Hey Guys,

We are all on the same team. I don't like it any more than you. Back when I got my first job at the regionals I was the youngest in my class at 28 and had the lowest time with 3800 hours. It was a real job that they only gave to grown ups, and even then the pay was miserable. Today flying for the regionals is like working for McDonalds. They take young 20 year olds and pay them nothing. (At least McDonalds gives you a food discount.) Management has learned that it is better to hire young kids since most will not complain and don't need much to live on. You guys earn less than if you were privates in the Army. I blame some the advertisers on this forum. Flight Safeties Airline Academy offers zero to FO in 12 months. I saw another one called Lana something that offered financing and a "pay later" option. Student loans in colleges across the nation will cover much of the bill for training. Why would an airline pay any more? There is a constant flood of new pilots hitting the street every week.

Flight time and the value of flight experience had plunged. Back when I started if you had 1000 hours of piston multi PIC and sat in a Learjet once you were a hot prospect. The phone was ringing from UAL AA DAL UPS. These days you need 1000 of RJ PIC and a letter of recommendation from the president of the United States. Just a few years ago no one had jet time. Today anyone with 600 hours can be sitting in the right seat of a 50 seat jet. The time doesn't mean anything anymore. Who cares?

Josh is right. I was a professional pilot for almost 20 years. My resume includes over 12 different employers. I worked for regionals, national jet airlines, corporate, charter, medevac and of course CFI gigs. I have over 6400 hours of time. Most of that is in multi engine jets or turboprops. I couldn't convert to a major airline while young enough. Most of my peers couldn't do it either. Out of my graduating class of 30 from college only one is still flying.

The decline in our industry has been in the works for a long time. It is not a trend or a swing of the pendulum but the normal devolution of an industry that has seen its day. Of course there will always be flying but the pay will sink to the legal bottom and stay there until the day comes when the applications stop coming in.

There are thousands upon thousands of furloughed or unemployed pilots on the street and more are on the way. NWA has learned how to break the mechanics union and I am sure they are putting together a plan to do the same to the pilots if they put up a fight. Other airlines will learn from their example.

Honestly, I wish things were different. I wish we all could have good jobs that we enjoyed and paid well. Step back and take a look. It is not going to happen. Hoping that Mesa will raise its pay is like asking McDonalds to pay a fry cook 30K/year and offer a full benefits package. My advise is to get in, build your 1000 hours of PIC time have your fun. Then try for a job at the majors or perhaps corporate and if it doesnt work out pick a date that is the end and leave. Get a real job outside of aviation. The pay is much better and it isn't as bad as you might imagine.

SkyHigh