WASHINGTON, D.C. – Hopeful pilots can soon breathe easy; the days of expensive flight schools and instructors are coming to an end. High training costs have led to a significant pilot shortage around the world and, to address this, the FAA has decided that all flight training can now be accomplished using simulators.
“Students will still need to do a checkride at the end with a DPE,” said a spokesperson for the FAA. “But we are instructing them to be far less strict than in years past. It’s less about precision and more about just churning out pilots. Can they start the plane? Great. Can they sort of land it without killing everyone? Perfect.”
The average cost to obtain a private pilot certification is currently around $11,000 in the United States. This change should drop the cost significantly.
The FAA is also considering allowing pilots to acquire their instrument, commercial, multi-engine and ATP ratings using simulators as well, with the idea that they’ll “know enough” to fly a major airliner by the time they are done. The CFI rating is likely to be completely eliminated.
“Before people start screaming about safety issues,” the spokesperson said, “they need to remember that most aircraft are automated machines these days. Pilots are basically just a formality at this point, so we’re only looking for bodies, not experts.”
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