Doh! My bad. Seriously, no offense meant to anyone. Stupid iPhone auto correct. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

When I was at a regional I used to dry heave anytime someone mentioned part time pilots.

Part time flying isn't really a new idea. When my regional was short, the company called a couple of retired pilots for ferry flights. It completely undermines a negotiated contract for an airline to do this, and although I'd still do a 4 day per month, I would not be willing to undermine a pilot group for it.

I'd enjoy doing a 4 day once a month or so, but it completely undermines the profession. I'd rather be part of a better solution by sitting behind a desk chair with an ATP in my wallet than working for poverty wages. If / when getting back into an airline is financially possible for me, I'll do it.

 

Other airlines do the same thing.

 

It takes two to tango; the abusing company and the willing victim.

The information is out there. New career entrants know that they will be poor and treated like filth. I would say that we have lost the battle. The airlines know that we would sell ourselves cheap for the job. As such perhaps we need to acknowledge that it is a hobby job and come to the profession with our income and retirement needs already in place.

The regionals don't have to raise their wages much to attract more pilots. All they have to do is to pay just a little more than their competitors. In addition if they park planes due to a shortage of cheap pilots they can then increase fares. I would not expect a windfall. Either way the airlines are going to win and pilots will loose.

In addition China, India and in the Middle East governments and airlines are building massive pilot and mechanic factories. In a handful of years the world will be flooded with cheap third world pilots. My point is to not rely on this career to provide a living middle class lifestyle, retirement or stability. Set yourself up first before entering the career because it is not going to get any better. Very soon pilots will be competing against people who cook over coal and ride a bike to work.

Skyhigh

 

Are you suggesting that foreign governments are going to pay to train their pilots only to let them leave and fly for U.S. airlines, thus competing with U.S. pilots for major airline jobs here? That seems very implausible. I think they are gearing up to crew their own operations.

 

ATP
Type Rating
2500 TT
2000 121

I left as a regional captain in 2001. I joined a large police department in Texas and now I'm a detective in the Internal Affairs Unit pulling in $78,000 base with plenty of overtime available to supplement my income when I need a new toy.

I own a Beech Baron and get my jollies flying my family to exotic vacation destinations like San Antonio...and yes, I still give the captain speech through the intercom as my wife rolls her eyes.

Back to 121 flying? It's crossed my mind several times over the years, but you guys always knock me back into reality.

I'd need at least $40-$50K to start with a decent chance to get to a major within 4-5 yrs. The Regionals need to realize that pilots need to get paid not only for their skills but for the time away from family and the general BS they have to deal with that other professions do not!

 

True enough. I think we are starting to see more and more "victims" less and less willing (as far as regionals are concerned).

I would certainly advise any new entrants to come into this career debt free and with low overhead. Live simply, save and invest early and often, and don't count your chickens before they hatch. That has really helped me through some set backs. Even if your dream carrier sticks around for 30 years, your medical may not.

 

Higher pay will help airlines attract pilots needed to comply with new rules


A recently released report verifies what many have suspected when it comes to the supply of airline pilots: There are plenty of them. They just need to be paid a fair wage to get them into the cockpit.

Unfortunately, that fair wage isn’t on the near horizon where regional airlines are concerned, and they’re the ones complaining the loudest about a so-called pilot shortage. The solution may mean tickets cost more, but some items are worth paying for. Safety is one of them, and the knowledge that your pilot is fully trained, fully rested and fully capable of handling the aircraft in good and bad conditions should be worth something.

The subject of pilot pay came up again following a Government Accountability Office report on the pilot workforce. The upshot is that there is an ample supply of pilots. They just don’t want to work for peanuts, and who could blame them?

A draft copy of the report showed 109,465 pilots nationwide who have the qualifications to serve as a pilot or co-pilot on a commercial airline, but only 66,000 jobs for those pilots in 2012. There are another 105,000 who might be qualified once they log the 1,500 hours of flight time they need to become commercial airline pilots.

The flight time requirement is the result of a new rule Congress mandated after the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 in Clarence five years ago.

As News Washington bureau chief Jerry Zremski’s article showed, there has been a significant drop in pilot salaries nationwide. Average starting salaries for pilots in a survey of 14 regional airlines are $24 an hour. Rebecca L. Shaw, co-pilot of Flight 3407, made about $16,000 in her first year at Colgan Air, the Continental contractor that operated the aircraft.

And she couldn’t afford to live near her job. As earlier News reports indicated, Shaw commuted from Seattle to her airline job in Newark. That meant a redeye flight to New Jersey before starting her day co-piloting a plane full of passengers.

It is plain to see why the victims’ families fought so hard for rules changes and so disgraceful to listen to regional airlines complain about a lack of qualified pilots. The pilots are out there. They’re willing to fly, just not for the poor wages that keep airlines profitable while risking the lives of people in the air and on the ground.

According to the GAO, “No single measure can provide definitive evidence as to whether a labor shortage exists. Rather, these data can indicate the extent to which employers may have difficulty attracting people at the current wage rate.”

Airlines have figured how to charge for everything from bags to legroom to early boarding. Seems as if they can figure out a way to ensure that properly trained, reasonably paid and well-rested pilots are in the cockpit. Few would complain.



Higher pay will help airlines attract pilots needed to comply with new rules - Opinion - The Buffalo News

 

I totally understand. As we all know though it's already done to some extent, just within the confines of the contract...such as the pilot who drops everything except for one turn, or the senior guy bidding reserve so he can run his own business.

In the CP's comments, part of the issue would be pushback from the union...doesn't surprise me, and there's no hard feelings. I'm in a great place, I just know I work with several other ex-regional guys who'd happily swing gear for four days a month.

 

amen to that!