SkyHigh

When I was kicked to the curb I stood up for my family and made a new life for us outside of flying. More pilots need to stand up for what is right and acknowledge the realities of the profession before anything will change.

Skyhigh

Zapata

No. I didn't insult you. I only commented on your lack of reading comprehension in this post. Guess what? If you didn't comprehend something, that means that you misread it. Not only did you misread it, you extrapolated a mountain out of a mole hill. What is truly sad is your preconceived notions affecting your perceptions.

Read my post again, carefully. Now, show me exactly where I said anything about how we see ourselves. All I said is that it doesn't take exceptional ability, aptitude or intelligence for one to become a commercial pilot. Why do I say that? Because most people of average aptitude, ability, aptitude and intelligence can study, take the necessary knowledge tests, get instruction, fly to meet the experience requirements and take the check rides......simple as that. How do I know? I have given instruction to and signed off just over a hundred private, instrument and commercial candidates for check rides and have noticed that most folks are average. ("most" "average", that was redundant of me). If everyone was exceptional, then it would negate the very definition of average.

Perhaps you have exceptional ability, aptitude (although, not in reading my post) and intelligence. Or, perhaps you're about average in these and your schooling was such that your teachers, in order to raise self-esteem, instilled in you and all of your classmates the " you're all winners!" mentality. I don't know.

Now, if it makes you feel better to take this opportunity to extrapolate even more poop that is completely irrelevant to what I said and pretend like I insulted you or the profession, please be my guest.

In any case, I have as much self-respect as you as well as respect for our profession. However, I don't have to put myself above any demographics to have said professional self-respect.

Signed,
Average and Self-Respecting Zapata

TPROP4ever

to quote Stewie-----" SAY WWWHHHAAAAATTTT?????
wow I guess my comprehension is average at best after all....

Cactusone

To get back on topic here's some US Airways retirement #'s which are not probably accurate but ball park for sure.


US Airways Retirements America West Retirements
2012 through 2022
(All pilots: including furloughed)
Year #USA #AWA Cumulative #

2012 239 43 282
2013 186 46 514
2014 238 47 799
2015 198 52 1049
2016 254 44 1347
2017 272 65 1684
2018 296 51 2031
2019 296 77 2404
2020 300 69 2773
2021 299 68 3140
2022 262 66 3468

swaayze

You guys are not following. The point is that "you can be an airline pilot in 90 days" (not much investment of time indeed) and if you finance it there's very little initial out of pocket expense. If/when you later realize how foolish it was, it's already too late and you have big payments on a small salary for a long time to come.

TPROP4ever

Ok, but it took me from 2004-2008 to do all my ratings and I paid cash until my Commercial, and I have about 50k invested, so how do you figure I had little investment of money or time..

I have never heard of a single person that actually went 0-hero in 90 days, 9 months mabye..

Rnav

Well you wouldn't have to invest 50K if you didn't do that GS internship you went to now would you? TPROP you ask SKY how he made the industry better but how about you explain to the rest of us how you made it better by being the 20th paying passenger on a 19 seat aircraft? In my opinion, SKY made it better by being one less qualified experienced pilot others have to compete. Heck if all the high time guys get out, maybe the low times peeps will get their shot. But its hard to compete against people who have money to pay for their seat. That to me means one less paying flying job for the pilots on the street which is what this thread is about. Rant over.

TPROP4ever

Well this topic is off track so I really am not going to debate this here, its not the place. I have nothing to try to prove, and for the record I was one of those on the street for a good while also, before the most recent opportunity came along. Again topic at hand (pilots on the street), you see the comments stated here, about this industry and the marginalizing of the investment it takes , but how you view yourself will come across in an interview with potential employers, and in this market, there truely is no room for error. I'm done; surely to the pleasure of many.

Blueskies21

And here in lies the problem with aviation, 80% or better of the guys on here probably think "that's a shame" or "he's just given up" WRONG! When you say, "screw this, I'm not getting paid enough, this isn't the stability my family needs.... etc etc" That's a real MAN. the guys that say "but don't you love it? wouldn't you miss it?" Well yes, maybe so but that's not the point... it's bigger than you when you have anyone else to be responsible to (read wife, or kids)....

Have I personally quit flying? not yet but if it comes to making nothing facing a furlough or leaving to do something relatively stable when I've got a family... you'll be damn sure I'm leaving and I don't care how much I love it... that's called sacrifice boys and girls...

And once more before I get off my soapbox.... guys leaving the industry actually IS bettering the industry because it's one guy that says... "not me, not for that much" now if only the rest of us had our heads screwed on straight too.....

Rant over, begin flaming

SkyHigh

I worked at the dollar way mobile mini mart while in college to pay for my flight training. It took me 6 hours behind the counter to pay for one hour of flight training. I also sold stuff and took out student loans. It took me 5 years to work my way through college and flight school, but that is not the point.

The point is that there are flight academies that can, and do, crank out brand new commercial multi-engine pilots in 3 to 6 months. It took me much longer but that is not the issue. It takes less time to become a pilot than it does to become licensed to cut hair. Airlines can wave the college requirement if it suits them. There are airline pilots flying in America today that have as little as a king tape education and a cram course flight academy under their belt.

There was a pilot who use to post here that was a ski instructor one winter and an airline pilot by the following ski season. In contrast it takes 2 to 4 years of dedicated daily effort to become a plumber. They also have a hard job that few would want to do. As a result they are justly compensated for their efforts and are valued by their employer. A pilots investment is incredibly cheap in comparison. So long as the flood gates are held open there will never be a pilot shortage and the value of pilots will continue to plummet.

Skyhigh