I completely agree with this. No one should have to sleep in their airplanes or work under such conditions as they do. But my question to you is this: What is the alternative? The working conditions are a result of market forces driven by supply and demand. Any time market forces are artificially modified, imbalances will develop, as in the recent struggles of Comair and XJT. I myself worked at Great Lakes for 8 months before I got to XJT. When I first applied at Great Lakes I had 700 hrs and 60 multi and actually made more money at Lakes than I did flight instructing. What was I to do? Sure the conditions at Lakes suck (although we would never even think about sleeping in the airplanes or paying for our hotel rooms even sometimes) but because the conditions were such, I was able to get a job. If they were better, the job opportunity would not have been there. Most people at Lakes appreciate being there and understand that if the pay were better the opportunity would not have been there. Once again, I agree with you but in your opinion, what should I have done?

Be a CFI longer, fly part 135. Anything. I refuse to work for poor conditions. I worked my butt off to be a professional at what I do and refues to sell my soul for a position. I had over 300 applications out there and turned down many of them before I ended up where I am flight instructing. I wanted a job that paid me well for the hard work I put in and here I get that. I'll stay here till I find a job that offers me a good QOL. Now i'm not ignorant to the fact that a regional is going to suck no matter where you go for the first year... But when I go to one it's going to be to one that has the best pay/QOL and not to one just because they offered me the job. It might take a few time applying ect., but sooner or later I'll get there. All things in time.

So working as an instructor (one of the most highly skilled professions out there) for $14 per hour is ok? What about putting in 10 to 12 hours at the school to get paid for 4 or 5? How is this any different? Whats the difference between flying 135 and flying Beech 1900's for Lakes besides a few regulations? Also, I loved working for Lakes and wouldn't trade the experience for anything. I wouldn't trade my experiences shooting NDB approaches in 40 knots of wind in a snow storm with a DME arc for many things at all and not only because it was "hard" but because it was a lot of fun. How can you tell me I should've stayed instructing?

First off don't mock being an instructor. How do you think you got where you are? And yes before selling out to a place making no money working for conditions that make it hard for the indrustry to get better is not a great idea. Like I said I had over 300 resumes out there and turned down dozens of jobs before I accepted this one. You chose to work at $14 per hour putting in 10-12hrs and getting paid for 4 or 5. You chose that. You should have held out for better. There is no excuse for working at a place that has poor conditions. Being a professional pilot from the CFI level on up is something that demands respect. Not just from the general public but from the pilots as well. Accepting low paying wages at one job is screwing the industry. You took the position because of the low hiring mins, made less, bad conditions, didn't care. So yes. You sold out.

Umm, why? Because you get paid to do another's hobby? Do you respect someone who flies for GoJets?

Respect is earned, not automatic.

Spongebob

Funny; I don't remember mocking CFIs. CFI is a great occupation. I loved being one and would have stayed one for a long time if I could. In fact my ultimate goal is to be a flight instructor at an airline. I am just saying that CFIs are underpaid (mabye not you) as a whole and I think that most of them would agree with me. By the way, I never sold out. I did what I wanted to do and did not cut any corners in my career. In fact worked really hard at Lakes and got more experience than I ever could being an instructor, which by the way is a great and respectable occupation. I would never look down at a CFI no matter what his working conditions are. Teaching is something one loves, just like flying.(do you look down on public school teachers because they are underpaid but do it anyway?)
.. and you shouldn't look down on a 1900 pilot.. after all, how much money can you squeeze out of 19 people travelling 150miles? What I'm saying is being an underpaid Regional airline pilot is no different than being an underpaid flight instructor.

Funny; I don't remember mocking CFIs. CFI is a great occupation. I loved being one and would have stayed one for a long time if I could. In fact my ultimate goal is to be a flight instructor at an airline. I am just saying that CFIs are underpaid (mabye not you) as a whole and I think that most of them would agree with me. By the way, I never sold out. I did what I wanted to do and did not cut any corners in my career. In fact worked really hard at Lakes and got more experience than I ever could being an instructor, which by the way is a great and respectable occupation. I would never look down at a CFI no matter what his working conditions are. Teaching is something one loves, just like flying.(do you look down on public school teachers because they are underpaid but do it anyway?)
.. and you shouldn't look down on a 1900 pilot.. after all, how much money can you squeeze out of 19 people travelling 150miles? What I'm saying is being an underpaid Regional airline pilot is no different than being an underpaid flight instructor.

I know it isn't automatic. You didn't interpret the statement correctly. GoJets and pilots of that nature are who I was refering to that need to show more respect for the profession.

Why shouldn't this job be treated with some respect? If it's someone's hobby then they aren't a professional at it. You see this job as something that everyone can do but that's because you are surrounded by people who do it.

There were 567,000 physicians and surgeons in 2004.

Lawyers held about 735,000 jobs in 2004

Civilian aircraft pilots and flight engineers held about 106,000 jobs in 2004. About 84,000 worked as airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers.

There are fewer pilots than these other professions people here seem to hold in such high regard. One of my buddies from college is in medschool. He's doing good and will be a great doctor. He admires what I do and doesn't think to highly of being a doctor.

I have 4 friends that are becoming lawyers and while they like law they still tell me how amazed they are I've made it this far and how they could never do it.

The point is they are amazed at what I do because they don't do it. To me it's just a job. I'm amazed at what they do because I would never think I could do it but to them it's just a job. Why? Because we all busted our butts to get here. Studied forever, took exams, went to college ect. to get where we are at. We don't feel "lucky" to be where we're at because we earned it. The grass is always greener on the other side. I remember when I was a kid I'd look into the cockpit and see all those dials and switches and think it was impossible to know all that stuff and thought the highest of the guys up there. Many adults I talk to still think that same way.

So YES. I think our profession deserves respect. The people I talk to respect it. Respect us. It only appears to be the pilots that don't seem to show any respect. Those that just talk it down, and those that screw us by working for crappy companies under crappy conditions.

That's what that came off as. My mistake if not.

Lets not kid ourselves, Comparing the training and career progression of a doctor and a pilot is ludicrous. Do you see any 90 day accelerated training programs for doctors?

The fact of the matter is that plenty of guys go through the ATP programs and make just as good a pilot as myself who took 3 years to get my first pax flying gig.

I would challenge anybody out there to find a doctor that finished school in less than a year. (Doogie Howser doesn't count)