Hundreds of US military helicopter pilots have taken attractive offers from domestic airlines trying ease a global pilot shortage. Airline pilots are one of the tightest labour markets in the US, created by years of slow hiring, a wave of pending retirements, and FAA rules that in 2013 increased the number of required training hours from 250 to 1,500. The industry's aggressive recruitment of military helicopter pilots is one of the most striking examples yet of the contortions required to quickly train new commercial aviators since the FAA increased the minimum flying requirement. The pilot shortage threatens the industry's growth just as travel demand booms. Ten US regional carriers are offering helicopter pilots US$50,000 to pay for commercial airplane training, and in some cases additional signing bonuses. <br/>
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The FAA said Wednesday that 43 flights into New Jersey Newark Liberty International were required to hold after drone sightings at a nearby airport Tuesday, while 9 flights were diverted. The incident comes as major US airports are assessing the threat of drones and have been holding meetings to address the issue. An FAA spokesman said that Tuesday's event lasted for 21 minutes. The flights into Newark, the 11th busiest US airport, were suspended after a drone was seen flying at 3,500 feet over nearby Teterboro Airport, a small regional airport about 17 miles away that mostly handles corporate jets and private planes. The FAA declined to comment on meetings with major airports, but said it has been in "close coordination" with security agency partners "to address drone security challenges." <br/>
It’s not just airport security lines and control tower workers that are affected by the federal govt shutdown. Airlines, too, are being hit. The industry as a whole lost about US$105m in revenue in the first month of the shutdown, according to data from the consulting firm ICF. That figure represents only the loss of revenue from some govt employees not taking work trips. “In the context of the airlines’ total revenue, this is a drop in the bucket,” said Samuel Engel, a senior VP at ICF. “One major storm can cut airlines’ revenue more than a month’s lost govt travel, but a storm doesn’t continue month after month,” he added. Engel said that ICF’s data did not include travel by private citizens like govt contractors or lobbyists, or leisure travel to Washington. <br/>