The flight system allows a plane to be remote operated by a pilot on the ground, which could streamline pilot airline operations in the future.

143 points

Better wages and work life balance would also solve the pilot shortage. It’s one of those jobs where companies over rely on people’s passion for the profession in lieu of treating and paying them what they deserve.

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37 points

A decade ago, my pilot friend informed me that after 4 years of college, starting pay was $18,000 a year. After a year of experience suddenly you’re making 4 times that. Not a lot of people can afford to make that measley income for a year. It’s not a sustainable way to recruit talent.

Then there’s the issue is being on call when you’re the lowest seniority in you’re position where they can call you anytime a pilot calls in sick and you have to be at the airport in 30 minutes.

You can make a lot of money, but there’s a lot of bullshit to deal with at the start of your career.

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13 points
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deleted

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5 points

Not anymore for most pilots. Pay has skyrocketed.

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6 points

That thankfully isn’t true anymore. Pilots are now very highly compensated from the jump.

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1 point

I remember back in the 80s (middle school career days) commercial pilots were near the top of paid professions, topping 100k on average.

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13 points

Lowering the costs of flight school would help more, making shitty money is one thing. Making shitty money when you dropped 200k to get there is another.

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82 points
Removed by mod
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21 points

And entry level second seat barely paying 40k a year to start.

It’s like they want the world to collapse.

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20 points

So what? The company is on track to make record profit exploiting the labor.

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13 points

That’s what made my friend give up on becoming a professional pilot, paying 80k to then get a job where you are asked to travel to a destination and wait for the next flight possibly bringing you home…

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50 points

Pilot shortage? I know more unemployed pilots that tech workers.

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47 points

Right? There’s no pilot shortage. Like with every other labor shortage it’s a wage issue.

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32 points

It’s not just about wage. You could have great pay but terrible working conditions will discourage pilots from applying.

Never heard my retired uncle say a single good thing about his work as a captain for a commercial airline. Cheap tickets comes at a price.

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19 points

Our modern economy and world are built on the need for wage stagnation. Unfortunately that only lasts so long and we’re reaching the end of it. That is going to come with a massive correction that is going to be pretty painful for the masses because the last thing the rich want to do is not be making as much money. So how they handle it will determine whether they live through it or find out what it’s like to be looking at the inside of the basket at the end of a guillotine.

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6 points

I’m pretty sure they don’t get paid anywhere near what they’re worth. Same old story in the US: anything that’s important to society, has to do with people’s health, safety, education, and so on.

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37 points

There is no possibility of this ever causing negative effects of any kind, certainly it will not ever be misused (like one pilot being pressured into flying 5 planes at once bc… profit).

  • Elon Musk, probably
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2 points

This is what I expect to happen to truck drivers first. Automating driving still needs help in the last mile conditions but can navigate distances easily. I foresee fleets of automated trucks which are remotely connected to pilot centers where truck “drivers” sit at simulated driving stations and connect from truck to truck as they enter or leave warehouses or transfer stations. Instead of a small percentage of high-stress driving separated with stretches of monotony, it will be 8 hours a day, 5 days a week of high stress operating.

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1 point
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I would bet more in the range of 20 to 30 in any 8 hour shift.

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30 points

You’ve been hacked. Pay 500 BTC to regain control of engines and landing gear.

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