GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — As more people look to fly again, airlines have fewer pilots to get them in the air.
Hundreds of flights have been canceled because of a pilot shortage.
“Across not only Wisconsin but the U.S. there is a large drive towards increasing the amount of pilots in the country and this is due there is a pretty well documented shortage here in the U.S. that will be pretty consistent for the foreseeable future,” said Trent Vandenheuvel, Pilot Smith and CAVU Flight Academy, flight school manager.
We talked with one hopeful future pilot hoping about what the process entails.
"I've always just been interested in planes how they look, how they act starting to get more into engines and I just want to be up in the skies,” said 13-year-old Trent Stauffacher of Green Bay.
Stauffacher shows that it's never too early to plan ahead. He is spending his summer vacation with his dad visiting flight schools and learning what it takes to make that dream a reality.
“If someone were to start from zero experience where a full time student, realistically they would need four licenses. The private pilot license, the instrument rating, the commercial pilot license and then a CFI, which is a flight instructor license,” Vandenheuvel said.
“A common misknowmer in the aviation industry is that a commercial pilot license means you can fly for a commercial airline. That’s not what that means. A commercial pilot license means that you can fly for hire. To fly for an airline you need an airline transport pilot license so this is a different license that you need a certain amount of experience before you can actually go and gain that license,” Vandenheuvel said.
The whole process from ground level to cruising altitude takes somewhere between three to four and a half years, all student dependent.
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So as you get ready for your summer escape just remember to pack your patience.
It takes a lot for pilots to earn the driver's seat, but the next generation of pilots are soon coming.
AAA says if you plan on traveling this summer it's helpful if you stay on track of your flight status.
“There’s going to be some bumps in the roads so to speak. There are some staffing issues, technical glitches that have been occurring. So it’s really important for travelers to stay aware of what is going on and make sure they understand what processes are in place and make sure they understand what their rights are as an ally,” said Nick Jarmusz AAA Director of Public Relations.
