Flying
Guys,
Sorry to have bruised your egos. What I mean is that flying in the modern world of aviation is not brain surgery or rocket science. True, I am a washed up pilot, but I would describe my situation as having washed my hands of aviation. I am bitter. You would be too if you went through what I did and witnessed yourself and peers repeatedly get destroyed by this industry. My opinions were developed over two decades of observations. I started out with the same opinions as you guys but watched as completely incompetent people moved through the ranks. It almost seems like the airlines strive to harbor incompetence. The system is designed to accommodate the lowest common denominator. Total idiots can walk through the job and rely on repetition and procedure to save them. Pilot are spoon fed decisions and information. They are trained to follow the book to the last detail or else risk the chief pilots office. Right now there are 24 year old kids who are doing the exact same job as you guys in worse equipment in more difficult conditions and we do not have RJ's and dash-8's raining out of the sky. Experience means nothing anymore if a 19 year old kid can get a job as an FO for a regional airline without any college and hardly any flight experience. I reached a point in my career where i decide not to invest anything more into a career that obviously didn't think much about my efforts or abilities. Lowering pay, increased working conditions, reduced job security. You can have it. I made more last year as a wood pecker than in the last 10 years as a pilot combined. I know guys who install flooring who earn as much as an Alaska Airlines captain. Even apprentice plumbers and electricians earn more than most regional airline captains. The industry doesnt care about experience or skill anymore and the pay is beginning to catch up. You guys are lucky. You are enjoying the last of the good old days. I am sure that you both earned your wings the hard way. I don't think you can say the same about the pilots of today or tomorrow.
SkyHigh
Last edited by SkyHigh; 01-09-2006 at 06:59 AM.