Is this the worst you have ever seen it?
 

Well?
When I got out of flight school(dec 07) jobs were EVERYWHERE!
total 180
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It was much worse in the early 90s, when I graduated college. I couldn't even find an instructor to do CFI training for almost a year because no-one wanted the additional competition of another instructor.

Depends on what you mean by worst.

Post 9/11, the number of furloughs at one point hit over 10,000 pilots, which equated to a little over 10% of the pilot workforce. Some airlines (the old USair comes to mind) had 15% + of their pilots on the street, with dates of hire of furloughees going back to the late 80's, I believe.

The early 90's were a rough time. The early eighties were also extremely difficult, as well. One article I saw about that time period said it had the highest percentage of pilots on furlough in history.

I will say that this downturn is different. Post 9/11, there were a lot of low cost carriers and regionals that were hirring, even though the legacies were in deep trouble. Now there are very few airlines hirring, and no one is expanding at someone elses expense. But there are fewer furloughs (roughly half, I think) as there were post 9/11. At least as of right now. A lot more Regional pilots on the street than the industry is acustomed to.

So its bad - there are few jobs to be had, that's for sure. Is it the worst? Probably not. We'll have to see how it plays out to know for sure, though.

The thing that sucks is that we are supposed to be in the upturn, if you follow the early decade/late decade hiring trends of the last few decades. It was starting in 07. After slugging it out from 2001 onward, things were looking up. In 2007 the momentum was really picking up then age 65 passed and the economic downturn happened. So who knows if the early 2010's will see hiring or be slow until the late 2010's.

No, but I'd say the hiring trend was abnormally good a few years ago with mins too low really. What you see now is what it's really like. New dudes having to go out and fly CFI, pipeline, banners, etc., to build experience for the resume and next level of the career. In that way, it's a good thing...the furloughs, not so much.

I can't speak for the 80's or 90's but I can say there were more than a few regionals in 2006-07 who would hire you contingent on you passing your commercial check ride. Really unbelievable how this industry ebbs and flows. One day you can get hired by a regional even without your com. multi., now there are guys with 6k+ hours looking for CFI jobs again. Sad really.

Early 1990's
 

I graduated from my esteemed university aviation program just before the recession of the early 1990's. 80% of my graduating class never even got their first job as a pilot. I had to move several times. Flight schools were closing all over the place.

For 9 months I choose to live in my truck as I drove across the country in search of a flying job. Eventually a former student and I bought a 150 together and I began to instruct in it while still living in my truck. As a tip students would feed me lunch and let me crash on their couch for a day or two. No joke it was hard times but I was not about to let my dream go.

It took five years before things began to loosen up at the lower levels. I had officially given up, had an apartment and was working as a county firefighter when I received a job offer out of the blue for a flying job. It was a short contract but I did it anyway. Six months later I was back to crashing on peoples couches.

It took me 8 years to get to a regional airline. I was the lowest time guy in my class with 4000 hours.

Skyhigh

Early 80's Early 90's not so bad , 911 worst for the period of time .
Now is pretty bad.
Very difficult for everyone I know.
Aviation is a roller coaster, I only hope the future up side amplitude will at least match this present valley .

Slipped
I mean this in a good way but you have come along way from the guy who posted this.

"Cool The Plan
I am going to Ameriflight. I will obstenstibly be applying end of summer@135 mins with higher ME time.
What is upgrade time at right now? What is an outstation? What factors affect upgrade? Am I overly concerned with upgrade?

I am planning on staying~3 years my main goal being to get 1000PIC tubine and get an online college degree on the daily layover, then go to brown or purple.
The floor is open for comments or suggestions,
Thank you gentlemen."

I think this forum helped you grasp a more realistic expectation of the industry and the way it ebbs and flows. Having goals is great but always have a contingency.

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