For you and I, perhaps so.

But not for SH.

He has consistently advocated that continuing to pursue the golden ring cannot pay off for the typical pilot...and at his age, he more than fits into that category. His point is that it would be foolhardy to make this move...that the financial rewards will mature more slowly than his actual age...and that as a result, he'll always be behind the money curve.

That has been his argument from day one...and now he seemingly has done an about-face!

Indeed...maybe he can explain this.

 

No, he hasn't done an about-face. He's been saying all along how he'd happily take an offer from Alaska, despite all the negative aspects of the career he so thoroughly proliferates these boards with. It's pure irrationality, and I'm sure he'd admit to it, as well as explain that irrationality is precisely the trait needed to pursue the brass ring in the airlines.

 

It is a lot for Alaska Air but when compared to the 28,000 or so unemployed or underemployed pilots that are out there at any given time it isn't all that much. In order to see some real movement at the majors they all need to be hiring so that nationwide there is perhaps 5-7000 pilots hired.

Let's not forget that Alaska Air plans to hire that number over the next four years and this is after 4 years of near nil hiring. When you average all that out over the years it really dosen't amount to much.

Skyhigh

 

Let's not forget that I have already paid for my ticket. If the opportunity came up I would be a fool not to take it if offered at face value. It's not like I would run out and start from scratch as a brand new CFI. My perspectives haven't changed it still isn't worth all that.

At this point in my life I would do it just for the sake of achieving a life goal. The first thing I would do after clearing IOE is to run down to get my portrait taken in uniform. Hang that corny baby on the wall next to the obligatory print of an Alaska Airlines jet in flight. The odds of my sticking around after that for very long would be in question. I mean I am not crazy. I can make more on one house than I could for the entire year as an FO, but dreams are dreams.

SkyHigh

 

Are you trying to discredit him or genuinely interested in his answer? I can't tell since I don't really know you. My feeling is you and many others would like to have something to use / hold over Skyhigh (a personl attack against one of you, a off-colour remark, etc...) as a means to discredit him.

If he's done one thing its answer all with a sincerely and without mud-slinging. I hope he continues to do so in the future.


-LAFF

 

I agree. 35-40 years ago, the military was vigorously recruiting pilot candidates due to Vietnam -- the AF alone had ten UPT bases running at capacity. But there were plenty of applicants because of the draft lottery and the fact that (at that time) major airlines hired almost no civilians. Around 1/3 washed out of UPT. Airline jobs were plentiful in the late 70's, but if you ended up at the wrong company, you didn't get to KEEP the job very long. Deregulation probably killed as many pilot careers as it launched. I was a S/O for 7 years, and considered myself lucky. The list of vanished airlines is quite long.

Dickens wrote "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." Pick any era, and that quote probably applies. I agree with you that some of the unfortunate trends in the airline profession today seem to be permanent, but I also remember that we thought the same thing many times before. I expected to "see the big picture" when I retired. Nope.

 

No...I'm only saying that he has contradicted everything he has so profusely written on the subject of chasing the dream.

 

Dear Shackone,

Go and search what I have written. I have always maintained that I would take an opportunity at Alaska Airlines if given today, but I would not waste another day to start over in this profession. If UPS decided to offer me a job I would at least consider sitting through ground school and if nothing else the sim time would serve as a BFR.

I am addicted to flying like everyone else but I wouldn't sacrifice anything more to be there and most likely would not stay longer than it took to satisfy that old dream.


SkyHigh

 

Now see you lost me here SH. If you would jump at a chance at Alaska, why wouldnt you eagerly take UPS?

EDIT- I need to add something else here...


Everyone starts out on the lower list sometime in their life. Just because your getting a little older, and maybe having some mid life crisis, doesn't mean you should not be thrown on the bottom of the senority list and pay more dues. I understand you think you paid enough, but sometimes it just isn't.

 

Why would being hired at Alaska not be 'starting over'? How would that be different than starting out at UPS?