Your post, sir, is right on target as well.

I did not make it to my condo so I never got to meet these two guys and ask them how their job search is coming along. These are extraordinarily difficult times, not just in aviation, but in all sectors and every profession. It is easy to say these two are prostituting themselves and lowering the bar, but does anybody have any real suggestions for them? What are they supposed to do? Take a job at McDonald's? Note that they have not had a single nibble from any corporation or airline, let alone be able to fly for food only. To be honest, I think the "will fly for food" poster is nothing more than a gimmick to attract attention. A staff member from a nearby food bank approached them, but they declined the offer of free food.

Washington's Employment Security Department (aka unemployment office) has this new program called Self Employment Assistance Program (SEAP). Perhaps these two fellows can take advantage of this program.

There is no shame in any occupation where one can earn a wage, and eat too. In the '70s when airline furlough was rampant, those displaced sort work where ever they could, and not for food, but for a wage.

It's tough not be be trained in another profession to hedge one's bet during one's hiatus from a flying career.

Unemployed
 

I was laid off in November of 2002 as a 757-200 First Officer. Since then I have had a few job offers. A local FBO wanted me to fly their kingair and run the office at $1700 per month. A local flight school extended an offer of $22 per hour to conduct stage checks. A farmer offered me 30K to fly a kingair and work in the potato shed when not flying, however I am sticking to my guns. I will not accept a lessor job.

I am an experienced professional and am holding to my professional expectations. I need a job that will replace the income that I can make doing other things and permits me to maintain a satisfactory quality of life. The problem it that those kinds of jobs are getting harder to find.

My guess is that whenever an airline furloughs or laid off pilots a third will find another job, another third will take a lessor position and the remaining third will never fly professionally again. I imagine that I will be on a perpetual job search.

Skyhigh

no pride or self respect in a land of the greatest opportunity on earth, this mindset IS the cancer in the industry both 91 and 121..

yes sir, just sad.

At least they're "flying for food", it could be worse, they could offer to fly for FREE just to stay current and/or maybe log some turbine time.

We might see this scenario unfold at some flight department; "hi John, thanks for coming in, we need you to fly for food in order for us to stay competitive with other flight deparments"

I am very curious. If you will not accept a lessor job, just what exactly are you doing now that will replace the income you expect to make? Do you have a family to feed? Mortgage? Everyday life expenses? If you were a 75 FO, you should have been making pretty good money, even back then. So what do you do now? Not trying to be nosy, just curious.

Mr SkyHigh
Your are my hero, You got it Sir, and a person with your training and profession can not except any job..

I'm a little confused, and I apologize if I'm missing something here. You were laid off all the way back in 2002 and the best jobs you found were those listed above? You're kidding, right? The regionals were hiring like crazy during that time! I got hired at Skywest in '01 and left there last year making over 90k a year as a senior RJ Captain. Did you not apply to any regional airlines during that time?

It was time to go
 

Cycle,

Most of us probably agree that Skyhigh made the right decision for himself and his family. By 2002, he had discovered that almost no pilot job was likely to provide the income and lifestyle that he sought, at least not within an acceptable amount of time. His personal requirements in these areas were more stringent than most of us insist upon, but they should be respected. The layoff triggered his decision to seek a different career, a decision that, based on his posts, he would eventually have reached anyway.