True, and I hope A4A fights alongside ALPA against any increase in the retirement age (again).

Prater fought ... ?

I guess if your consider Jeff Gordon a fighter. ... (and I like Jeff ... good pilot)

IMHO we need a good ol' AJ Foyt style ***** slap.

Rule 1 - Leave the Helmet on, visor down (to avoid the grab and pull)
Rule 2 - Kick 'em in the nuts

BB for ALPA Pres!

Another reason for flip-down visors on all pilot hats.

Obviously there are some qualified rated pilots...the point is, in many countries abroad, there is no deep pool of qualified rated applicants airlines can reliably draw from, thus the ab-initio programs.

You're right on with the desire of those airlines to produce Lufthansa or ANA pilots from the ground up (ab-initio) because these airlines view their training/standards departments as part of the airlines culture.

Those newhires are being mentored to be line pilots by senior Captains. By the time they hit the line they fit right in because of this mentoring, so to them any previous training is more like a pre-existing condition.

Cheers
George

After the demise of IGS, to be hired as a FA...Lufthansa required them to be German citizens perhaps the requirement is the same for pilots.

That's simply not the case if the screening is done right...
ANAs training is even an ISO 9001 certified process with washout rates well below 1:100.

Agree completely about your sentiments on representing the existing DCI pilots, but there is a difference between a pilot hired by an outsourced company and a pilot hired by Delta and placed with a regional as part of a seniority agreement.

In the end the benefit of a national union is to get everybody on the same page and work towards a shared goal. With some notable exceptions, many of the current crop of regional pilots applied at their carrier as part of a career step towards working for a major airline.

By incentivizing ALPA represented regional carriers with preferred hiring/interviews, we provide a carrot to prospective pilots to choose an ALPA represented regional.

It is in ALPAs interest to expand that incentive.
So long as ALPA is our bargaining agent having ALPA succeed is beneficial for Delta pilots.
Having a "race to the bottom" among regionals is not in Delta pilots interest, even if it "saves Delta money."

Cheers
George

David Cutcliff?

The military pilots of Europe are at something of a disadvantage compared to civilian only and certainly compared to the US. Most former Soviet satellites require 20 years of service for sending you to an academy and pilot training...Several of these satellites are now NATO (aka western) countries. My understanding is that even after retirement, about all they can hope for is a regional (equivalent) or a Ryan air type job. I could be incorrect, but I believe even France requires a career out of military pilot trainees. So, my point is, their system for military pilots is different than ours. By simply joining the military as a pilot, there is a very, very limited career opportunity at an airline.

The civil pilots I knew in Europe did anything and everything to build flight time. Interestingly, those countries are small enough - and their aviation communities are even smaller - so many military pilots know their civil counterparts quite well and vice versa. There is significant overlap in the recreational flying between each.

OTOH, wasn't their an academy affiliated with DAL that guaranteed graduates a job instructing and later guaranteed them an interview at a particular regional?

Although I don't hold out much hope that ALPA will use this opportunity to our advantage, they really ought to take a page from the American Medical Association.

You can't practice medicine, pass laws, stay certified, and a plethora of other mandates unless you go get the blessing by the AMA. Heck, you can't even get basic antibiotics from a pharmacist without a prescription. I know, nurse practitioners can prescribe in some states, but all must be under the umbrella of a physician and many can't prescribe narcotics.

Kill your patient? The AMA vigorously defends its members from liability. They are deeply involved with the process from undergraduate through residency. They have the political power to get it done and prevent outsourcing in their ranks. But it's true, that profession isn't what it used to be either, although they certainly have outpaced us in recent years.

I do think the ALPA should get involved in the process, even if it's just an ancillary role.

That's some mighty fine underboob. Especially the bottom part of the picture.:D