Free training

Free college

In many cases, free flight training either in the service or with GI Bill

Free room and board

Free health care

Come on...I was military too, it was a pretty good gig.

Plus, when you transferred somewhere, you didn't start out at E-1 again

 

Someone should have squawked 7500 several pages ago.

Can we get back to the original topic?

If y'all want to change the discussion,....... start another thread.

 

The problem is that we complain and complain and complain but do nothing about the situation and yet we expect things to miraculously change, that's the definition of Insanity my friends. It's modern day slavery they are trying to make things as difficult as possible so that you either quit or go insane. This profession has been destroyed at the regional level. There is no adequate compensation which is ok as long as there is quality of life (multiple days off, commutable lines, productive trips). Now we gave in to more concessions and our quality of life is been taken away. Yet there's plenty of mediocre 2nd and 3rd class pilots getting hire by the regionals cause this companies need to fill the seats. Here's the F*&K part about this, the FAA implemented all this changes (1500hrs, 117 rules) all to help place experience and well rested pilots in the cockpit. I wonder what they'll do when a plane slam into the ground cause by pilot error. Always have a backup plan.

 

Oh I noticed your avatar. So does that mean I can call you EightGturn?

I'm not stressed when I am flying over the North Atlantic or the Pacific rim...bored maybe, not stressed.

What is your purpose with your trash talk trying to keep regional pilots in their place? Are you somehow threatened that regional pilots may prove to be better than you? Do you feel anyone who hasn't served is beneath you and shouldn't speak out or stand up for what they believe? It's just bizarre that's all. I'm not threatened and you can't bully me.
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Getting back on topic....scope and seniority go hand in hand as I've said before. Seniority at regionals is just a massive B scale that management created using the existing age old system of seniority at airlines as an enabler. Scope is the tool they use to create the B scale.

Regional jets were initially designed with scope in mind and under the direction and guidelines of the mainline airlines, not regionals. The mainlines knew they could use these jets to replace the aging smaller DC-9-10, Fokker 100s, and 737s they were using at lower seat mile costs with an already established structure of low pay at commuter airlines that flew small fleets of turboprops in "regional" locations around the country.

Back in the old days before internet and advanced real time pricing designed to fill airplanes, the airlines operated under the philosophy of "load factors" and aimed to make a profit with about 60-70% full flights on average. So essentially a small DC-9 was similar to a 50 seat jet today in mission capability except the 50 seater is significantly more efficient to operate...especially on one hour segments.

Mainlines just realized that they can keep pushing this model and all these 70-90 seat jets can literally take over routes that used to be flown by 737s and MD-80s carrying the same number of passengers by pushing near 100% capacity. Pilots forget how much more efficient airlines are at selling capacity these days...that is until you try to send your family standby somewhere. It used to be a rare thing to have a full flight.

Mainline pilots fail to fully realize just how far they've sold out the bottom halves of their companies with scope. They are brainwashed into thinking regional jets (they're not even regional jets anymore) are "beginner airplanes" and not worth having in their fleet. They fail to see they are just a massive B scale for their own pilots to fly routes they used to fly at mainline. And the added bonus for mainline is they can hire new pilots much later in their careers so they may never even see 20 year pay scales before they retire and if they do it will be for less time.

Now that 50 seaters are being phased out and some airlines (Mesa) aren't even operating jets that small anymore the stage is being set to push scope even farther. The only obstacle that remains is the supply of low cost pilots to fly them.

This is why I say now is the time for the pilots (especially regionals) to take back control of their unions and force the airlines' hand. There has never been a better opportunity to kill this thing and force the flying back to the mainline.

 

That pretty well says it. I don't think the deliberate intention of management is to make life difficult...it's just sort of a by product of not caring.

Not sure I understand this. Overall the 1500 hour rule gives huge bargaining power to professional pilots to use against airlines to stop the madness. I don't think it fully solved the problem and I think there are additional steps the Feds could make to really force change and open the doors back up to experienced pilots out there.

If your implication is that the pilot shortage is forcing you to work longer hours that's not a bad thing. The normal reaction to a labor shortage is to try to get more productivity out of existing workforce but that only works in the very short term before there is backlash.

Now is the time for the backlash!!

 

Mod Note:

Instead of going blind and crazy trying to clean up this thread, I'll just close it. Try again in a new thread, but please stay on topic and don't get into name calling and use of profanity (patent ones or disguised ones).