Originally Posted by
bluefishbeagle
Here's a new hire profile 2000-2007:
...
expects to be in the left seat of a jet within three years or less
Yes, a short upgrade time is nice. I don't think too many out there feel entitled to that seat and the responsibilities that come with it without first gaining the required experience.
Originally Posted by
bluefishbeagle
gets the interview and is informed he will have to pay for training "no problem" "gulp"
In today's environment I wouldn't even consider working for an airline that expected me to pay for training. Perhaps 5 years ago I would have given it some thought, since it was the only way to get into the industry, and since experience is everything in the airline industry I am planning on getting in as early as possible.
Originally Posted by
bluefishbeagle
...
is so happy to be flying a big shinny jet that they pinch themselves every three minutes
I'm sure I will be pinching myself at least once a flight when I start working for a regional - whether I'm flying tuboprops or jets. He!!, I still pinch myself every time I hop in the Twin Comanche I rent every now and again. If I had the chance to hop in a Cub and take it for a trip around the patch, I'd be pinching myself. The cooler/bigger/faster the airplane is the more excited I am. Maybe I'm just not jaded yet, or maybe it's because flying about anything besides a C-172 from the right seat is an upgrade, but I still get pretty excited when I fly something new.
Originally Posted by
bluefishbeagle
....
they call crew schdulers "sir" or "mam" without knowing they have half the education and 1/1000th the training and their previous job was at the big "D" (not not delta dummy, mcdonalds)
What's wrong with being polite to someone? Not to mention, getting to know a scheduler well can't hurt since they might take it into consideration when you need an extra few hours, so you can pay for a birthday present that month, or some similar bill. Just because someone hasn't paid out the a$$ for training/college like I have doesn't mean I should be a jerk to them.
Originally Posted by
bluefishbeagle
they trust "their company" to keep them out of trouble with the feds
they know nothing about duty regs, flight time, reduced rest, etc, etc,etc, and don't care
for the smart ones it's takes about six months to figure out how they've been screwed, for the rest it takes two years. too late brother!
I like to hope most guys don't just trust the company to keep them out of trouble. I'm not sure what the consensus is, but I can say that as long as you're working somewhere that has a union can only help - even if unions are not perfect they do offer a decent amount of protection.
Originally Posted by
bluefishbeagle
they then hope and pray they can get upgrade and get the "1000 hours pic" before they get canned or busted by the feds.
the lucky ones make it out the rest are just fodder in the regional grinding mill.
Is there really a high incidence of pilots getting fired or busted at regionals? I know there are some regionals who encourage pilots to push the boundaries of the regs, but pilots grow up around regs. We know how to read them and understand them to a degree that we know what is legal and what isn't. Again this is another reason it's beneficial to work for airlines where pilots are represented by a union. I doubt that most who make it out of the "regional grinding mill" are not lucky but instead skilled and capable pilots.