This is going to be an ugly year
 

This has gotten completely out of hand. There are too many regionals and way to many regional jets. Right now, Republic holdings cant even staff the continental planes they have plus they are getting frontier flying, Skywest has to hire 70 per month to even staff the planes they have (let alone the planes they have ordered) Pinnacle and ASA have people leaving to the majors at record past and are way short on pilots, Mesaba is hiring again, ExpressJet is starting their own airline, American Eagle is even upgrading again, and now there is Compass forming.

Managements of Airlines are going to cause the public to become furious becuase of cancelled flights. They wouldnt pay their pilots to fly 76 + jets and now they are farming them all out. With the majors starting to hire, there will be MASS EXODUS at the regionals within the next 2 years. Not only is this a safety hazard with all the low time pilots we will have, but it just doesn't make sense.


A good solution would have been to keep all flying 76 and above at mainline, which would have brought back every furlough and then some new hires. This also would have kept the regionals better staffed. All of these airlines try to be as cheap as they can and now they are going to pay the ultimate price by farming out all of this flying to all of us.

Interesting "sky is falling" perspective.

Funny how we all think we have the answers. As if there's something that we all know, that they don't.

Bottom line, the industry is up in the air and where it will all fall, who really knows? Mistakes are bound to be made, by both the airlines and their employees.

BUT bitching and moaning like a broken record while we all continue to beat the dead horse is really getting ridicules.

No offense, I’m sure that this thread will go 5-6 pages deep with posters who are still willing to pile on your Soap Box with you.

Like I said, no offense!

Jetjock16, thats for all the help again...... and again....... and again with the jungle junk info!

No problem, I try to help others as much or more than I've been helped. The Bro a great bird, jet guys will make fun of it but you'll soon understand why Bro pilots don't care. I've got a lot of great memories flying it and most all of the CA's I've flown with are great. A few exceptions but a great group.

ENJOY!!

when is the sky not falling?????????:rolleyes:

Shut up already.

Roll with the punches.

I went to one of you guys group interview todaywith hopes of maybe hearing that I could come over there and be on the EMB...but they said everyone with any amount o turbine time has to go to the jet?? Oh well , i still liked what they had to say. As much as I know its wrong I think I am about to make a lateral move that will put me back in the right seat. I'm just losing hope for any kind of life and all the T-PIC I have seems to be getting me no where fast :rolleyes:

Good Luck M

B

I might see ya soon

The sky is always falling over here at XJT, ask anyone:rolleyes:

yeah,, here comes the pilots SURPLUS!!! hahahaha

I don't get it.
 

What do you mean, "here comes the pilot surplus"? It has been here for the last 20 years.

What you should say is "here comes the shortage of goof balls who will work for nothing". Though I don't think they will ever run out of those. They are just six months behind the market.

SkyHigh

Got to say I am warming up to skyhigh. Maybe he is right, maybe i dont care, didnt get into the industry to be a millionaire anyways. By the way Toilet Duck what kind of back pack did you decide on? Did you see i wasnt negative in this post since you are keeping track.

I thought you were going to be working pretty hard on Express Jet there?

The majors will continue to put aircraft of increasing size at the regionals. It is simply a cost issue, the regionals can do the same job for less. The jobs of the future are at the "regionals," although they will be flying mainline routes. Remember, many of the pilots leaving are not going to majors but rather leaving the airlines completely. Of course they are having to try to hire 60+ per month at most companies. Not as many people want the job anymore; I wonder why. If they can't staff the equipment then they will just cancel flights, end of story. The sky is not falling, nothing will change, not the pay, not the QOL, nothing.

Don't hate me just because I am poor and I am doing what I love!

hehe, anp, i think you'll get flamed for that...someones going to say, that's the exact reason the industry is in the state its in....i'm not...but someone, someone will.

my setiments exactly..are the tickets to the bottom free?

Someday you will see the error of you ways.. someday

Until then, I've got the gasoline, who has a match?

I don't
 

I don't hate anyone for that. You are not doing yourself any favors and one day will most likely be on public assistance but it is your life I guess. :) (joke)

However, if you have a family I do feel that it is irresponsible.

SkyHigh

I do have a family, a beautiful loving wife and a son. So why am I irresponsible? Do you know my flying background, family, and history? Why am I going to the regionals? Enlighten me and everyone else my story! Please start with my first name and SSN # since you seem to know it!
I do not have lots of money but my family I can get by while I am on 1st year pay.....hence..... "I am poor" by my standard, not welfare standards. Also, I am "Doing what I love" which is flying ......I don't want to work a desk job, deliver mail, boxes, catch wildlife to study, work in a mill, bank, financial institution, or ......you get the picture? I want to fly. This is my next step in life. I live in a small midwest town and will stay living there while fly for a regional, major, cargo, whatever! I pay half of what you do for just about everything in life so regional pay will be "Livable" for my family. Anyone have questions, I would love to answer any you might have? Maybe I am a tool to you but I am a father to my son and my family which is all I really have and want. Don't put people down just because we have different views on life. I am done now....you may go about your business now!

Now I seem to remember a certain skyhigh debating going back to flying just a few days ago.......

I wouldn't want to subject my family to "livable" wages and me being gone all the time just because I want to dick around in the sky. It's selfish.

I second that. You may not be on welfare, but you know you are right above it.

I would say that it is completely irresponsible for a father and husband to take a pay cut to regional starting pay so they can "do what they love" and "live the dream".

yea but it's an investing step for in the long run

It's not investing. Decent money made now is more valuable than good money (maybe) made later.

I disagree....
 

I disagree with some of the comments about putting their family through horrendous "livable wages", but I'm pretty new to the whole regional industry.

The way I look at it is: my friend's wife and kids have to put up with "livable" wages while head of household finishes up medical school and does residency. They don't see it as abuse from their husband, but as her husband progressing in his career to one day be able to financially support his family without having a second income from a full-time mom. Right now they're just getting by. I don't consider my situation much different. From the time I began training to the time I will upgrade at a regional won't be much longer than my friend's journey through a bachelor's degree, medical school, and residency. Both careers have a high earning POTENTIAL. I don't plan on making a career out of a regional job, but I see it as a necessary step in my career progression, which my family willingly supports me in. Is it a sacrifice? Maybe, but in my family's opinion the future benefits outweigh the sacrifice in both cases (my friend in med school and my aviation career).

Each family has different needs and challenges. In now way does my family's decision reflect what "the right thing to do" is for anyone else and their respective family. Just my .02

How much will I be gone from home then? I will have more days off at a regional than I do now.......... work less hours, even with a commute to a base I live by. I will be taking a pay cut for a year, by second year I will make more than I do now and even make up the pay from the first. So if making more money over the next 5 years (at a regional) than what I will make now, spending more time with my family than I currently do makes me irresponsible, then I guess I am.
Would you be a better family man if you:
a). Work at a job you didn't want to even be at?
b). Was happy working at a job you loved?

What kind of person doesn't want to work and live where they have always wanted too. Do you tell your kids they cant grow up to what they want to be? By your standards nobody that has kids or a family should be a pilot. I guess there will be a shortage of pilots because 70% of the workforce just quit! I will go to work, be happy, and do what I can everyday to help raise the state of the regional industry while I am there.

You're living in a fantasy world. There are a lot more hours on the job than those spent flying the plane, not to mention missed birthdays, holidays, several nights in a row spent away, etc...

In that case, you must be making a lot less than $30K now. I'll concede that's not much to walk away from for the sake of an airline career.

Those are the wrong questions. What makes you a good family man is providing for your family, being around regularly, and not risking their future on an unstable career path. Whether or not you love you job has nothing to do with it. It's also naive to think you couldn't possibly find job satisfaction anywhere else.

Yes, that's right. You can't have everything in life. Every choice you make involves sacrificing others. Once you've made the choice to start a family, you give up the choice to become a pilot. It's different if you're established in the career with some seniority and earning power and THEN choose to start a family.

No you won't. With a family to feed, idealism goes out the window. You'll be punching your card for a paycheck just like everyone else.

Ah NO, pay during residency is about two to three times the starting regional salary, although more hours. I have personal experience with this situation in my family.

Unfortunately by my standards you are correct, you shouldn't be in your position starting at a regional with a wife and kids. Then again if second year regional pay is more than you were previously making more power to you. Unfortunately it's that which is bringing the industry down. The profession is so accessible to anyone that it's attracting people with much lower expectations out of life then the previous generation of pilots.

Once again well said Uncle Bose. Early in life with no overhead no family no kids is the time to make the jump to be a pilot. Once you add those variables in it is time to find a different career thats a little more stable.

I never said starting regional pay will be the same as residency pay, but first year regional pay is better than 1st year at med school pay. By the time my friend will be at his first year of residency I will be into my 3rd or 4th year at a regional (we were both college freshmen during the same year).

There's no comparing doctors and pilots. Doctors have much better job stability (pilots have zero), lateral mobility (pilots have zero), and earning power than pilots. You might never even see the types of numbers he'll be making in his first year of practice. If you do, it won't be until the tail end of your career.

Most mainliners have been recalled.......

I do agree.......

I agree....

Eh...I agree.....

That's what I do, that's the way it is. If I didn't want this lifestyle, I wouldn't be a pilot. I would get a 9 to 5 job and sit in a cubicle all day. Do we all forget why we are here? How hard it was to get here. If it was for the pay, you @#cked up!

I'm on your side! I'd rather be poor and do what I want for a living then to be rich and hate what I do for a living. Besides making $65,000 a year working avg 15 to 18 days a month, is not poor! You just can't compare this job, er profession with anything else. All the travel benefits to boot come on kids look around. For most of you this is the best job mom and dad could ever buy you! :cool: