Originally Posted by airtaxi101 (Post 1846437)

EAS=Welfare air. Gotta love Crony capitalism....

Originally Posted by Cubdriver (Post 1846266)

I thought it was incredible they got the FAA to sign off on the 135 exemption. Goes to show how flexible the FAA can be with airlines when they want to be.

Originally Posted by USMCFLYR (Post 1846483)

They insisted that Great Lakes configure their aircraft like any other P135 operator.

It was GL that tried to get around actually removing their seats. The FAA stood firm that if they wanted to act like a P135 carrier that they BECOME a P135 carrier (at least on those specificed routes)

Their aircraft still flying P121 lines fly under those the appropriate rules are they not?

Originally Posted by ClickClickBoom (Post 1846450)

Quite a bit of your "Welfare Air" goes to move those miserable people who grow your food. Farm and rural folk pay money in the form of taxes, until the air transportation industry pays for every segment of their business, via fees and taxes, those "welfare air" folks get a shot at the transportation industry they support via taxes.

Originally Posted by Cubdriver (Post 1846489)

Well I do not get much inside data from there, but what you say sounds correct from what people say here about it.

The three main problems I have with it are

(1) it's is none other than a workaround of FAA rules (the ATP Rule) which are specifically intended to increase regional airline safety.
(2) the paying passengers do not know what is going on and probably would not like this if they did know what it means for them, and
(3) if the CA goes kaput you have a 250 (500?) hour wonder in charge of a dozen paying passengers in a Beech 1900 going 250kts in potentially bad weather with no certified gps or even a working autopilot.

Is it legal? Apparently. Is it safe? There is reason to doubt and/or debate that.

Originally Posted by bedrock (Post 1846492)

Can you explain this about EAS, I thought the taxes on the airline tickets pay for the govt. svcs such as airport fees and atc. Also, couldn't the farm folks drive to a bigger city to get service? I can think of a few places that got EAS and are within 2-3 hrs drive of a city with airline service.

Originally Posted by FlyingKat (Post 1845750)

What Enzi fails to address is the fact that people are no longer willing to invest upwards of $100,000 to get into this career and make $18-$24000 a year to start when they can invest the same amount of money in another profession and make significantly more money to start and over the lifetime of their career. Until compensation improves to the point that putting money into this career becomes a smart investment, this will never get better.

Originally Posted by Fegelein (Post 1846550)

You don't need to "invest" $100,000+ to get into this career. I paid around $10K for my private, instrument, commercial and multiengine ratings and was at a major 5 years later.