JungleBus

Just thinking out loud here, but there are something like 50-60k active major airline pilots and around 15k regional FOs. If every regional FO had a mentor at a major airline from the time they earned their CPL, I suspect that there would be far fewer willing to go places like Mesa, PCL, GoJet, etc, and a lot more willing to fight for better wages & conditions. Likewise, there would be a lot more major airline pilots with a realistic view of what things are like at the regionals and why maintaining and improving scope is so important.

Realize that this is an opportunity to mentor younger pilots not just in the art of flying, but in the history of their profession and their responsibility toward it. This is something that ALPA should have been all over some time ago; a pilot's first contact with ALPA should NOT be that first day of class at a regional when somebody shows up to have them sign their 1.95% over.

eaglefly

If any pirticular pilot is going to be awarded the title of "mentor", then I think that pilot should be required to demonstrate their worthiness for that role.

Specifically, aside from a minimum level of experience (TBD), an oral examination should be succesfully passed of their aeronautical knowledge, and the ability to effectively communicate to another the recognition of the common pitfalls of operating in this profession, risk management, interpersonal issues when dealing with others and any number of open issues to be included.

Clueless politicians paint with broad brushes on issues they know little about. They've painted a broad brush (erronously) believing that all the problems are at regional carriers and all the solutions are at major carriers and that isn't so. They could easily be led to a stupid idea that ANY pilot simply by virtue of the fact, he/she flies for a major carrier is adequate material for an important task such as this. Considering some of the crackpots I've met at major carriers (and some who post at this forum for that matter), it's MORE then clear not all are appropriate candidates.

Mentorship should not be limited to pilots from major carriers, but pilots who DEMONSTRATE they have the appropriate skills and personality to be effective.

JungleBus

Dude, your major-bashing really does get old. The vast majority of major airline pilots I've met are consumate professionals. A lot of em don't like the plane I fly and what the regionals have done to their profession, and a few of them have made their displeasure known to me. Rather than take it personally I tell them I feel the same way and try to start a dialogue on what regional and major pilots can do to work together to make it better. Bomb-throwing doesn't get us anywhere, at least not when they're being thrown at fellow pilots.

bleedairpacks

Pilot mentors? For troubled regional guys? Lets just get rid of the paying position to fix problems, check airman, and nominate a bunch of already overworked pilot mentors to fix all the problems.

On a lighter note, I'm taking 2 kids from Childrens Miracle Network up in my Cub today. Do I get mentor status now?

eaglefly

Of course MOST major airline pilots are professionals. MOST regional pilots are too (although when they use the word "dude" as an introduction........well, no comment).

The POINT was that a mentor position should not be based on demographics, but ability. I'm sorry you failed to read my post correctly. You picked ONE sentance out of the whole post and elected to make IT the issue.................it wasn't.

Is it possible you see what you WANT to see, instead of what is really there ?

Wheels up

This mentoring idea between regional and so-called major airline pilots is nothing but a cheap PR sham. Practically speaking it's impossible to do effectively, if by no other reason other than proximity. For example, AE pilots don't need or want any mentoring from AA pilots. They have enough very well-experienced captains to do their own. What the industry really needs is to get rid of "certificates of convenience" so that you don't have most of your inexperienced pilots confined in a few places.

Besides, when the pay goes back to being "professional," then maybe more pilots would consider it volunteering their time. Until then, Mr. Babbitt wants to create a sham program using the good-will of a lot of underpaid pilots for the benefit of airline managements and the FAA's image.

Captain Bligh

I'd be all for a mentoring program. I'd even consider giving time as a volunteer if I thought any of the following. If: 1) it was needed, 2) it would make any difference to any of this train wreck of an industry or 3) if anyone would listen. Every time I've used the men's room since the age 60 rule change, someone has taken the time to pen something on the wall like "Get out of my seat you old &#$!". Really. What the h3ll do they think this will accomplish? people that don't fly can study our profession all they want, they will never get it.

eaglefly

How true.

If you REALLY look, you cannot deny that among various white-collar "professionals", this industry has BY FAR the most dysfunctional group of people ever. I've got well over 20 years in it and in the last 10 years it's changed so dramatically, it's to the point I'm almost embarrassed to admit I'm an Airline Pilot. You know, 10 to 15 years ago, I don't recall be exposed to "Airline Pilots" who write on bathroom walls, at least not like now.

Sad.

Those that run our carriers haven't changed. They're the same self-serving untrustworthy lot. But WE have changed and not for the better. That's what happens when the principle union has allowed itself to become nothing more then dues collectors and offering little leadership demonstration and virtually ZERO positive results on fundemantals thus fostering the competing rats to attack each other, while their TRUE adversaries reap the benefits.

It's come to the point where many of us now actually prefer some of our managements to OTHER pilots !

The overall future is indeed bleak, so it looks like we'll continue the "every pilot for himself" and "every pilot group for themselves" mentality in perpituity. Of course, as long as ALPA gets their percentage of the rats cheese, they don't care if the system encourages the rats to steal each others.

Fly on my fellow rats, guard your cheese and keep your fangs sharp and on guard for other rats and most importantly, make sure the necessary chunk of that cheese gets to Herndon, or they'll see you cast out into the ally.