Are you for real?

Generalize and stereotype much? Clearly you've had a bad experience (or a hundred?) with a former intern. Fine. I absolutely understand that (especially early in the program) there were interns that were hired either too young or with too low of experience that were lousy to fly with and were undeserved of the opportunities given them. That said, I believe your condemnation of an entire group of individuals as having as you put it "no business" being a part of this is patently absurd and frankly makes you look like an ass.

I got hired just shy of my 22nd birthday, and I was an intern. Does that mean that I have no business being here? What had you done at that point in your life? I had just shy of 3000 hours, a college degree, had my ATP letter of competency since I was 19, had been flying 40-100 hours per month since the day after I turned 18, paid for my flying and most of college myself (my Dad, a '90 hired former Frontier yet junior United pilot that started over after 7 furloughs, a shutdown and a company bankruptcy was in no position to help.) I was flying and teaching competitive aerobatics on the side, flying checks when not at school and skydivers on the weekend in turbine equipment. What were you doing when you were 18-19?

I saw an opportunity and I took it. Clinton had shut down the military. Academy grads were getting banked. I worked for UAL for 3 months in the summer of 94 as an intern, made an impression and was hired in April 95 after a short stint at Eagle. Since then I've flown most of our fleets. Not a single blemish in my record. Awarded the 2007 ALPA Superior Airmanship Award for an event as a Captain in 96.

Do I still not make merit in your world? Many, if not most of the interns hired since 95 have spent plenty of time at the regionals to deserve a crapload more than the angst that you're serving up. You took advantage of the opportunities available, so did they.

Scott