Originally Posted by
BusJock
It amuses me that you are all sweating getting hired by some "airline" that is going to treat you like garbage with pathetic pay, long hours, poor training, lousy schedules, a commuting crashpad life....the list goes on and on. Why on earth would any self respecting professional do such a thing? Used to be so you could pay your dues to gain access to "the show" as they call it in MLB, aka the Major Airlines. Funny thing is that now that prospect is out of reach because of the very position you aspire to, captain (note the lower case) on an rj, aka replacement jet! You have carved out a niche for yourselves that used to be the entry position at a Major but you are doing it now for much less pay, respect, lifestyle perks and the chance to fly something heavy. So in summary you are striving to get a crap job at some crap airline and have minimal chances of doing anything more! Hmmmm must sound good to somebody!
Funny, I ask every rj kid in my jumpseat if the rj is helping or hurting their careers and about 1/2 get it and the other Bambis don't. Why do you think the express, aka minors, like hiring inexperienced kids....cause they never understand they are getting screwed and abused!
Way to go sheeple!
Well, there's really no other way to get to the majors anymore. No matter how we got here, this is the way it is now. There's frankly very little we as pilots (at any level) can do about it.
I'm assuming you're sitting on your throne at a mainline carrier (comfortable complaining). You had a lot easier of a time making it to where you are now than any of us do.
Currently
Military: They're accepting far fewer OCS applications, and the size of the military is reduced substantially. Active duty guys from desert storm are in the reserves now, and we all know they're being deployed more and more to cover the full time guys.
Corporate: These jobs are nearly impossible to get, as everyone already knows.
135pax/freight: Also highly competitive...following the fact that there are just fewer jobs out there, as the industry has constantly contracted the last 10 years. Add the fact that you can mostly be assured of being home every night, and it's not a bad gig.
CFI: as a career? srsly? not for most, certainly not me (and certainly not you..since you're not doing it full time anymore i can assume)
This leaves us with the regionals. How else is someone who has the EXACT same dream/sickness/obsession as you supposed to get experience?
I don't assign blame to any pilot group/union/airline for what's happened to this industry, as it has been mostly economics that have driven our race to the bottom. Frankly it could be worse, look at England and their AWFUL low cost carrier obsession. (see "come fly with me", a hilarious BBC show on the absurdity of it all)
We're all in this together, and it takes guys in a position such as yourself, to get involved at APA, or DALPA or whomever you work for and PUSH for higher scope, tightening work rules and rebuilding this once AMAZING career.
It also takes guys like us at a regional, volunteering at our respective unions, and realizing that "career regional airline" is something made up by management to keep us working in the "minor leagues". For B1900 pay, flying CRJ900/EMB190s.
Regardless, to say that this is all "our fault" is just perpetuating this stupid cycle of "hate" that majors bestow on regional pilots, for things that are totally out of our control.
Most guys at regionals get it, do you sir?