AKfreighter

I was always a big fan of SAABorowski's posts! Here's hoping everyone looking elsewhere finds what they want, and everyone thinking about moving on can weigh the pros and cons clearly.

Boomer

I heard ng4 is trying to get out at Comair, but the folks in ATL/MSP say he has to stay for a second term. Maybe in October?

jsled

It all depends on your situation, but I will ride her into the ground!! Been in the airline biz since '91 and it has been an e-ticket roller coaster ride. Been on top of the world and in the gutter - 25 new hires per week and 2000+ furloughs. Best pay - worst pay....crazy shizit. But I am not even close to walking away...I know, I am not stuck in a regional right seat or furloughed...but for me, flying jets is where its at and I would go to China to do it if I had to. C-mon fellas, December 2012 is not far away. Thats when all the gummers start to retire. Then the majors will be hiring like crazy just to keep the jets flying.

jsled

I moved up 3600 numbers in 12 years here at UAL. And that kind of movement will continue when mandatory retirements resume. That is a statistical fact, not some pipe dream Riddle spews. Just over 20% of the pilots will be forced to retire here between 2013 and 2017 and the numbers are similar at other majors.

As for family and friends, I have enjoyed flying my family for FREE (incentive passes) or for a few bucks several times a year to many memorable vacations or catching a jumpseat to another city to watch a ballgame with buds. This job makes that possible, at least for me.

Mach X

A few years ago the retirement age was 60 years old. Now it is 65. Nothing is guaranteed, but something will have to give.

And I can definitely say UND never promised me anything, can't speak for the other organizations.

iPilot

Looks like someone's got a case of the Mondays

NightIP

^ Nice job. Get a photobucket account for forum pic trolling, haha.

Anyway, there's more to this career than flying RJs around. I was furloughed from XJT in 2008, and frankly, it's been the best thing that's happened to me. I went off to Cape Air and fly the completely humble and non-glamarous C402. However, it pays the bills well enough and I'm home every night. I can honestly say that I'm much happier driving around my martini shaker 402 than I was flying an RJ. That's just me, though. This won't be a career stop for me, but after a year and a half of banging around through the weather in the northeast (with a little stint in the Caribbean), I still enjoy going to work. Couldn't say the same about being home long enough to do my laundry before turning around and doing it again.

Plenty of flying opportunities out there besides RJs. Just do what makes you happy.

Tony Nelson

That should just about get all the furloughees back so there will be no new hiring until 2017.

BoilerUP

I've been saying that since Capt. Frank Mayne (ALPA Education Chair) retired from Delta and ALPA's presence at aviation universities (at least at Purdue) pretty much dried up.

OTOH, while I think the sometimes harsh *reality* of a regional airline job needs to be driven home...I don't think it all needs to be doom and gloom, because its not.

My colleague and I try to get to Purdue at least once a year to chat with seniors about careers in business aviation...because despite having the two King Airs and Beechjet (for now, anyway) bizav careers are sorely overlooked.

I worked for AWAC from very early 2006 through Thanksgiving 2007, and while I enjoyed the company and the crews, I had to leap on a job in a location my wife and I wanted to live in...especially with the sizable raise it came with. Less than 4 months after being hired I was made Chief Pilot, helped hire a new pilot, oversaw the acquisition of a brand-new jet and have been flying said airplane for over a year now. I work for a small company with great management and a pilot-friendly owner, work an average of 15 days/mo (fly/RON/office), have a company credit card for all my expenses while working and, in the biggest change from 121, am constantly reminded how I'm an asset to the company...not a liability.

I'm also just 26 years old.

I don't say that to brag about being "good" - believe me folks here who personally know me will vouch to that - I was just lucky with good timing, and happened to be networked enough to help me get the job at AWAC and my current position.

All that said...I could hang it up tomorrow and while I'd miss it for a little while, it wouldn't be the end of my world.

JoeyMeatballs

What also scare me is if there ever is truly a small shortage of pilots, whats coming around the corner???????? cabotage, its kind of the elephant in the room, but it is a real concern. I guarantee that would really start to shine its ugly head if the US for some odd reason was short on pilots. Open skies and Intl' codesharing anyone?

What really bothers me is seeing some guys move on to the majors with such little time at the regional, or flying with a Captain who really has no business in the left seat. Its not envy per se, its knowing that no matter how safe I am, or how well I know the systems, or how well I can circle to 29 in newark when its gusting to 50, it does not mean a ******* thing, only your seniority number. It is so difficult to be motivated when I know upgrade is years away (if not farther away), I have 0 control of my destiny as an airline pilot. If I was a talentless, had no personality, and was mediocre at best at flying, I wouldn't mind the airlines, however I don't think thats the case.

It really kills me to see people I grew up with buying houses, going on vacation, raising kids, all the while I am going back and forth with payroll , crew scheduling, the chief pilots etc., it really has just pushed me away