Originally Posted by
Braniff DC8
All points taken. These companies have, and always will be, a stain on the industry. Since the end of WW2 the supplementals changed the industry but not for the better and most are gone now. We now call them "charter" carriers. The pay for 727 Capt AND to load/unload AND be on call 24/6 AND to jumpseat with VERY limited Cass, is not opinion, it's crap!
I'm not trying to pick a fight but if you think that is what you are worth then that's what the company thinks of you. The ads and turnover at these places speak volumes. Just go to the profiles section on this site and look at the profiles of USA jet and Kalitta. Go read the ad on 350 from Aliner and Skyway. It reaks of desperation plus it's mostly lies as the devil is in the details.
I do not agree these "outfits" are stable, safe or career promoting. If they were, the line would be out the door. Again, if you need DEC's, the operation must have some serious issues. And as someone pointed out, if the training failure rate is so high, 1)why? And 2)who would risk the pink slip?
All the companies I mentioned have bad raps and plenty are saying what I am saying. Believe or say what you want. There is a reason they cannot attract or keep people.
Sorry, man but that's a load of crap. I started out in YIP back in the late 70s as a loadmaster/flight follower then f/o for several operators. The flying is what it is but what you learn is more valuable than instructing for thousands of hours or sitting right seat in a CRJ staring at the autopilot.
Ad hoc charter business will always be there. It won't pay like UPS or FedEx or Atlas because the margins are razor thin. The equipment will be old but generally be looked at by guys who know how to fix things.
I left the nonsched business to go get some PIC time at a commuter. I had friends who stayed and ended up sitting left seat in a DC8 while I was still flying turboprops. I'm very fortunate with how my career has gone but I do think that a lot of my success was due to the strong foundation I got from flying auto parts and everything else you could stick in the back of a DC3 or Convair. I learned a lot from the captains I flew with. Some of it was "sh##, I'll never do that". All a learning experience.
Don't ever look down on someone for flying nonsched. Not everyone has had a smooth career. Lots of good people have seen good jobs go away in this business. Many people have made a mistake in their lives and needed another chance to redeem themselves. And for a low time guy who is eager to learn it's a great place to start. YIP and places like that have many characters and many stories. It's the part of my life that I enjoyed a lot and I do miss some of the stories.