» Cover story > BEHIND THE CURTAIN AN INSIDER'S GUIDE TO THE BUSINESS OF AIRLINE HIRING » By Jill W. Tallman I f airline pilot hiring is a business, then business- for the moment-is quite good. Some of the major airlines are recalling furloughed pilots and accepting applications for interviews, working to stem a flow of retirements that reportedly is hitting 65 pilots per month at some. Hiring at the majors is forecast to continue into 2014. But that's likely a conservative statement-consider that more than half of United Airlines' pilots will retire in the next 14 years. We may see brisk hiring in the next decade. As the majors primarily draw pilots from regional airlines (and, to a lesser extent, the military and corporate pilot ranks), the regionals are scrambling for replacements. Hiring bonuses are beginning to appear-an anomaly in this part of the industry. Is the industry back to pre-2001 hiring activity, when a pilot with as few as 250 hours could apply for a first officer position with a regional airline? Not quite. New rules issued by the FAA 26 / FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG >http://FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG