Not enough pilots out there?

[list2002]

Agree, hard to raise a family. No comp monetarily for time spent away. And no pilot shortage.
p.s. The F100 wages were also back when cost of living was a bit less as well.

 

[aviatrix]

I personally am looking forward to working with a Regional comp and even though the pay does suck I love flying too much to turn my back on it so quickly.

Awwww, it's okay...you'll hate it soon enough. And, it doesn't happen quickly, as you say, it's like a slow, painful death. Good luck!!!

 

[Vref+Factor]

flight instructing is for fags. why don' you wip out that nice fat checkbook and pay for a job like the rest of us

 

[MINIME]

[. I personally am looking forward to working with a Regional comp and even though the pay does suck I love flying too much to turn my back on it so quickly.[/quote]


You wont' love it so much when you're sitting in the right seat for more than two years making less than the person who bags your groceries, have 15 hour duty days, work six days in a row with one or two days off, when scheduling moves your days off, when scheduling juniors you, when scheduling re-routes you, when your bosses threaten you if you call in sick.

And the big kicker for many right now, you don't get to upgrade when you thought you would because your company decided to pull some BS scheme where they can hire somebody new and pay them less to fly your slot as CA. Or when you think the rug has been pulled from beneath you because your company has lost some of its flying and truthfully you don't know if you'll still have a job. Oh! And not everyone is getting hired at UPS, FEDEX, CAL, Airtran and SWA. Typically those companies will hire anywhere from 200 to 600 pilots per year if we're lucky. But.......they each have about 15,000 resumes on file. You know the odds. Not convinced yet? Go talk to some of those boys at Trans States, Air Whisky, Comair or defunct Independence.
Whatever you do don't talk to the beings at GJ. They'll tell you everything is ripe and rosy from where they stand. Sorry to be so negative, but it is what it is.

 

[JohnnyP]

....

I quit my regional turboprop job, and its been great ever since. It feels like ive taken a nice long shower after being really filthy, nice and clean now. No one can attack me for "stealing jobs, undercutting, lowering the bar (thats the best little catch phrase), """scabbing""", whatever the phrase of the week is. Give it a try, youll like it. Not sure if ill ever return to airline flying.

For me, I didnt really understand how bad I was being treated until I got out, (i ended up leaving the country of the united states to pursue another job, literally), examined my situation from an outside viewpoint, and got hired by a company that treats you like a human being, not just another number. I guess only time will tell.

 

[spitfire1500]

This thread is BS. There is NO pilot shortage. Plenty of pilots out there with 1000tt and 100multi ready to go fly a crj for 20g's to impress the parents. Way too many pilots out there. There may eventually someday be a shortage of safely qualified pilots. But never a shortage of 300 hour noobs willing to work for Mesa.

I dont know...Mesa just had open interviews at Embry Riddle and only 4 showed up.

 

[spitfire1500]

My experience:
1. Hired by regional
2. Flew the E 145
3. Quit immediately after IOE
4. Tried again with another regional 6 months later
5. Flew the CRJ 2 & 7
6. Quit again and gave up
I thought it might be different at the second airline but it was not. I felt bad for wasting the two airlines training expense at first...but then I remembered why I quit both of them. The abuse by scheduling (not their fault) along with the pi55 poor pay was just a complete exercize in futility. It is a shame that the industry has gone down the crapper. I suspect that Worthless is a big part of the problem. My .02

Hey Sawmill you werent at Mesa on the145 were you...and happen to be from Minn.

 

[spitfire1500]

Wow someone has actually given a timeline. May we ask where you got that from?

He must be Kit Darby...

 

[Pattern-Master]

I keep getting interview invites for numerous regionals and I already have a miserable job as it is. I'm about ready to get a restraining order against them all. And yes, there are fewer people out there applying to regionals now a days. I've been in this stupid industry for less than a year and can't stand it! Good luck everyone!

 

[big_al]

flight instructing is for fags. why don' you wip out that nice fat checkbook and pay for a job like the rest of us

actually your title would be best described as "sucker"

Anyway, the reason regionals hire wanna-bes from flight schools like vref is because they are willing to take the lowest pay. its the same reason farmers love hiring illegals, because they know they cant complain about the low pay

 

[Dumb Pilot]

When I started flying 25 years ago, I was told that this career was all about "Margaritas and Señoritas" After all this years I'm starting to have the feeling that somebody lied to me

 

[wheelsup]

You wont' love it so much when you're sitting in the right seat for more than two years making less than the person who bags your groceries, have 15 hour duty days, work six days in a row with one or two days off, when scheduling moves your days off, when scheduling juniors you, when scheduling re-routes you, when your bosses threaten you if you call in sick.

OK I know you're bitter but don't over embellish. As a just-turned second year FO at a small regional I have NEVER had a 6 day ordeal, once a 5-day but it was due to a mechanical. On reserve I certainly never felt "abused" - you are there to "fill-in" when the company needs you to. It's your job.

Last month I had 16 days off, this month I think 14, (which gives a 4 on 3 off type schedule for the most part) most months I credit 90+ hours which now on second year pay I'll make close to 40k not including per diem which is more than livable for me right now. Would I like more money? Yes don't we all. When I was sick on probation I NEVER was threatened when I called in sick, they just said "OK I hope you get better!" and that was that. When I went to a family funeral I got the trip off WITH pay no questions asked.

If your life is seriously as bad as you are making it out to be maybe you should quit? I purposely didn't accept a position at a company that was notorious for bending people over.

 

[se1776]

http://www.acinet.org/acinet/oview5...=&id=1,&nodeid=7&soccode=&stfips=00&x=43&y=13

check this out we are in pilots are the Highest-Paying Occupations.

so how come these companies start you at $19,000 for the first year.

How long I have to wait to make $135,000.

Where are these people getting this info.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

http://www.acinet.org/acinet/oview5...=&id=1,&nodeid=7&soccode=&stfips=00&x=43&y=13

thie site shows that pilots get paid really good.

where are they getting this info

If you closely it says, Airline Pilots, Copilots and Flight Engineers make $135,400. What they don't say is that the $135,400 is the combined income of all three positions added together.

 

[se1776]

Ok.................... I got it

Thanks Stifler's Mom

 

[apache]

OK I know you're bitter but don't over embellish. As a just-turned second year FO at a small regional I have NEVER had a 6 day ordeal, once a 5-day but it was due to a mechanical. On reserve I certainly never felt "abused" - you are there to "fill-in" when the company needs you to. It's your job.

Last month I had 16 days off, this month I think 14, (which gives a 4 on 3 off type schedule for the most part) most months I credit 90+ hours which now on second year pay I'll make close to 40k not including per diem which is more than livable for me right now. Would I like more money? Yes don't we all. When I was sick on probation I NEVER was threatened when I called in sick, they just said "OK I hope you get better!" and that was that. When I went to a family funeral I got the trip off WITH pay no questions asked.

If your life is seriously as bad as you are making it out to be maybe you should quit? I purposely didn't accept a position at a company that was notorious for bending people over.

40K more than liveable for you? That's nice, but when are you planning on moving out of your parents house?

Also, nice advice about suggesting that someone quit because they have the audacity to complain about the industry. Someday, when you have more than a couple of years of jerking gear, you might figure out that the complainers are the only ones that do anything to improve your working conditions. Right now, you sound like part of the problem in this industry. You might want to be checked out for shiny jet syndrome or gojetscabitis.

 

[Morning Wood]

Grammar nowithstanding, this career has gone down the toilet. That kind of news isn't surprising. Working at a regional is like working in a sweat shop.

I can only presume you mean the wages and not the working conditions. It's been awhile since guys flew 8-10 legs in a plane with no APU and no auto pilot (Metro).

 

[Stifler's Mom]

In all seriousness, I looked a little deeper into that link and my pay salary falls into the bottom 10%. Who knows where they get that from.

 

[YourPilotFriend]

Pilots would have never been in this situation had they not taken the original concessions that created the cost structure that no longer supports high paying jobs. From a cost standpoint, we can never get back the pay we once had because the slim profit margins will not allow flexiblity to increase pay short term. In other words if an airline raised pay significantly they would go out of business in a short period of time. As a typical example if SWA made up the difference in cost structure of that of a legacy a pilot at SWA would make $1.4 million a year for captain $750,000 for the FO. The Cost of a pilot in the SWA CASM is 0.7 cents a mile. They should be paying their pilots more than 8 cents a mile. That's why even if you took industry standard rates you are still lowering the bar if your company has a lower cost structure. There is no live to fight another day.

 

[wheelsup]

40K more than liveable for you? That's nice, but when are you planning on moving out of your parents house?

Also, nice advice about suggesting that someone quit because they have the audacity to complain about the industry. Someday, when you have more than a couple of years of jerking gear, you might figure out that the complainers are the only ones that do anything to improve your working conditions. Right now, you sound like part of the problem in this industry. You might want to be checked out for shiny jet syndrome or gojetscabitis.

You're funny. This guy wasn't complaining, he was making it out like his life was hell on earth. If it is that bad (working 6 days/week every week) I would just quit. I have done so in the past with previous jobs when I saw there was no hope in getting a better QOL. When there was hope, I worked with the company and got what we wanted.

No amount of complaining will help when your contract is valid for another X years. Might as well save the energy and STFU and enjoy what you have or find something different. I'm sure the company knows the QOL sucks, the union knows it, even the other pilots and FA's know it already.

I was able to make bills and save and my first year at a regional showed ~24k. So yeah, if I can make it on 24 I'm sure I'll be able to make it on 40. Thanks for your concern.

In no way am I implying I wouldn't do the job for more money. But I have to laugh at people for saying they "deserve" more money. For what? You are paid what you can neogotiate and that in part is based on what the market can bear. All the complaining won't change that fact.

And don't play the "complainers make things happen" card. I know a lot of the union officals at my airline and they are not complainers. Talk is cheap.