Originally Posted by
azbulldog
How am I so different? I am choosing to make a living at this as well. Yes I do say "what is right for me" and "what I need to do". Yes it is about me, in my mind and I think you, along with everyone else on the board does the same thing.
You make a good point about wasting $30k. No one wants to do that. But I have to get to my career goals in the most efficient manner that I can along with learning all I can about what it takes to be a darn good pilot. I am making a career change and I have a family to support, and there are others out there that are in the same position and if going this rout is the best for them, and they are still becoming excellent pilots, then how is that hurting the industry?
I'll tell you the big difference between me (and most of the professional pilots I know for that matter) and the mindset of the person who considers Gulfstream a viable option: none of us are willing to PAY $30,000 for a job where we should be the ones GETTING PAID $30,000. Period. I don't care what the circumstances are. What if someone fresh out of college showed up one day offering to pay your employer to do YOUR office job because its something they've always dreamed of doing and its a good way for them to quickly advance their career? Now you're out on your ass. How's that feel to you? That is how most other pilots in the industry view Gulfstream and the equivalent "pay to play" outfits. You are trivializing an important job that we take very seriously. I would invite you to do a search for other threads about Gulfstream (and similar outfits) here on APC. Should be very eye opening to you.
And for the record, the WORST, most unsafe pilot I have EVER seen was a Gulfstream "graduate". And I used to do private pilot checkrides at the flight school I taught at so that is saying a lot. This individual had 1100 hours, 800 from Gulfstream, and was a danger to themselves and others whenever they got near the pointy end of an airplane. Hardly what I would call a quality "training" outfit.
Let me pose a hypothetical situation to you: SuperJet Airlines is hiring folks off the street into their Airbus fleet with a wet commercial multi-engine certificate. They are hiring hundreds of pilots and have a large base in your town. Basically you meet the mins, and you have a job! Sounds like a great deal right? One catch: you have to cross a picket line of SuperJet pilots who are on strike. But its a quick step into a "big airplane" right? It's whats in the best interest of you and your family, right? Now you get to spend 20 years at a major, skipping the regional world all together! Great, right? Would you do it? My point is, sometimes what seems like the easy, quick option is NOT the best option. This is a scenario that pilots at United, Continental, Eastern and, most recently, GoJets were presented with. The ones that took the opportunity can now count themselves among the ranks of industry "scabs". In case you're unfamiliar, a scab is about the lowest form of life in the airline industry. Somewhere between a used barf bag and the toilet paper floating in the blue juice. And you will be treated accordingly. Now, going to Gulfstream will not make you technically a scab but don't count on a warm, fuzzy reception when people find out thats where you got your "training".
You provided definitions of a professional. So I will take it a step further; professionalism. It is a state of mind, a manner in which you conduct yourself, how you treat others in the job site and how you regard the company's policies and values. It is working with dignity and solid ethics. Regardless of where you got your training, you either have this or you don't.
I hope you take that definition of professionalism to heart. Because most (myself included) do NOT consider PAYING for a job at Gulfstream, or anywhere else for that matter, to represent someone with dignity and solid ethics. Once again, Gulfstream is an AIRLINE, not a flight school. Don't think of it as such. By the time you are eligible for a job at Gulfstream, technically you should have the skills and knowledge to fly people and property around for money. All you are doing is paying $30,000 to play airline pilot.
Having said all that, I am not sold on Gulfstream. Heck, I don't think I liked the guy that I spoke with at the school, sounded as if he was trying to sell me a car. I just don't think that, if I or anyone else who goes through this rout, is any less of a pilot that someone who instructs, or tows banners for several months.
Thats good to hear you weren't impressed by the person you talked to at Gulfstream. But to be honest, I would rather hear you say that you aren't sold on the whole concept of PAYING for a job! I mean the fact that anyone, much less a career changer looking for the fast track, would see nothing wrong with PAYING $30,000 for a job that they would otherwise be compensated for is beyond me. Good luck with your decision, but Christ, think long and hard about this one.