Originally Posted by hatetobreakit2u
read the link in my profile, to a certain extent yes but thats not the right reason
there a too many ******* cheapskate lousy backstabbing lawyers in the US, but their salaries arent going down. Why? because they dont undercut each other, pilots undercut each other cause all of their unions arent worth crap anymore
AGREED.
So what about cfi's whose students trust their very lives with them? They trust us to teach them skills, and at the same time to bring them home safely. I have personally lost a student. He got past his private pilot certificate and went on to fly personally. He got into a typical spatial disorientation and ripped the wings right off of his BE24. He was a great man, and in my opinion, a 4/10 skilled pilot. I will never live this down. Should I have signed him off for the checkride? Yes. He passed. Should the examiner have passed him? Yes. The part I cannot even really connect to STILL is the fact that it was not only HIM that was taken because of MY profession. His 17 year old son went with him on that fateful flight. So the question remains: what is it worth? Is it worth 45/hr for me to train someone to do something that could wind up killing themselves over? No. Do I call myself a professional CFI? Nope. Do I call myself a professional pilot? Look at my screenname.
So should regional pilots with this very same responsibility X 45 souls be paid less than me if he is flying bigger, better, badder, faster equipment? YES!!!!! He worked for it, he earned it. Or she. Gotta be P.C. I think the chain of poor income starts right here!
I believe that the chain of poor income starts with flight instructing. Getting paid 10/hr or even 15/hr at Flight Safety is pathetic considering the rate they charge their students. So what can we do about it? Well, do you know any cfi's? I know quite a few. If they work under my company they are rewarded for their skills and expertise. They get 50% of the CFI rates we charge students. That's right, they cringe at the thought of going to regional airlines. Yes, a 500TT CFI is not a perfect pilot, but I can almost guaruntee you he can teach just as well as I can. My students pay very well to my school and I in turn relay that pay to the CFIs. They in turn relay expertise that NO flight school in Ft. Pierce can offer. They are professionals and I am proud to be a part of their career BUILDING. They do not go on to regional airlines that pay them 19/hr. They go on to corporate and make quite a bit there for a starting job. And oh, by the way, they don't mind waiting it out because they are PAID WELLLLLL. If airlines wanted good employees they would pay them. They want workers, not employees.