SkyHigh

I remember well the recession of 1991-1992. The effects of it lingered long after in aviation. I was in my mid-20's and freshly laid off from my flight instructing job in Anchorage. Even before things got bad it was still difficult to move up to the regionals or what then was called "commuter airlines".

I took a sweeping tour of the west and southwest. Searching every city I came to for a flying job. Every few days I would reach a new city and virtually wall paper every airport with my resume'. It took a lot to walk into a strange FBO in a sport coat with a single piece of paper in hand. From a mile off the receptionist knew what I was after and would try not to make eye contact. The awkward moment would eventually arrive when I would ask if they were hiring and would be greeted with a quick and sharp "no". I would still find a way to leave my resume' before moving on to the next company in line.

It seems crazy now but back then it was common for companies to sell jobs. I stopped in at King Aire Lines of Henderson Nevada on my grand tour. They told me that they were in fact hiring pilots and that Cessna 207 jobs only cost $5000 and the 402 was $15,500. If I had the money I probably would have done it. Some Flight Instructing FBO's in big cities were asking $5000 to work as a basic instructor and more if you wanted instrument and multi-engine privileges. There were a few companies back east that sold metroliner training for $17,000. After completing the program they promised an interview and the possibility of a job with almost never happened. Mesa Airlines sold very expensive ATP training and would occasionally offer a job interview if you did well enough. When hiring did resume in the late 1990's competitive minimums at the regionals were around 4000 hours plus 500 to 1000 hours of single pilot multi-engine IFR.

It took a long time before things began to change. Event then it wasn't all that different. It might seem like those were the dark ages when compared to the last few years in aviation. However the last few years were unique and probably will be remembered as the golden era of regional aviation hiring. The high minimums of the past are due to return. Pay for play jobs also might make a comeback. My point is that pilots who are preparing to enter the job market today should be braced for some extended hard times and a future that dose not resemble expectations that were forged over the last few years.

SkyHigh

Planespotta

I was waiting for you to temper the "whats ur favorite thing about an airplane?" thread with your characteristic doom and gloom. I guess this is it, and it sounds like it really belongs in the "Leaving the Career" section, anyways.

SkyHigh

I don't remember starting a thread about "having a favorite thing about an airplane." Maybe it does belong in the leaving the career section.

SkyHigh

Planespotta

Well, just ask de727 - he seems to know a whole ton of what you say

I was referring to the thread started by normajean21 the other day.

. . . Although I do remember that you started a thread about a year or so back about "I'm tired of being the bad guy - let's talk about what good about aviation." I bet it's hiding somewhere deep in the recesses of the Hangar Talk section . . .

wrxpilot

I have never heard of such a thing. Who was asking for flight instructors to pay to teach back then? I'd be amazed if this were all true rather than your usual doomer speak....

de727ups

Here's what he's talking about...

King Airelines, PFT outfit flying canyon tours out of LAS. There were other outfits in the canyon that were not PFT. Scenic, Lake Mead Air, Air Nevada, in LAS, Grand Canyon Airlines and Air Grand Canyon at the north rim. None were PFT, though many were entry level type jobs.

Wings Aloft at BFI, only flight school I've ever heard of that was PFT. You had to pay to be "standardized" to work there, or pay for an additional rating. Sky says "some" schools did this. I'd love to hear some facts. Some could mean "one", or even .01 percent. I'd maintain it has never been a practice at more than a stastically insignificant number of "FBO flight schools" here and there.

Mesa PACE program. Did the ATP in a Baron and if you passed, and they were hiring (which they always were back then), you had a good shot at an interview.

"I'd be amazed if this were all true rather than your usual doomer speak...."

There is always "some" truth...

In spite of it all, Sky somehow managed to get hired at Horizon and move on to a 757 job before he left the profession.

wrxpilot

I know that there were some PFT jobs back then (more than now), but I want to know specifically about PFT CFI jobs. Never heard of it before, and am frankly quite skeptical they ever existed.

de727ups

Trust me, Wings Aloft did it. They are a big flying club at BFI. I always thought it was a pretty good operation, but expensive. They played to the Microsoft crowd. I was surprised when I heard about the pay for play to be a CFI program, but it was on their website at the time. I think, at the time, they could be choosy about CFI's as it would have been a decent place to work with lots of students. Maybe they just figured they could make a buck off of guys who wanted to work there. Not sure what it's like, now.

wrxpilot

I wasn't doubting that it existed, I just didn't think it was prevalent at the time.

proskuneho

I also believe that regional hiring will be very competitive for 2009, but I can't see anyone realistically requiring "4000 hours plus 500 to 1000 hours of single pilot multi-engine IFR" these days. I'm sitting on almost 1100TT and 300 ME and over 1000 PIC - and I'm thinking I will probably have to wait as much as another year before I can work for an airline. Whenever I DO get an airline job, I imagine that upgrade times will be reasonable because of a rebounding economy and a wave of guys turning 65. I sure hope so. In the meantime, I'll keep flying and get back to work on my MBA as a backup. Everyone should have a fall-back plan!