I thought the article was pretty good. Overall it certainly showed a slice of the worst of regional flying.... the one thing I didnt like was that the article left the impression that EVERY overnight was an 8+15 ordeal for regional pilots.... in 3 1/2 years of regional flying I did more than my share of reduced rest overnights... but they certainly were not the norm.

I am also not sure if I was currently flying for a regional that I would step out and make comments like that unless I was a union rep.

If you work for a company like that you probably should know what you are getting into. If I wouldn't be allowed to speak freely they are obviously worried about something.
The pilots I work with can speak to whoever about whatever part of the company they want.

Flying has become masstransportation, highly automated. Why pay more then a busdriver?

• Take commuting away, and how many of you would still be flying?
• ATP and First Class Medical with very few restrictions, how many of you would still be flying?
• Knowing what you know now before you signed up to become a pilot, how many of you would still be flying?
• Adjust hiring for a regional to require 2 years of unscheduled Part 135 in the Midwest, how many of you would still be flying?

I wish all of you the best, but take a reality check:eek:

1. I would
2. I would
3. I would
4. Again, I would.

Or unless it really sucked as bad as the article says.

Agreed, and if you highlight all the 12+ hour overnights and 2 leg days, where would that get us?

Oh I agree, but lets not pretend that every overnight we do is 8 hours... and every day we fly is 12-16 hours on duty. Some yes... too many...probably... everyday... not in my experience.

Is there room for the regs to be changed.....absolutely.

So what you're saying is any airline that requires their pilots to not talk to the media is a shady airline that has something to hide? :confused: That's ridiculous. Every company has someone who is designated to handle the media. Ya know, public relations?

As for the rest, the NTSB can stomp & scream all they want about "no commuting" & anything else for that matter. Until the FAA listens, the NTSB is wasting their breath. And even if they did want to disallow commuting there would be so many lawsuits it would take forever. Nothing will come of any of this except maybe new rest rules. Sadly, it will soon be forgotten and things will continue like they are now.

How many times after a fatal accident have we heard that this & that needs to change & it needs to change now, & 5+ years later still no change? What came of the Comair LEX accident? Fatigue was clearly a factor. Have they changed rest rules yet?

No offense Sir, but perhaps you should take a reality check.

Why pay more than a bus driver? We usually have more lives on an airplane to be responsible for. Let's not forget about the cost of the airplane as well relative to the cost of a bus. Our training is much more intense than that of a bus driver's. I'm willing to bet that bus drivers aren't subjected to the regs pilots are. A lot more things can go wrong on a plane than a bus also. And if things do go wrong on a bus, they can always pull over. Pilot's don't have that option. I'd be willing to bet that 100% of people who don't drive buses or fly airplanes would find that it's much, much easier to learn how to drive a bus.

Bus drivers don't have Autopilots...Why should we be paid more?

I find it hilarious that there's more arguments of why we shouldn't be paid more. God pilots are retarded.

Regardless of what's being spewed by the media..or by congress...I DON'T CARE if the media starts telling the public that we have reduced rest overnights every night, it's the NEGATIVE publicity that's needed to make our CRAP lifestyles better. Pour it on thicker, and the results can only be better.

Is nothing ever good enough?... for god's sake..this is the best push in the "right" direction the regional airline industry has gotten in a LONG time, and as has been echoed several times "we should take this ball and run with it".