Or the TWA folk prior to that? What's your point.

Why is everyone talking about CFI as a fallback? If you can't afford to drive around, the airlines can't afford to fly you around where does the logic come in that the CFI world will not be impacted?

This is some of the worst logic I have seen in a while. Where are all the motivated future airline pilots going to come from if there are no jobs to go into and the cost of flying is doubled?

This whole topic is a double negative.

 

sorry man, theres no way you have a guaranteed job, esp. from WMU. they have never offered and will never offer an incentive like that. what did you take the jet course or something?? doesn't automatically get you in anywhere. and you are just a junior, freaking graduate. you spend all that money flying the cirrus/seminole/seneca and paying for your education that you are just gonna stop in the middle?? that does not sound like a smart thing to do. and plus, you are not gonna be making $29 an hour unless you are flying the twin. and if you look at the way the industry is right now, the chance of finding a MEI slot there is slim to none. heck, they arent even looking for CFI's right now. thats gotta tell you something. especially the way CFI's were leaving last year. personally, i wouldnt stay at WMU to instruct. i obviously didn't. yea its structured and organized and all that crap, the politics are not worth it. I left, and get paid and fly a ton more than I would have at WMU. Those winters are darn right harsh. they took the stipend pay away last year too. have fun flying 10 hours a month in the dead of a Michigan winter....

 

Yea a contract would obviously be very sweet. I just dont know much longer I should wait to hear either the good (that classes are back on) or the bad (look what happened to air whiskey today). I took an LOA from my prev job to go to Pinnacle groundschool "just in case"..... that may've been my smartest move yet! But still, I can't go on sitting on my ass for too long.

 

Well...I've heard a rumor that we had a couple FOs (SJSers probably) who freaked out after the ATL contract was initially pulled, and jumped ship at 9E for Comair, and now are getting f-loughed at Comair. Just goes to show you it's better to wait it out than give up your number...even if your number happens to be in a pool somewhere.

What do you have to lose by staying in our hiring pool? You can always go somewhere else if they hire you first.

 

this was not a rumor. several (around 8 or so) guys left back when a the announcement was made. and a few of them did go to comair. and now they will be on the street. you are right. this is not the time to start bailing. even with the market going the way it is you dont pull your 401k out of the market. you just wait for the upturn again. and i feel really bad for those poor guys whos time it is to retire on the downturn.

 

I don't feel bad for anyone who left 9E for Comair after the announcement though...I would never wish an f-lough on anyone, but it was pretty premature to bail and go to Comair like that...seal your own fate!

I think I might have known one of those guys, and he was wayyyy low down the FO list in MEM...he wasn't on the bid list this month and he always seemed "shifty."

 

the $29/hr is not only for mei's you have to give 700 hrs dual AT WMU to get the $29/hr. It doesn't matter what you're instructing in... but obviously it would take a long time to do that at western with the winters.

 

If I ever have to fall back on my CFI I'm going to Sierra or JC Air in Cali...both schools operate primarily off of Asian students who are fully sponsored by big carriers back home...they're well funded, pay is good, and housing is free. Plus Asian carriers are still doing OK so there should still be a steady stream of students (one of the reasons they're using all that jet A and gas that's driving up prices here!).

 

Who is JC Air?

 

my apologies for the wrong info...