Originally Posted by bryris

Furthermore, being a pilot is not the same as being a doctor or a lawyer or even an engineer. With the funding problem resolved, one could go from zero to commercial pilot, CFI, II, MEI and several hundred hours logged within a single year. Med school and law school, by comparison, take significantly longer and a much greater investment.

Just because one pursues his/her dream to fly, which satisfies a deep personal purpose in many cases and is generally a fun pursuit, as opposed to sitting in a college classroom listening to a law lecture, and comes out with a license doesn't mean one is entitled to anything.

Professional aviation is great to those who make it. They may call it luck, perseverance, or sheer skill - or whatever label is attached to it. However, the supply exceeds demand right now, and the regionals were touted as a stepping stone, luring in those who were trying to time build, and turned out not to be. Now we've got a group of pilots in the regionals who are upset at the status quo and the streets are filled with furloughees longing for a recall despite their complaints.