Captain Dennis Tajer has taken to the skies as an airline pilot for over 20 years. He’s also the spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association and represents 15,000 American Airline pilots.

"This has been in the air for a long time and no one did anything about it," said Tajer.

He says the pandemic exacerbated a staffing problem carriers knew about by offering early retirements in what he calls a money-saving move and then failed to plan for a return to normal.

"They kept us from collapsing they weren't ready for the recovery," said Tajer.

Airlines were looking to save money during the 2020 pandemic shutdowns. The federal government stepped in with aid under the condition airlines couldn’t lay people off or furlough anyone.

"And then they took a hundred airplanes at American, and they retired them permanently. They didn't train pilots to go on new airplanes, and of those who retired, they did not train their replacements," said Tajer.

But things changed a year later as Americans started to travel again, and airlines added routes.

In 2021, the airline industry expected an increase of 42% in routes compared to 2019, according to data from Cirium Innovata a database tracking flight schedules across airlines.

More flights mean more pilots to get passengers to their destinations. But hiring more pilots doesn’t come without turbulence. In the past, airlines have turned to the Air Force as a pipeline to bring in pilots. But they’re also facing a shortage.

A congressional report in 2019 warned the Pentagon faced a shortfall of over 3,000 pilots, which it states has been "several years in the making."

"It was rare at the majors depending on the airline, to find someone who wasn't prior military. It was just the pipeline that was there everyone knew with the fall of the wall and the Soviet Union collapsing that the military wound down," said Tajer.

The FAA requires commercial pilots to log 1,500 flight hours for certification. And obtaining a commercial license after that isn’t cheap.

We looked at three different flight schools. A commercial pilot’s license price ranges between $30,000 to nearly $100,000.

"What young man or woman is thinking, 'Hey, I'm gonna go drop a $100,000, maybe make it, maybe not for a job that will come,'" Tajer said. "And go I'll be laid off, there will be bankruptcies, I'll be unemployed if you're looking at this as a business decision other than I just wanna fly what a horrid investment."

But some airlines are taking matters into their own hands. Phoenix-based Mesa Airlines recently purchased nearly 30 planes to help pilots build time toward their airline transport pilot license while trying to build a recruiting pipeline.

And American, United, Delta, Southwest, Frontier, and others are spearheading similar initiatives. Washington is also working toward a solution. In July, Republican Nebraska Senator, Deb Fischer, introduced the Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act. It would raise the retirement age from 65 to 67 — though pilots would only be allowed to fly within the U.S. — with a new emphasis on solving the issue.

Tajer believes it’s going to take time to get more new pilots in the cockpit.

"So, it's gonna take a while, and there's no magic switch. It takes a series of switches and everybody working together to get it done," said Tajer.

This means, for now, travelers and pilots are left having to pack their patience.

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>> BREAKING DEVELOPMENT JUST IN AFTER A FIERY HELICOPTER CRASH IN OKLAHOMA CITY. JESSICA: THIS IS HAPPENING AT CLARENCE HE PAGE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT JUST WEST OF YUKON, AND IS WHERE WE FIND SKY 5. ERIN WAS FIRST ON SCENE AND LEADS OUR TEAM COVERAGE. WHAT HAPPENED? ERIN: WHEN WE GOT TO THE SCENE, WE TALKED TO FIRE OFFICIALS, AND THEY DO NOT HAVE ALL THE DETAILS JUST YET. THEY TELL US TWO PILOTS WERE IN A HELICOPTER WHEN IT CAUGHT ON FIRE. IT WAS ACTUALLY ON FIRE WHILE FLYING IN THE SKY. THEY EITHER CRASHED OR HAD A CONTROLLED LANDING. INVESTIGATORS DO NOT KNOW HOW THEY GOT TO THE GROUND JUST YET. THEY WERE ABLE TO EXIT THE HELICOPTER WHILE IT WAS ON FIRE. THEY HAVE NON-LIFE-THREATENING INJURIES AND ARE DOING OK. FIREFIGHTERS TELL US WHEN THEY GOT TO THE SCENE, THE HELICOPTER WAS SO SEVERELY BURNED, JUST THE FRAME WAS LEFT. >> THERE APPEARED TO BE NO LIFE-THREATENING INJURIES. THEY DID INDICATE THE HELICOPTER WAS ON FIRE BEFORE IT EVEN HIT THE GROUND. ERIN: AGAIN, THOSE PILOTS ARE TAKEN TO NEARBY HOSPITALS JUST TO CHECK FOR ANY INTERNAL DAMAGE OR INTERNAL INJURIES, BUT FIRE OFFICIALS TELL US THEY WERE WALKING AND TALKING AND SEEMED OK. I’M GOING TO TOSS THINGS UP TO SKY 5 WITH CHASE. I KNOW YOU’RE GETTING A BETTER VISUAL THAN I AM ON THE GROUND. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE WRECKAGE FROM THE HELICOPTER ITSELF. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING? CHASE: THAT’S RIGHT. IS IT’S A MIRACLE THESE PILOTS WERE ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE HELICOPTER WITHOUT SERIOUS INJURIES. YOU MENTIONED THE HELICOPTER WAS ON FIRE. THAT MIGHT BE AN INDICATION OF IF THE HELICOPTER WAS ON FIRE, THAT COCKPIT COULD HAVE FILLED UP WITH SMOKE. THAT IS SOMETHING COMMON WHEN YOU HAVE AN AIRCRAFT FIRE IN FLIGHT, SO THE VISIBILITY MAY HAVE REALLY BEEN IMPAIRED WHEN THEY TRIED TO PUT THIS HELICOPTER ON THE GROUND, SO IT REALLY SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE TRAINING OF THE PILOTS, BEING ABLE TO GET THE HELICOPTER ON THE GROUND. THEY WERE ABLE TO GET AWAY WITHOUT SERIOUS INJURIES, AND THAT IS REALLY, REALLY GOOD NEWS. AGAIN, IF YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH WHERE THIS IS, THIS IS IN BETWEEN UCONN AND EL RENO, SOUTH OF I-40 ON THE FAR WEST SIDE OF THE AIRPORT. WE SEE COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF THIS HELICOPTER. WE WILL BE GETTING MORE INFORMATION FOR YOU AS THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING GOES ON. IF YOU WANT MORE, WE ARE LIVE ON FACEBOOK, SO YOU CAN GET ON OUR KOCO PAGE ON FACEBOOK AND LISTEN.

VIDEO: Pilots escape after helicopter crashes, catches fire in Oklahoma

Updated: 7:06 PM EDT May 13, 2021

Two pilots are OK after a helicopter crashed and caught fire Wednesday afternoon in Oklahoma.Oklahoma City Fire Department officials said by the time crews got to the scene, the helicopter was almost burnt down entirely to the frame.Both pilots got out OK and are fine. Fire officials said they hardly have any injuries.It’s unclear if the pilots jumped out before the helicopter crashed or if they had a controlled landing and then got out, but officials said they believe they got out after they landed.Authorities later confirmed that the helicopter was a U.S. Customs and Border Protection training helicopter, and the people inside were an instructor and a student.

Two pilots are OK after a helicopter crashed and caught fire Wednesday afternoon in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma City Fire Department officials said by the time crews got to the scene, the helicopter was almost burnt down entirely to the frame.

Both pilots got out OK and are fine. Fire officials said they hardly have any injuries.

It’s unclear if the pilots jumped out before the helicopter crashed or if they had a controlled landing and then got out, but officials said they believe they got out after they landed.

Authorities later confirmed that the helicopter was a U.S. Customs and Border Protection training helicopter, and the people inside were an instructor and a student.