Among the best things about being a pilot is to work with so many people who because of their passion for flying, busted their butt and paid some heavy dues to get the experience to be hired at a major. Working with guys and gals who flew sorties over Baghdad or instructed for 1500 hours and worked at a commuter to get the time needed to make it to a major is very impressive and it is cool to work with these professionals.
After being at a major for about two years, I have come across an interesting form of creature that I will call the “academy welfare pilot”. I just flew with a guy whose goal was to be an airline pilot so he went to the Air Force Academy. He actually admitted that the only reason he attended the academy was to have the U.S. taxpayer pay for his college degree and all his flight training. Since his goal was to be an airline pilot, he bid the KC 135 so he would not be in harms way and get flight time as soon as possible. He also admitted that he hated military life. With the early out option from the Air Force, he was out in five years with his entire college and flight training paid for by the US taxpayer and the experience to get hired at a major. To top it off, he then got 90% of his Type Rating paid for by the US taxpayer since he was a veteran. Seems to me that the taxpayer donated about about two million dollars to his endevor to become an airline pilot.
While you would think that this guy would be saying what a wonderful country America is, for the month I flew with this piece of work, he did nothing but complain about how the Company is not paying him enough even though we are the highest paid pilots in the industry, that working 2.5 days per week was too much, and when we got an unscheduled airplane swap before our last leg, you would have thought they just took his first born.
While I am incredibly grateful for those who serve in the military and those who go to the Academy in an honest desire to serve our County, those whose only goal is to have the government pay for their college degree and all their flight training with the intent to become an airline pilot is as far as I am concerned equivalent to a welfare hack sitting on the porch waiting for food stamps sucking off the Government nipple. It is amazing how many of these guys I have flown with and it is even more interesting that some of them have the arrogance to brag how smart they are.
After being at a major for about two years, I have come across an interesting form of creature that I will call the “academy welfare pilot”. I just flew with a guy whose goal was to be an airline pilot so he went to the Air Force Academy. He actually admitted that the only reason he attended the academy was to have the U.S. taxpayer pay for his college degree and all his flight training. Since his goal was to be an airline pilot, he bid the KC 135 so he would not be in harms way and get flight time as soon as possible. He also admitted that he hated military life. With the early out option from the Air Force, he was out in five years with his entire college and flight training paid for by the US taxpayer and the experience to get hired at a major. To top it off, he then got 90% of his Type Rating paid for by the US taxpayer since he was a veteran. Seems to me that the taxpayer donated about about two million dollars to his endevor to become an airline pilot.
While you would think that this guy would be saying what a wonderful country America is, for the month I flew with this piece of work, he did nothing but complain about how the Company is not paying him enough even though we are the highest paid pilots in the industry, that working 2.5 days per week was too much, and when we got an unscheduled airplane swap before our last leg, you would have thought they just took his first born.
While I am incredibly grateful for those who serve in the military and those who go to the Academy in an honest desire to serve our County, those whose only goal is to have the government pay for their college degree and all their flight training with the intent to become an airline pilot is as far as I am concerned equivalent to a welfare hack sitting on the porch waiting for food stamps sucking off the Government nipple. It is amazing how many of these guys I have flown with and it is even more interesting that some of them have the arrogance to brag how smart they are.
