What I meant by the statement "retired hobbyists" was that as a retired person they do not have the same income needs as say a 23 year old with student loans and career goals. Retired Hobbyists kids are grown and really couldn't care less about being gone or what the paycheck is. Management loves them.

I could be approaching that situation soon. If I were to return to aviation I would be less concerned about pay and more interested in the schedules and benefits. I bet that even flying for the regionals would seem like more fun if I wasn't starving in the process and wasn't concerned about career advancement.

If a start up came to Seattle I most likely would jump on it regardless of pay. I think that there is a large group of sidelined guys just like me who have also created outside income streams and would have similar intentions.

The regioals have picked up on the retiree phenomenon and I would bet that the majors follow suit.

SkyHigh