IHateMgmt

The thing is, being furloughed is not a vacation. It's great to want to do all those fun things but if you actually do get furloughed, I bet things will seem a little different than the extended party you imagined.

When I was furloughed, I had a previous flying job lined up that fell through at the last minute, which left me collecting unemployment for about a month. That was a pretty dark month for me and put a real strain on my marriage as jobs were scarce and unemployment was woefully inadequate. Luckily a very good flying job fell on my lap and things picked back up for me.

A surprisingly large percentage of guys I was furloughed with stayed on unemployment until they were recalled. Others found flying jobs or got out of aviation completely. Being furloughed was a rough time in my life and I feel very fortunate that things ended up working out for me in the end.

SkyHigh

I was laid off without the opportunity for a recall. Most everyone else that I know was also at the same company and they were out of a job as well. At the time the market was flooded with unemployed pilots. Everyone was calling each other for job leads that mostly went unfulfilled. It seems to me that when a furlough or lay off happens nearly half do not find another flying job. As pilots get older it is harder to bounce back from such a hardship.

As a 20 something when career disaster struck I just shoved my meager belongings into my old Jeep and moved on to the next crummy job in the next town. As a family man it is much harder.

My Mom told me last weekend that an Ex-TWA pilot works in the laundry department at her retirement home. Developing a solid plan "B" should be an urgent matter for most everyone.

SkyHigh

berge7f9

I was thinking that working as a substitute teacher would be a fairly decent alternative during a possible furlough. The government pays your salary albeit a relatively crappy salary, you can work part-time and then get a teaching accreditadation and roll over to full-time if the furlough seems to be an extended one. My experience teaching as a CFI would be a plus. And it seemed that during the 9/11 furlough era, the teaching profession at least in the SF Bay Area was fairly resistant to the economic times.

But today, I realized that a load of teachers are getting laid off in SoCal and more layoffs are about to happen in NorCal.

I have just turned 23 and am getting my 121 dispatch ticket added on, but it seems there are a lot more pilot jobs than dispatch jobs, and in a furlough those jobs would also become scarce.

I guess the best option in the case of a furlough would be to get a CFI job at a nearby FBO or academy as the place where I originally instructed is way the hell on the other side of the country. But like SkyHigh said "It seems to me that when a furlough or lay off happens nearly half do not find another flying job."

I think the best bet is a part-time federal government job from which the possibility remains of going full-time.

SkyHigh

It has been my experience that flight schools really do not like to hire laid off airline pilots to much. In the first place it must be hard on student moral to have an airline hero in the pattern doing touch and gos and management probably thinks that as a seasoned professional that you would be more difficult to manage.

I remember when I was a full time CFI whenever an airline guy would come in looking for a job they would leave us wondering "what is so wrong with this guy that he needs to find an instructing job?". I wouldn't count on your CFI as a career back up.

SkyHigh

Crucero

I've got my CDL.

Commercial drivers will always be able to find a job.

It's easier to get a driving job than to try to use a degree for something you studied 10 years ago.

freezingflyboy

My girlfriend and I were talking about that last night. I guess truck driving school isn't a bad alternative

Lanesuzza

Ifly17 has it. Fun flying for good money. I miss it

TonyMontana

Get into the medical field boys, the waters FINE over here.

rickair7777

True in some cases, but not all. You can always freelance at the FBO...your professional credentials will give you a leg up on some of the low-time competetion.

IHateMgmt

The reason pilots get furloughed is because there has been a reduction of flying at your airline. Less flying = less dispatchers as well. SkyHigh's point about CFIing is spot on.

The idea is to diversify. Pick something outside of the aviation industry. Driving truck would be a great back. Sub teaching is another good idea.