Originally Posted by SkyHigh

Mike 734,

I am sure that I will always lament over my missed opportunities at Alaska Airlines. Ever since I was a little boy I have dreamed of working for that company. Every breath I took had that hope invested in it and everyday was spent trying to get one more inch closer to it. My last attempt at Alaska was my last. I knew it at the time. I had no cards left to play. Once National Airlines went under it took with it my dream. Everything I had worked for flushed down the drain that day.

Some might suggest trying again but every year the minimums get taller and the competition more fierce. I could easily burn the rest of my life chasing it and if there is one thing I have learned about Alaska Airlines is that they are not interested in desperate civilian pilots over 40. My odds have already dimmed to ridiculous. While I am sure there is always a chance most likely I would loose everything else I have in life to get to a point where I would have just one more throw. A 20 year old can bounce back a few times but by the time you are past 40 we all need to become more conservative. I have sat next to many a pilot who held on too long and it is not pretty.

My entire point of this exercise is that I think younger pilots feel that they can rest upon their skills and education alone. In my opinion those things mean very little to a pilots success. During my 20 year quest I never failed a check ride, scored less than a 90 on any FAA test, graduated near the top of my class and never even so much as scratched the paint throughout my perilous career. All the while I know pilots who have crashed planes and killed people who are on the seniority list of some of our finest major airlines. I stood over the shoulder and watched as a co-worker purchased a fake degree and now works for Alaska Airlines. I had knowledge of a pilot who was being pursued by immigration on the day he interviewed for my favorite airline, lied about his time and education and by now I am sure is quite senior. I have a few dozen more stories like that but I am sure you get the picture. The diffrence, they were not above a lie and made friends with the right people.

Am I bitter sure, but life is not fair right? Things do really work out for the best they say. The ironic thing is that now that I have raised my position in life I currently live in a town that is crawling with AS pilots. I run into them everywhere it seems. The easy answer is to get over it but it isn't like flipping a switch. After 20 years it will take a while to fade. Till then I will have to punish you guys I guess.

SkyHigh