eaglefly

The problem with this, is that you are assuming then that just because YOU drew snake eyes at Eagle, that EVERYONE who is there or plans to stay (for whatever reason) is therefore missing out on something.

For aspiring pilots, I can see that it is a stepping stone as they have little invested. They also know virtually nothing of the sacrifices or history of those that have been here upwards of 15-20 years have made to TRY to make Eagle more then a stepping stone. It is some of these pilots that would happily advocate selling others sacrifices down the river for the mere PROMISE of something better for themselves. Actually these pilots aren't even AT Eagle, they are just sitting in a seat looking down the road, hoping and dreaming. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with that, but it's not the philosophy that should guide our future.

Sadly, due to the lack of leadership and vision in the 2 major unions and the hopeless advesarial relationship of pilots to each other, the current path is all but certain to continue...........even intensify. Large RJ's will continue to expand especially as stand alone companies can now consider being their own carriers. The economics of 50-seat RJ's doomed those in the past, but another 50 seats with attractive labor costs (across the board) can change the unworkable to the possible and even probable.

More "branching out" is in the future (Eagle's president has all but admitted that desire) like RAH will occur and as more and more flying heads that way, more and more others will have to switch or quit. The major airline slots of the future will be few and far between and perhaps 2 out of 10 current regional pilots with those desires will actuall ever get a class date.

By default, many of the now young pilots will find themselves in 10 years at the same place like the current older and more senior RJ drivers are now......40ish (or older) with 10-15 years or more and a whole different perspective of shooting craps at the shaky bottom of a shrinking industry (Major airline domestic ops).

I can't fault your advice to aspiring pilots as it's the truth..........the right seat of a regional is a bad place to be for more then a few years and advancement and seniority are the only things that can justify staying at a regional and trading the possibility of a higher top end for the greater liklyhood of a smoother ride. If you factor in the compensation of a 20 year regional captain to that of a junior mainline pilot whose spent years on furlough (some coming up on a decade now), the regional pilot likely came out ahead by maintaining a decent pay level, schedule, 401(k) and family stability (depending on regional). UAL is furloughing 10th year pilots leaving survivors hanging on by their fingernails to enjoy being junior reserve on a 737 flying under a gutted contract that doesn't look much different than Eagle's. Those that get "lucky" (I guess) and get a UAL seat in 5-8 years after there furloughees are called back, will probably be just sliding into that at the next down-cycle to ride their own 2-10 year furlough. It's a real risk and many who shoot those dice and get a less then desirable result, will accept being a millwork clerk at Lowes for years for the possibility of getting back to that crashpad and 737. Others will wish they hadn't left what they took for granted.

Make sure you factor in that risk if you're leaving a E-170 (or 190) captans seat in 10 years to do it. If only the 2 unions identified the future 15 years ago and cultivated an atmosphere of inclusion and mutual support for EVERYONE's benefit, imagine where we could be now as a profession ?

Wherever that would have been, it could only be FAR better then where we are now................and that's "US AND THEM" and as long as pilots look at each other like that, our future is doomed to its current course.