US airlines are pushing army helicopter pilots to ease the deficiency

CHICAGO (Reuters) – US Army pilot Shaun Perez spent ten hours flying an Apache helicopter over Afghanistan, and gave gun cover to Special Forces soldiers on the ground as they hunted for high-end targets, weapons and weapons.

Return to base at dawn, he donned one new uniform before getting into a small room to secure the next phase of his career – as a commercial airline manager.

He wanted to win the job in a video interview that day in August 2017, and joined hundreds of other US military helicopter pilots who have taken attractive offers from domestic airlines who are simply trying a global pilot shortage.

Perez made use of one of the tightest labor markets in the United States, created by years of slow employment, a wave of pending retirement among major US airlines, and the Federal Aviation Administration regimes that in 2013 increased the number of training hours required from 250 to 1500. 19659004] The industry's aggressive recruitment of military helicopter pilots is one of the most striking examples yet of the disturbances required to quickly train new commercial airlines, since the FAA increased minimum flight needs. Pilot shortage threatens industry growth, just as travel regulations fall short.

Airlines have been forced to more than double their starting salary to $ 54,000, excluding bonuses, in 2018 from $ 21,000 a decade ago, according to aviation consultant Kit Darby.

Perez, 38, now flies under the banner of United Express, the regional branch of United Airlines, with a strong start pay with their training expenses covered.

Ten US regional operators offer helicopter pilots such as Perez up to $ 50,000 to pay for commercial flight training, and in some cases extra signing bonuses, according to a Reuters survey.

"This is the first time the industry commits direct funds, basically a grant, to get that training fast," said Bryan Simmons, president of Coast Flight Training, who pioneered the so-called helicopter pilot rotor program with American Airlines Group Incs. regional subsidiary, Envoy, in San Diego.

Perez was offered $ 38,000 by Trans State Airlines for training that cost him $ 20,000. He had to keep the difference, and within months of leaving Afghanistan, a 50-seater regional passenger plane flies.

He said he was going home for $ 3,200 a month with the prospect of earning far more when moving up to a large US carrier.

"Even if you had to pay $ 100,000 for training, you go into a field where you know you're going to make the money back and more," Perez said.

Helicopter transit programs for regional airlines offer through-going agreements with major operators, giving new pilots an interview – and in some cases a job – with a major within a few years.

Flying a multi-engine passenger jet – which can run about five times faster than helicopters and has more complex control panels – helicopter veterans must complete FAA rankings and required flight time.

The transition feels natural to Perez.

"We took several ground fires; we had difficult assignments," he said. "But when we enter the (airline) cockpit, we are humble and we work hard."

CLEVER WORKAROUND

An important reason why airlines are hunting military pilots is because the new FAA training rules only require 750 hours of additional training, half of the 1500 required by civilians seeking a commercial pilot letter.

Military helicopter pilots from the military only need extra training in flying flying aircraft, which takes about 90 days. For civilians, it can earn years and cost more than $ 100,000 by acquiring a commercial pilot license.

"We have stumbled upon the fastest solution to the pilot shortage," said Erik Sabiston, a military veteran, became commercial pilot who founded Rotary to the Airline Group in December 2017 to help helicopters or rotors, making pilots transition to passenger vehicles. The non-for-profit group, with more than 7,000 pilots and mechanics, also assists airlines in designing rotor transition programs.

Airlines from American Airlines Envoy said more than a quarter of their 701 new pilots in 2018 came from military helicopters, compared to 11 percent in 2017 and 5 percent in 2016. It plans to hire 626 pilots in 2019, with about one quarter of those expected to come through their rotor program.

"There is an untapped pool of pilots who had not been brought to any attention before," said the unit-protocol teacher Megan Liotta.

Former military helicopter pilots quickly adapt to the differences in jet speed and controls and have a higher success rate in landing jobs than other hopeful airlines, recruits said.

"They come from an environment that has trained them to think about their feet and be highly adaptable," said David Tatum, director of pilot recruitment for Americans.

For former military pilots, the increase in airline interest is helping to reduce the number of jobs flying helicopters to offshore oil rigs.

A posting pilot who is employed today constitutes about $ 60,000 or more in his first year as a first officer. They can expect to graduate to captain, with higher pay scale, within two years before moving on to No. 1 US American within six years, the company said. Top-end salaries in US exceed $ 300,000.

RISING SALARIES, COSTS

As regional airlines pay more to attract and retain pilots, their services become more expensive for large national airlines that have increasingly used the regional system for domestic routes to reduce costs.

Under these contracts, called Capacity Purchase Agreements, payroll costs are included in the prices paid by the main companies for regional services.

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"Their cost-saving method loses some steam," says Andrew Watterson, chief executive of Southwest Airlines Co, who does not cooperate with Regional Carriers

Aviation Consultant Samuel Engel said that a 50 percent increase in pilot costs on regional carriers would represent an increase of 7.7 percent in total cost per seat mile at a 70 seat, and delete some of the cost benefits to regional aircraft on a per-mile-mile basis.

So far, airlines have succeeded in transferring rising costs to passengers, often through extra charges for luggage or preferred seating, but analysts have questioned by their ability to continue raising taxes

Boeing Co considers a need for 790,000 new pilots in commercial ll aviation, business aviation and civil helicopter industry over the next two decades.

"The problem is," said Darby, "we still don't create enough pilots … to meet the need."