight departments and helicopter operators. The rapid movement of flight instructors and the lack of FAA examiners haven’t helped the issue.
Pilot Shortage Keeps Firefighting Airplanes Grounded
Key Takeaways:
- The ongoing pilot shortage, previously affecting airlines and business aviation, is now significantly impacting California's firefighting agency, Cal Fire.
- Cal Fire has been forced to ground a substantial portion of its aerial firefighting fleet, up to 20 percent of its S-2T tankers, due to a lack of qualified pilots.
- The agency faces a critical need to hire approximately 40 pilots in the coming years to meet increasing, year-round wildfire demands and new aircraft additions, grappling with pilot losses and retention challenges.
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