Is it necessary to denigrate other factions of our profession in order to feel a sense of accomplishment for attaining your career goal?

If you want to used a sporting reference, second string or B-team implies inferior or maybe immature skills and/or lack of experience. You can't possibly think that's the case with us simply by virtue of being hired at FedEx. I would guess almost everyone on the high school football team aspires to make the varsity and play first string. That's not the case in aviation. The varsity team is in the eye of the beholder. I'm sure there are plenty of folks who don't want to work for a major airline or FedEx for that matter. They may have a great gig wherever they work or prefer to serve in the military.

I'm not proud of being hired at FedEx. I feel fortunate and blessed but not really proud. Yes, I worked hard for it but plenty of other pilots did too and just had worse timing or maybe lack of network.

 

Well said.. +1

 

i say again:

 

Kudos to the guys that wear the CIVILIAN lanyards

 

well at least they are the most accurate of all the non ALPA lanyards being toted around. Are we not ALL civilians when moving the freight?

I am still confused on the hat thing, I have not flown for quite a while, are there hats being worn/carried around now?

thanks

 

Hats here only typically come out when guys are getting fired up enough to take a stand. Hats are worn on picket lines. If everyone starts buying/wearing hats, it sends a message.

 

She reminds me of my ex wife.....

 

Why would you date/marry a woman that looks like that in the first place?

 

Funny. This reminds me of a conversation I had with an old timer once about lanyards.

He said, "Are you in the Marine Corps, sonny?"

And because I'm a stupid Marine, I said, "Uh, well, hm, it's just that, wait, what was the question again?"

Actually, that's not true. I snapped his neck instead.

Actually, that's not true either. I engaged in a conversation with him wondering what it would feel like to wrap my Marine Corps lanyard around his scrawny neck and choke off his oxygen supply. Ooh rah!

This job, be proud of it if you like, feel like you're on the A team or whatever, but it's still just a job. Conversely the Corps is a way of life, an ethos, and there's honor in that. If you weren't a Marine you don't get it. And if you were a Marine, here bad mouthing other Marines, you need a good old-fashioned blanket party. There is pride in us fat and disgusting non-300 pft'ers wearing that lanyard, and not so much with ALPA. A union is a necessary evil in place to prevent corporations from marauding our pay and benefits and quality of life. To believe that managers are intimidated by our lanyards is as foolish as believing that a Marine is intimidated when challenged for wearing his lanyard. Yeah, we're dumb and all and my not be, uhm, able to, er, put it into so many words, but that doesn't mean we're still not thinking of ways to choke you out. Ooh rah!

To be fair, where were you courageous old souls years ago when we were agreeing to operate fedex airplanes under parking-lot deals? These porous contracts should have been cemented years ago, but where was the leadership then?

So when an old timer comes up to me asking about my lanyard, mostly I just smile and say shucks, and hem and haw and kick the dirt, because as pappy used to say, "Never get into an argument with a fool, because they'll take you down to their level and beat you with experience."

Ooh rah, and don't forget to get some!

 

+1, and S.F!!!!