Fantastic description. Thanks!

Also, to Jetblast. What do you expect a CFI who makes the same amount of money to do? Making 20k flying students around cheating death everyday or make 18k flying a turbine aircraft? I am not saying that this industry is correct, because it is absolutely not, but how can you fault someone for doing that? I will make about the same flying at Pinnacle and I hate that fact...but its a jet! I know the jet fever will wear off but by then I should be upgrading at these poor paying airlines. I don't plan to spend my life at this airline as well. They know that and thats why they won't pay any more. I think blaming pilots is not the answer here. We need to be more unified as a pilot group.
Bring on the flame.

 

It's actually kind of sad reading these Pinnacle pilots desperately try to rationalize working for 9E. JetBlast was right on the money saying people who go to places like Pinnacle and Colgan are contributing to the downfall of the industry. No regional airline is fantastic--not mine or even JB's--but there are those who are the reason the rest of us can't get better work rules and compensation. I have no sympathy for someone who knowingly went to a company where you have to "check-out" as a line holder. What a joke.

 

It is people like you who don't understand and this is why places like Colgan stay in business. If you want to make a career in this industry you have a responsibility to turn down companies like this and wait until you can get into one of the few companies that are striving for something better. The more pilots like you who will take these jobs just to get out of instructing, the more companies will continue to lower wages because they know people will accept it. Don't you want a higher paying mainline job to be available for you in the future? What you guys don't understand is if you keep accepting these wages you are KILLING the career progression for yourself and all of us. Sure, you might make it to a major in 3-5 years flying a "larger" aircraft. But your pay will be $40/hour instead of $70-80. You'll be making 40K a year to fly an E-190 or a Q1000 with a hundred seats.

You guys that haven't made it to the industry just don't understand this. You don't understand that you are BETTER OFF instructing for 20K a year and are actually risking your life LESS than if you take a job at places like colgan. At least as a CFI you're home every night and you're actually contributing to the knowledge of other perspective students. Working at colgan, you'll take home 11K a year flying aircraft that are maintained so poorly that if you actually knew what went on you'd be horrified. Not to mention you'll be home 6-8 days a month depending on if you're commuting or not, making LESS than your CFI salary! These companies will NEVER go away unless people start standing up and saying NO. I was hired at colgan but turned it down, and I waited until I could go somewhere that would at least pay/treat me what I was worth. The choice is yours my friend. I GUARENTEE you will wake up one day in the near future and deeply regret your decision to go there once you realize what you've gotten into. Keep the flames coming, I only speak the truth.

 

Would you mind walking my resume in to your fantastic regional then, please? I'd like to get back into the seat of a turbine powered aircraft after being on furlough for 9 months.

 

This is sent from a silly iPad so excuse the typos/format.

I'm writing this to defend the CFI who goes to work at an outfit like pinnacle or colgan.

I have them beat. I went to Great Lakes (1999)

I was CFIing in Las Vegas, fresh out of college, making 25 bucks an hour, all cash and no taxes. I did it for 1 full year and was totally fed up with it by that point. Back then, (1999), the only places that would hire a CFI with 100 multi were Lakes, Mesaba, and Co EX (IF you paid for your own training!!). I ruled out Co EX because of the PFT and had interviews at Lakes and Mesaba. I was turned down at mesaba and hired by lakes, and so i went. 11 years, and 4 airlines later, I'm happy with my position.

Sometimes you aren't offered a choice. CFIing gets damn old as well as useless after a while. 2000+ hrs in a 172 simply doesn't help. It's a use/use situation. The airline KNOWS they are using you. It was told to me, during my Lakes interview, point blank: WE don't WANT YOU here longer than 3 years. Upgrade ASAP, get your 1000 PIC turbine, and QUIT. Again, that's what the interviews told me to my face during the interview. My response, YOU GOT IT.

You can use the crappy airline just as they use you. In my case, I stayed 6 months, logged 500 SIC turbine, and quit for a "decent" regional (if there is such a thing....)

The Lakes, Pinnacles, Colgans of the world aren't going to go away. Use them for some turbine time and quit.

 

grow up and get over yourself. I went there because it paid $6/hour more than mighty ExpressJet job I was offered at the time and I lived in base. So any pay rate I would have gotten at your golden ASA would have been erased by commuting/moving cost of living in ATL vs MEM hub. So what yellow brick road to the regionals did you follow to get on your regional throne?

Oh by the way I have not been Junior Manned by having to check out in my 5-6 years as CA at Pinnacle. I'm sure If i talk to a junior guy at your airline he will have things to ***** about too...

some "know it all high and mightys" here don't realize that yesterdays doorstep is today's place to be, and vice versa, because they are too inexperienced to have been through it. Talk to any FedEx pilot who has been there since prior to '79 and see how stellar a place that was to work, and how many seriously considered leaving FedEx for a corporate gig or re enlisting in the military. This regional business has its cycles....

 

Colgan is all but gone, and the pilots at 9E have spent 5 1/2 long years proving they are not going to settle for crap anymore.

My guess is that those guys will soon have a decent contract by regional standards, not that you can brag about being at a regional anyway.

 

+1...what he said

 

So what happens if you wait for the great paying regional with great work rules...

and wake up 8 years later to realize you'd be at a major by now if you went to a crappy regional?

 

1,000 Turbine PIC that's what the majors want right? When did the majors hire last? How many regional/corporate pilots are out there with over 5,000 Jet PIC. I don't think the quick upgrades are going to pay off as people think. Making it to the majors in 5 years might take a long time to happen, but who knows, we shall see the way it goes, hope we all make it there sooner than latter...