Junglejett

Just because I do not spend every waking hour on this site like some do, does not mean I can have the occasional input.

Pilots are their own worse enemies. Have been forever and will continue to be until they wake the hell and up and demand a livable wage. There are way too many airplane operators out there taking advantage of a pilots desire to succeed by enticing them with multi-time and/or turbine. Most pilots spend 10's of thousands of dollars on flight training and some even incur college expenses yet are expected to come out and work for crap wages...and then do! Why is that?

My first professional flying gig was flying a jet after only having 35 hours of mulit time. I was EXTREMELY lucky and it is rare to have had that happen..but there ARE jobs out there, if you look hard enough. My first year, I made over 40K, had 401K and medical. Again, it was an opportunity that I worked very hard for and was lucky to get. I could have taken subhuman wages but refused to participate in the further decline of this profession.

You say that's how the industry is...and you are right. WE ARE THE INDUSTRY AND ARE COMPLETELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CRAP WAGES! Here is out it works. Company A.) Pays their pilots a livable wage and treats them well. Gets tons of resumes and stays in business. Company B.) Pays crap wages with no benefits and no one wants to work for them, goes out of business.

See how that worked? If people quit chasing the dream by whoring themselves out, pay WILL go up.

Having traveled abroad as a pilot, I can assure you that pilots are treated like Kings outside the US..on the same level as doctors, lawyers, ect. In the states, we are mere bus drivers and over paid bus drivers at that. We should DEMAND more..because when you look at the responsibility we have, it is worth more.

As for Taco Bell pay...let me give you an example. A friend of mine was furloughed from TWA back in the day. He was a Air Force Academy graduate, F-4 pilot, and all around good dude. After he was furloughed, he struggled to find work until he was offered a managers job at a local Pizza Hut..yeah, a Pizza Hut. He made more during his furlough as a Pizza Hut manager than he did while a pilot at TWA. Explain to me how that is right.

If a company requires you to pay for your own training, go the other way. If a company requires you to sign a training contract, take a close look at it and do not sign one for more than a year. If the company cannot pay you a livable wage, go the other way. If the company is operating on such narrow margins, consider their maintenance. If they are paying their pilots crap, imagine what the mechanics are making. Consider the things they will let slide. Consider the FAA walking up to your airplane and inquiring about its airworthiness..and the fact that you are the PIC. Consider what a violation will do to your career. Consider the impact of an accident when the company throws you under the bus and you find yourself defending yourself in court. Many jobs are independent contractors...which gives you very little to no protection. Consider the return on your investment into your career. Consider the impact on the industry that taking low paying jobs will have. Lastly, consider your life and what it is worth. If it is worth the little pay you will get, have at it.

We are not in a perfect business but things need to change..and it is in our power to make that change happen.

By the way, this goes for all operations!! This is not a slam on being a jump pilot or tow plane pilot or ag pilot or regional. If you are in the aviation business, you need to pay people better.