Originally Posted by
Skid Mark
This is a slanderous myth against the RTP guys. I'm an RTP hire, and I know several dozen other RTP hires who were in the program while I was building hours last year, and I'm also still involved with the private EnvoyRTP facebook group.
Nobody is "hiding out on orders". I've heard the "friend-of-a-friend" tales in the cockpit of how someone knows-a-guy-who-knows-a-guy that is building seniority without actually working for the company. It's a blatant lie.
Us RTP guys are tight, and we share a lot and know a lot about eachother. I don't know ANYONE who is hiding on orders, in fact... everyone I know who is on orders would much prefer to be working at Envoy and building 121 time. We'd all like to move on to a legacy carrier, and you can't do that without at least 1000 hours of 121/multiFixed (military guys have seen enough failed promises in our lives; we aren't relying on the flow). Now, once the 2-year contract that RTP guys is over, a lot of dudes will put in apps and plan to try and get hired somewhere else with bigger jets and better pay... but are you telling me the rest of you aren't constantly doing the same?
Stop giving RTP bubbas a bad name by accusing us of malingering. If you think being on military orders is such a good deal that RTP guys would rather do it than the cushy airline gig, go join up and stop complaining.
As much as you all complain about airline pilot life at Envoy, the RTP guys are laughing our asses off. This is the easiest job I've ever done, and the money is only getting better. Military flying is a pain in the ass compared to this life, and guys "on orders" for the reserves are not usually doing much flying at all.
While I sympathize with what you are saying, I know two guys personally who went through training and immediately went on orders to allow time for their seniority number to go up. Not saying it was a bad idea, just saying it does happen. They were both Air Force fixed wing guys so perhaps a different situation.