Originally Posted by
JohnBurke
I said nothing about distain for other career paths. I've done those career paths. Some, am doing. No distain at all.
My statement here: get experience. It's that which has the inexperienced and the quitters riled up, and it's that which has them wetting their pants and posting immature drivel at the level of a 14 year old.
When some wish to do the bare minimum that they can possibly get away with, who profess a desire to do a job which requires nothing more than receiving a paper and flying instruments, and who couldn't possibly be bothered to go get real world experience, it's little wonder such would be upset at the concept of working for a living, or bettering themselves by improving their skills and abilities.
Why do that, when they can get 12 hours in the cockpit, count themselves experienced, and march out to conquer the world?
For some, apparently "get experience" equates to stealing souls, destroying dreams, and damning them for eternity. "Get experience" is apparently a painful thing to hear, and one which condemns entire segments of the industry (ones on which they're not qualified to comment and have never done, as they have no experience). It appears that some here, all inexperienced and some quitters of the profession, and deeply troubled by the admonition to seek experience, and are quite content to read into it whatever they will. Far better to roll around and whine and cry than to get their butt out the door and get some experience.
My original post in this thread still stands despite its technicalities unfitting it to your eighteen year old situation. If offered the airline job, single pilot ag job, or single pilot freight job, which would your eighteen-year-old self have taken?
I don't think today's pilots are averse to gaining experience. I think today's pilots have a different reality with opportunities presented at very different levels and blends of experience. This spawns different behavior patterns such as exhibited by the OP.
The awkward reality of the industry today is that certain categories of flight time require relatively high minima to other categories. The most glaring example is Total Time versus Multi. In today's hiring environment, a pilot's best opportunity to gain multi time often is at a 135 company. At 135 minimums of 1200 Total Time, many pilots already qualify for the R-ATP.
Therefore, an average CFI or other pilot almost ready to make the airline jump has a choice: Buy, beg, or network about 12 hours of multi time to reach R-ATP minimums, or agree to a year(s)-long commitment to a 135 company to get those 12 hours. The first option allows for rapid progression to the airlines and taking advantage of the best hiring environment in decades. The second option signals career delay by the seniority and timing lost while at the 135 gig. While the experience gained flying 135 is certainly unique and highly valuable, the value proposition simply won't be attractive enough to many young pilots.
Full disclosure: I am a CFI currently about six to seven months from reaching R-ATP TT mins, already above R-ATP multi mins. I just interviewed at a single pilot 135 freight charter operation. My motivations were not the type of experience, though I won't regret getting that experience. My motivations were scheduling, basing, and better average pay over the first five years of employment.