Originally Posted by
pilotjogger
I tried to post a thread but I think I'm too new to do so..
I am a CFI a few months past ATP mins. It's tough to get a first airline job out there, I'll tell you that. But my main question is...
The golden wave has passed. It seems like it's virtually a guarantee that regular joe-schmoes like me will never have a realistic shot at a legacy. A year/two years ago guys with DUIs and 3 checkride failures were making legacies with 800 turbine hours, and now guys like me with a pristine record... Are we screwed? Is that what this is coming down to?
UA was the dream. Many of my long time life friends work there. I am 33, and I feel so behind right now but due to life, I just couldn't make the jump until 2019 to start flying.
Do I have any prayers hope or chance of making a legacy, specifically UA? If I do make it, am I doomed to being on reserve for 5+ years and being a double furloughee? With all these hires they've made the last few years and everything slowing down now it sure feels like the rest of us are ****ed..
What you are describing is…reality. The Golden Wave was unprecedented in aviation history. We can’t base an airline career off of a fluke. In January of 2000, I was hired by a regional at age 25 with a multiengine ATP. I was in the bottom 7 of my class for age and experience. It took me 15 years to get hired at a major. There are countless Lost Decade folks out there with similar stories.
Your benefit right now is that there are still retirements coming, and hopefully Boeing gets its act together soon.
If this is really what you want, keep plugging away. Shotgun your apps. Improve your resume.
This is pretty much all that can be said. There are no shortcuts and no crystal balls.