Vito,

I disagree with your assessment of the future. This latest generation was forged with the expectations that they would never earn very much. Just refer to some of the other threads in this very forum and you can read about how they chastise me for saying that 60K in not a lot of money. They are ready to spend a career earning less than a third of what you would consider minimum pay. Additionally, though they might fall apart during basic instrument flying or emergencies they can pull it together enough to get through training and somehow have managed to keep their RJ's aloft. I am sure that they could manage in a 757. Wasn't you who in a previous post explained in detail how the military can produce a 737 FO with less than 300 hours? Besides the classic RJ kid the industry is also full of beached professionals that do have thousands of hours and have spun their wheels outside of aviation to realize that it is no fun at all. These people can't take a FO position at SkyWest. I am sure that they would step in at a huge discount.

We are facing a totally new situation today. In the early 90's Lorenzo was trolling flight schools across the country to fill classes with 500 HR flight instructors to serve as 727 FO's. These days you have army's of idealistic RJ kids who will proudly tell you that they are not in it for the money. They are here solely for the "love" of aviation. Money is very secondary. Where I live in the pacific northwest there are three different aviation universities within 100 miles of my home. Each school is pumping out a few hundred new disciples each year. Back east I hear that a new and disturbing trend is of the middle aged career changer who will drop 65K and within 12 months are a newly minted commercial pilot.

Take a look around. The world has changed. You guys are enjoying the sunset of what once was a beautiful dream.

SkyHigh