I think pay in those days is a bit overrated. In 1986 a L011 CA made about 160,000 a year. Cuts had not hit the top at that point. Inflation calculator pegs that at 360,000 a year today. A 350 CA flying his basic line will make about the same. Add in PS and it’s more.

 

A ‘74 El Dorado Convertable was 7800 and change in 1974. 400 bucks for the optional 8 track

 

My fantastic retirement plan went "Poof" fifteen years after I retired. Only a handful of guys ever had 40 years of benefits. #1 on the list got his 25 year pin in 1965.

 

I paid $13,000 for a new Pantera in "74, 42 months of payments. An unheard of length of time for a car.

 

It can't be compared until interest rates normalize. Right now the 1986 Captain is making considerably more money.

 

The current 16 to 18% DC plan should produce a benefit approx. equal to the old 60% FAE plan.

 

Now you're just ranting, and it's difficult to understand you. Be more specific in your examples, because "there was much sacrificed" doesn't hold much weight. What was sacrificed, by whom, and for whom?

A poor decision made under difficult circumstances is still a poor decision. Anybody in this industry should understand that. Therefore, I don't care if you don't take kindly to me explaining the truthful history and consequences of the decisions made. If you want someone to pretty up the story so it looks better for you, please ask someone else.

 

Can you explain that. Interest rates were really high in 1986. You also need to keep in mind that the current Captain can earn far more with the options for premium pay. We have lots of pilots exceeding 500 and even a few over 600K. I tried however to compare apples to apples.

 

If a newbie applied both the DC and PS to investments/retirement it could potentially be a bunchadough! Hopefully they won't revisit 5yr B-scale, 9-11, multiple market dumps, BK, Pension termination, targeted DC, 5yr stag due to changing retirement age... Note to newbies: save some dough cause you never know. OFG

 

I'm not the one that made the claim that 'everyone knows that more military people die during their training than civilians do.' The onus is not on me to back the numbers up. I never made the claim.

The issue I want to bring up is that having an argument about civilian vs military and whose balls are bigger will net you nothing.

A person should be more about how they treat people after the journey is complete.

As I cross the finish line of a marathon, I'm not going to look at the guy or gal that finishes next to me and start telling him he wasn't as good an athlete because he chose to do high altitude training while I chose to do pool training. We both finished the race at the same time. Instead, I'll meet up with him at the beer tent afterwards and share stories and find out what he learned while running in the mountains. And he'll probably ask me what I learned while I was pounding laps at the LA Fitness. And we'll have a good time.

The insecure will start screaming about how their training is the best, and everyone else is a lesser person for not doing it "their way."