Originally Posted by
Bucking Bar
Called one of the best FO's and told him what happened and suggested he get his stuff in ASAP. He did not want to for the exact same reasons you mention. The day he interviewed there were a couple of zoomies right out of central casting and a F18 demo pilot interviewing. He was embarassed when they went around the table talking about their backgrounds. They were not hired, but he was.
Bar, it's obvious Delta hires a specific personality profile, as evident by the focus on the psych aspect. The reality is, they want the best bang for the buck and someone that is malleable, willing to abandon long standing (80 years) career expectations and most importantly, someone who will never go against the grain and strike. The average former military officer I have worked with is substantially more versed in politics and the inner workings of large organizations than the average FO at the regional I worked for. The reality is, a former military officer is applying for a position as a professional and has expectations for compensation that is commensurate. The average RJ FO hired direct into a major is typically happy enough that he jumped ahead of his fellow peers (captains) and gets to wear a uniform that at one time, stood for a profession.
Before the flame, I will state that I flew in the reserves and at a regional, both part and full time. Having been at a major for four years, my experience leads me to believe the former Navy (except P3 girls), Marine (especially) and AF fighter types are leagues beyond the average pilots coming up through the RJ world. With the average RJ guy, the whole background is all too often, missing.
If Delta is targeting RJ FO's then that signals management is targeting pilots with lower expectations that meet "their" expectations based on a psych test. This is similar to when AA started hiring regional FO's without PIC time during the B-scale; again hire folks with lower expectations. F--k, several years ago I had one former RJ pilot, NWA DC-9 CA, tell me I needed to lower my expectations!! ***?
If I am wrong, then why such a large drop in applicants willing to depart the military full time for a full time Delta job without a Guard/Reserve job to back it up? Why do my LEC reps inform me that the junior pilots are expecting something in the neighborhood of a 15% raise when we are at least 250% behind when retirement, medical and inflation is considered. I
The reality is, the majority of US majors have turned into stepping stones for a few remaining airlines with earning potential.
Flame on...