An Amendment was added to the latest FAA reauthorization. It establishes a $240 million slush fund to lower the cost of flight training and expand the pool of prospective candidates.
This is the key section:
Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock spearheaded this effort. “This is a long-term issue,” Warnock told Yahoo Finance. “We’re pulling from too short, too narrow a pool of applicants.” Yahoo titled the article, “Washington sets aside $240 million for pilot shortages as busy summer travel season starts.”
But it’s so much more.
Flight schools and training groups will receive the funds, but how they will use the money is unclear.
Sen. Warnock, a Marxist, claims he is concerned about the pilot shortage and says the money is a long-term investment. “I’m making the business case for diversity,” Warnock told Yahoo. “It’s in our enlightened self-interest to find that talent and create a robust pipeline so that they can become pilots.” Congress had originally earmarked $120 million for flight training initiatives, but Warnock lobbied to double that and include provisions to promote diversity across all aviation careers.
It’s only a temporary situation that doesn’t require government. It requires the free market. Even Pete Buttigieg sees the improvement in staffing.
In a recent Yahoo Finance appearance, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned that plenty of issues could lurk for travelers this summer but said pilot levels may be a bright spot.
“From my conversations with the sector, there’s been definite improvement in the availability of pilots,” he said. He cited increased pay as a factor bringing “real improvement.”
Emphasis added.
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