Originally Posted by
ghilis101
I sort of agree with you Purple, despite the fact that I wouldn't take your advice
I wouldn't pass up the seniority, but I get that family is more important and the decisions you make are based on whats important to you. And to side with you, even if he loses 30 numbers in seniority, will he realistically ever exercise that seniority at the exact moment that it comes up? Its probably rare that people operate on such tight margins that they would be in or out of a category if they were only just 30 numbers more senior, in a system of 11,000 pilots. Pilots tend to bid something when they can be completely comfortable in it seniority wise. So I guess deferring a class or 2 wont kill him, but we shall see.
I wasn't in the military, so I'll take Purple at his word. I'm sure a break after many years in the Air Force would be great before starting training at a brand new job. However, a guy who was hired two classes ahead of me endured a 2 plus year furlough, and I was out 4.5 years. Every number matters, even with a large pilot group. I hope no one ever goes through that crap again, but my two cents is get to class as soon as possible, not just for seniority within a category, but overall.