Originally Posted by
jonnyjetprop
"The grass is always greener over the septic tank"
Ha! Good one.
Are you really upset that you didn't make the show?
I don't think that's it at all. The constant risk of furlough at any age, at any longevity, the hectic schedules of a busy corporate pilot (yeah some fly once every 3 months for a week in the Bahamas, but some tear it up like a regional schedule every day) plus the rigors of a tightrope walking self everything corporate pilot is more than just less green grass.
He raised some valid points of debate, and it almost sounds like he's made up his mind on paper to try and go, but in this industry its always very tough to give up that bird in the hand when the grass on that bird is pretty green. Wait. Anyway.
As an active corporate pilot, you have cracked the code. Your next job is out there as you network with the other pilots. Are the majors really better for you? As a junior pilot, you are at the most volatile section of the seniority list. Learning from the past, you could languish at the bottom for years. Is that more of less stable than your current situation?
Without knowing the deets of his situation fully, I'd say based on what he's shared the answer to your last question is: the near term risks are similar, although likely higher in the short term, but quickly switch places where making the move is far less risky long term. Then there is QOL, and it sounds like making the move is, again, a hit initially, but significantly better in the long run.
Originally Posted by
Bucking Bar
me it says you know something more about the other departments flight ops works with than candidates who don't have that sort of experience.
I agree. It sounds like this pilot would have a very competitive resume as he would be able to point out the best of both worlds to a recruiter or an interviewer/HR. And he's already been hired at one major/legacy and left through no fault of his own. He has many feathers in his cap for sure.
For many of the senior ($125,000+) regional pilots it makes no sense to go to some majors at age 40.
I only bring this point Bar made up because it is similar enough to the OP's situation to possibly throw him off target. Camping out at a regional, even at the top, is still risky and gets riskier by the day. Your "airline" could be doing very well and still lose massive contracts over pennies in costs. The more top scale list campers a regional has, the more at risk it is to go through massive pay/benefit resetting churn and even to just disappear one day.
While someone in that situation would have the benefit of a seniority list as a cushion against some of the uncertainty, staying at 125K at age 40 when you could be making that in 2-3 years anyway, with much better retirement contributions and other benefits, is not the result of any level headed spread sheet making; its not being able/willing to take a pay cut under any circumstances, even if its for long term financial gain. I'd put that age 40 range for staying up to at least 50 and possibly beyond, and most spreadsheets would back that up even from a purely numerical standpoint.
My two cents to the OP would be that, as long as he knew what he was getting into (pay, initial QOL, etc) to work hard to make the jump ASAMFP. I also would stick to his plan of commuting the first year because its just way too easy to get burned bouncing around categories in the bottom 1-5% and even if you can avoid that somehow, robotically moving to base under any circumstance could not only mean another move or commute almost immediately, but could put you somewhere you really don't ever want to be, and that you could have avoided just by toughing it out for a year to get your bearings and a few percent under you on the list. And I think everyone needs to chill out with the hyperbole about commuting on probation. I don't know of one pilot ever canned from a major for commuting. Follow the commuting policy, erring on the side of caution when its close, and you won't have anything to worry about. Most pilots commute. Its a fact of life in the industry and its no big deal.
Yeah, the big risk is furlough because you're (your?) on the bottom. But if you could be furloughed out of seniority anyway, then you're always on the bottom anyway.
Pilot superpower network: activate. I say make the jump.