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Every sector of the aviation industry is now critically short of skilled engineers. Qantas alone is investing over $74m this year in training, $21m more than m 1988 and overall will channel over 12,000 of its people through_ one course or another during the year. Basic cause of the mternat10nal LAME shortage is the rapid growth of civil aviation these past tour year comparatively low monetary rewards, often difficult work conditions and the long time taken in becoming a fully accredited LAME compared with most other professions. Seen here is a Qantas 747 undergoing major maintenance at the Qantas jet base.
Engineering Shortage Creating Havoc
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Lack of Skilled Engineers Now Becoming a Critical Problem
It would have been a courageous soothsayer indeed who would have taken the rostrum at an illustrious aviation venue in the early 1980s and began urging airlines and large GA-operators to urgently commence recruiting engineers and pilots as never before.
When the aviation, industry around the world was in the doldrums it seemed logical to adopt a keep lean policy. Why recruit pilots and engineers while suffering ailing route sectors and seemingly having too many aircraft on the books? As most readers would be well aware, all of that has changed. The alert airlines and large aviation companies sensed the upturn quickly and spurred themselves into action, taking up their options on aircraft orders and beginning massive pilot recruitment programmes. Where they were caught short, however, was in the field of maintenance-having an adequate pool of maintenance engineers. In fact, even as this article is being written, airlines and other operators are losing substantial numbers of their skilled maintenance pool, further exacerbating the problem. Indeed, it is not only Australia that is feeling the pinch.
The United States is also suffering from a critical shortage. In 1981 the FAA had 15,000 certified candidates with A&P (airframe and powerplant) licences; in 1986, despite a massive increase in hours flown, the number had decreased to 11,000. It is conservatively anticipated that over the next five years, US airlines will add 1,000 new jet aircraft to their fleets; this will result in a need for up to 10,000 new engineers.
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