Originally Posted by
Southerner
If locals want to be instructors, they should apply when the emails go out. Best of luck to anyone who applies.
As far as the adjuncts go, I'm not a huge fan of that program. They don't instruct nearly enough by only coming in 2 or 3 months per year to stay up to speed. Don't get me wrong, they are good instructors, and close personal friends of mine. But all of the adjuncts on my fleet are actively trying to come full time for that reason. We only have 4 adjuncts on the E190. The rest are full time.
Seems like we're talking past each other a bit, and don't necessarily disagree on the salient points, but more the philosophy. The adjunct program as it was originally envisioned 4, 6, 8 years ago(it's been reinvigorated a few times) was supposed to have guys teach and fly on a close to 50/50 basis, not 2-3 months per year. I'm sure it's harder to keep up on the courseware if it's less often, but that's a leadership/structure issue that could easily be fixed.
Honestly, IMO it absolutely is a scope issue. You as a guy that got hired to fly the line first then transitioned to JBU aren't taking away a job from any JB pilot. But your example also proves my point; with 2 years on property you have better QOL being an instructor at JBU than a guy with equivalent seniority who just happened to be based in MCO. Doubly so if you were on the 320. That's why I want all those jobs available for line guys, and not off the street non-SLI. The months where an adjunct guy bids his line don't really bother the normal line guys; he/she just bids and flies what their seniority normally holds in their assigned base.
You seem to keep ignoring where I've agreed not every line guy would be a great instructor, but again, that's what the interview, selection and training process are for. And the line about let locals apply when they send the emails out is a bit of a non-sequitur. You know as well as I do (probably better) that most vacancies at JBU are not advertised to the pilot group at large.
For the newhires reading this back-and-forth, the bottom line is your training will be a pretty good experience no matter where your instructor came from. I'm personally a skeptical guy at times, and passionately want our pilots to have the best instructors and most varied employment opportunities. Having said that, sans one bad apple on the 190 fleet and a couple guys that were mailing it in a bit, I would rate all my interactions with JBU guys as being average to excellent. The program is set up with the intention of making sure
you have every opportunity to succeed.