Pilot Pete Cappio Says Shutdown Shouldn't Dissuade Folks From Being Pilots, ATC

Pilot and reality TV star Pete Cappio is still encouraging folks to become air line pilots and air-traffic controllers ... he says the recent government shutdown presented challenges, but it shouldn't be a deal breaker.

Peter, who was on Charity Lawson's season of ABC's "The Bachelorette," tells TMZ ... it won't be the last government shutdown, and folks shouldn't be scared to work in the airline industry.

There's a shortage of air-traffic controllers nationwide ... and they worked without paychecks during the shutdown, but are owed back pay.

Pilot Pete says he knows it was hard on ATCs to work without a check, but he says we still need people in those jobs, and the potential of another shutdown in the future shouldn't be enough to scare people away.

While Pete and his fellow pilots were still paid, they still felt the effects of the shutdown ... in the form of delays, disruptions and cancelations.