TonyWilliams

I did that for a long time, and was able to fly and own some pretty cool planes. What are looking to get? The Beech Barons are a great value now, IMHO, but I'd probably get a Cirrus.

USMCFLYR

Nope - he would rather tell people how they should live.
And then uses innuendo, and sometimes comes right out, to insult those who chose to make aviation their lives.

USMCFLYR

GoPats

I don't see Sky insulting people trying to make a living in aviation. He's condemning the state of the profession and its impact on people's lives. I think it's something a lot of us can relate to.
What exactly is it (about his comments) that grill your cheese USMC?

HotMamaPilot

You really don't think this, do you? I think that you are misreading sky. He's not insulting anybody.

USMCFLYR

Then neither of you have read enough of his posts.
Sky knows who I talk about when we reference an old mutual friend.
He kept a record of Sky's famous sayings, to include the insults, and use to post them when someone like yourselves would look past the obvious.
I don't have the list and never started compiling one myself.
I point it out to him every time he does it. That is enough for me.
If you are interested enough I invite you to use the search function.
Maybe our old friend will even make a return visit someday and share some of Sky's jewels with us.

GoPat and HMP - I have often agreed with Sky's viewpoint and message and disagreed with his presentation, especially the insults. I fully standby my points and yes HMP - I really do believe this. It sounds like you guys can count yourselves among his converts. I hope you have more respect for the pilots that you are actually working and flying with on a regular basis.

USMCFLYR

SkyHigh

I have been offline for a bit on a family vacation.

On this trip I have discovered one thing that I am truly thankful for that aviation has given me. As a pilot I have learned to never feel comfortable hanging all my hopes and future security on the faith that a paycheck will always come.

As a pilot I have been kicked to the curb, laid off, underpaid, worked without benefits, lied too and left to fend for myself in regards to my retirement. I could not afford to reside in the belief that my career would take care of me and as a result I have developed an attitude of self reliance in regards to my security.

People who have enjoyed being able to place all their faith into a career only to have it jerked out from under them are in a hard place for sure and completely unprepared. As our world sinks further into despair these skills are increasingly becoming a benefit.

Skyhigh

SkyHigh

My intentions are to bring to light the negative things about the profession and industry not the people who are in it.

When I write that modern airliners do not need experienced pilots anymore. My aim it to make the point that as pilots we have lost a negotiating position. As a result our careers have permanently lost a measure of value.

If anything I am critical at times of the aspects of our personalities and culture that seduce us into making bad decisions.

Skyhigh

HotMamaPilot

I am not a "skyhigh convert", but I do back what he says 110%.
Also by raising the "management alert" flag on certain posts, I am simply calling out those who appear to be attempting to "blow sunshine up the rear" of novices in this business. I consider these people predators. If not management, then they are most certainly working for flight schools and are trying to lure (and steal from) innocent and unsuspecting potential students.
One cannot possibly sit down with a pad of paper and a pencil and justify investing in this career (not to mention the social impact on ones life).
As for me, why am I in this business? I live at base and I didn't pay for my training (parents did). I got "lucky" and ended up at a decent "airline". But I wouldn't expect this to happen to but one of 10,000.

GoPats

It seems to me that a lot of the negative comments about the state of the industry (key distinction here - the industry NOT the flying passion) are hitting a nerve with some.
I said before, I miss the planes I don't miss the profession. It's disappointing to a lot of us that our childhood dream has been so corrupted by all kinds of influences. Maybe it was never ideal to begin with, I don't know. What I do know is that there predators out there who are more than happy to relieve starry-eyed kids of a lot of money for training followed by the corporate predators who understand very well what the bait is for the regional airlines.
Many try to suck it up and hope that the regional airlines are only a short stepping stone to that "job with a major". For some it will be. For others it won't.

tomgoodman

GoPats,

"Negative comments about the state of the industry" are well-justified. Insults directed at the pilots who choose to stay in the industry and attempt to improve it are not justified. This is USMCFLYR's point, but unless you do as he suggests and use the search function for terms like "sociopath" and "automaton", you won't believe that Skyhigh really used those epithets against his fellow pilots. The posts are still there, and USMCFLYR is telling the truth about them.