Precontact

Apparently the app pull is random so it’s a tough proposition to get the call no matter how qualified you are. Just keep plugging away and when things return to normal hopefully attend a job fair or two.

CardboardCutout

Didn't mean to suggest otherwise, and I take your point. I guess my point was just "update often", because everything helps, but you're absolutely right that it's a very rare bear indeed who gets through the door at 26. Hell, I think 36 was still WELL below the average age in my class.

And hey, at least you get time to perm your hair in those HKG hotel rooms. Look on the bright side! Happy trees!

MrBobRoss

And hey, at least you get time to perm your hair in those HKG hotel rooms. Look on the bright side! Happy trees![/QUOTE]

“Go out on a limb — that’s where the fruit is.”
The Real Bob Ross

“Make love to the canvas.”
Also the Real Bob Ross

CardboardCutout

I mean, you're locked in a tiny room for 24 hours, you can only do so many pushups.

FTv3

You guys referring to the young man that was hired a couple of years ago? From what I heard he is pretty badass - starting flying before he could walk type of thing. Believe he was an instructor at the regionals when hired at UPS.

Eitherway, drop the entitlement card. I got the same sob story for Delta. Nothing’s fair in aviation.

tnkrdrvr

That guy is an example of what can happen when you are focused exclusively on getting to a career destination to the exclusion of all else. As you noted, it’s a bit more common at Delta and some of the other big pax haulers. However, I think that’s purely because they hire more total bodies. He did have “card” to play, but his biggest one was that he simply checked all the boxes far faster than most. He was never going to be a 9,000 hr RJ pilot who had never been a LCA or school house instructor. The guy never rested on his laurels and waited for a phone call.

All that said, I wouldn’t want his life. Financially, he will crush it due to his timing and age he started. However, this job gets real boring, real fast. I wouldn’t trade the 20 years I spent flying for Uncle Sam for 20 more years here. I enjoyed having something to do between takeoff and landing. I will still retire from Brown very financially secure with no worries other than griping about how Uncle Sam is taking too much.

BoilerUP

Personal belief, which is admittedly speculative and not necessarily supported by any definitive facst:

We hire comparatively few regional pilots because the bulk of regional pilots are targeting the three traditional legacies. They know the nature of flying, the airports, the self-loading freight experience. UPS, FDX and SWA are generally less desired by a significant portion of these potential hires than DAL, UAL and AAL - at least in the circles of my friends and acquaintances. A large number of regional pilots hired here, besides their strong resumes as LCA/TCE/instructors/management/etc., also have other connections - from the SDF area and well networked, parents or siblings are current or retired pilots here, former co-ops/interns, etc. The number of former Chautauqua/Republic folks hired is an example.

Where there's a will, there's a way...and this can be seen from the constant (admittedly small) number of bizav pilots hired...most have CP, DO, DoT, etc. type experience instead of simply being "just a pilot".

ACMI pilots, on the other hand, are essentially turnkey having experience flying similar aircraft into similar airports at similar times of day. They know how this industry works, its pros and cons, and want to keep doing it.

Grease

I actually like this aspect of it. I like boring, uneventful days at work in aviation. I’ll take boring over stressful any day of the week. We do have to battle complacency when things get routine, but I’d rather battle complacency than battle stress-related health problems.

Zudd

The fact that this job was so hard to get, makes me appreciate it even more! I don't think I'd be 100% happy at any job. Ya know, SOSDD? I really appreciate the OGs that came to this job when it was meh, and made it into what it is today.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

FTv3

Lots of heavy lifting was done by the FOg’s. Our time will come soon enough...