Std Deviation

When Independence folded had a chance to be one of the original cadre of street captains at this little startup called Compass. My response to flying a single CL65 out of MSP - "are you outta your flipping mind?!?"

Let's see where those guys my age ended up and how that turned out... I'll be over in the corner flogging myself in the genitals.

On the other side of the coin I made the short list but didn't get hired by a Fortune 50 company running a corporate shuttle two days a week with no RONs out of my home state in a town I went to college in. Six figures to live in a low cost of living college town? Sign me up. Really wanted that gig but didn't get it. Six months later the company scuttled the shuttle and provided no means for those guys to directly transition to the executive flight dept. I would have been so screwed by uprooting and moving when the economy tanked.

Chicken Taco

I had buddies leaving the regional I was at in 2000 to go fly for some little east coast startup that had been called New Air. They changed the name to JetBlue when they launched and those guys spent 6 months or less in the right seat. They begged me to go with them but I thought I knew better. I had interviewed at Continental and was in the pool for a class date, while USAir told me to get back with them as soon as I had 2500 TT. In August of 2001 I got an offer letter from Continental for an October 2001 class that never happened.

Fortunately I hadn't yet sent in my resignation when 9/11 happened and I spent the next 6 years at that regional when the market for the remaining jobs got very competitive. The guys that went to JetBlue that year are all above 500 and are top of the scale captains while I'm now a second year FO. I had some great adventures in the meantime but they did nothing for my retirement or ultimate seniority here.

I have always said that we will know if we took the right path on the day we retire..

bluepilot

Window opening April 1st until April 30th

grim04

Again........Don't Apply. This place is quickly becoming a failing regional type place. Do yourself a favor and be patient enough to wait for the legacies.

Southerner

Again, don't listen to these guys who have an axe to grind. They are in the minority.

Bozo the pilot

You do not have the info to back that statement up South. You are an MCO instructor correct?

Southerner

I'm just saying people looking to apply shouldn't listen to 5 guys out of 3,500.

Bozo the pilot

Youre right- They should apply-- They should also realize that its more than 5 guys.
And would you agree that those applying here should gather opinions from as many B6 pilots as possible to get a more balanced outlook?

For guys looking to escape the regionals and tread water, its a great place to work, but for those looking for a destination airline, better options exist.
Pay, benefits/retirement, and work/reserve rules dont lie.

atrdriver

No one here seems to have an axe to grind (now, over at BP... that is another story). Nor are they in the minority. Quite the opposite. Guys I fly with on the line are also PI$$ED at the trajectory of this place.

You can come on this board and try to defend and rationalize the company's recent actions and the massive pay and QOL deficit we have relative to our peers. Some of us bought the rainbow and unicorn BS hook, line and sinker while reading these forums before we started here. But now we're back to tell prospective pilots the truth before they find the same disappointment and have to start their job search all over again because JB came up far, far short.

pilotpayne

Didn't I warn you not to trust anybody, Dr. Jones?
Walter Donovan

Indiana Jones and the last crusade.

It's very good advice.

And just for fun

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iHSPf6x1Fdo