Please help! In the first years of your career, did you ever...

[tutoradriane]

...have to rely on government assistance because your pay was too low? Did you ever receive food stamps? Or WIC?

I'm a documentary filmmaker working on a story about how low pilot pay is. I would really love to speak with a pilot who was in (or currently is in) this situation.

I think most Americans would be shocked to learn how difficult a new pilot's life is, and how poorly paid they are, especially considering the expensive and lengthy training they must undergo, and the responsibility they bear for hundreds of lives. After all, a doctor can only harm one patient at a time, but a pilot holds hundreds of humans in his hands. Seems like pilots ought to be remunerated accordingly.

I recognize that it is a difficult thing to ask you to do, but I hope you'll agree that this is an important issue that needs to be brought to the public's attention. I hope my film will be effective in shaming the airlines into paying a living wage and/or spurring the FAA to enforce reasonable minimum salaries. And while the low salaries at the regionals were briefly reported widely after the February Colgan disaster, I have never seen a pilot come forward and admit that he had to rely on governmental assistance because his employer paid him so poorly.

If you google my name, you'll see that I have worked in documentary film for some time. This project already has a distributor, and will be seen in theaters and on television and DVD. I am hoping to present pilots in a very sympathetic light - you are highly skilled, highly trained professionals, and the airline industry has been cutting costs on your backs for far too long.

Please PM me if you'd be willing to consider speaking with me about this important topic.

Thank you!

Very best wishes,

Adriane Giebel

 

[Raoul Duke]

you are wasting your time. make a documentary movie about strippers more people will want to see it.

 

[LazyLightnin']

The pay rates are published. It's not difficult to see how low wages are, and most active pilots will choose to keep their jobs rather than have their voices published. Even if the job is a low-paying one. Good luck, however.

 

[73belair]

Wow you two are a lot of help. I think for the most part pay is just enough above food stamps, but considering the time and $$ invested the wages are still horrible.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

I'll echo what 73Belair posted.

Never needed food stamps, but this occupation at the Regional level requires the assistance of a spouse who makes decent money... especially when you factor in a mortgage, school loans, children, etc.

 

[JumpersAway]

You can do some research for Freedom Airlines- they actually started to terminate pilots, or threatened it, after a host of them started applying for government assistance in uniform. Good luck with your docu-film..........

 

[Skywest Pylot]

you are wasting your time. make a documentary movie about strippers more people will want to see it.

So this guy is trying to shed some more light on the pathetic wages at the regional level and this is how you respond? No wonder we can't get the compensation we deserve. You are a disgrace. Now crawl back to your trailer while the rest of us try to bring some justice and respect back to this profession.

 

[Skywest Pylot]

tutoradriane,

I really like your idea. It would be great to have a documentary to pass out at flight schools to educate the newbies on the realities of the industry. Would you consider keeping some names and identities anonymous? I think a lot of people are worried about getting into trouble/getting fired for participating. Keep up the good work.

 

[tutoradriane]

@ Skywest Pylot

"tutoradriane,

I really like your idea. It would be great to have a documentary to pass out at flight schools to educate the newbies on the realities of the industry. Would you consider keeping some names and identities anonymous? I think a lot of people are worried about getting into trouble/getting fired for participating. Keep up the good work."


Thanks very much for your supportive words! Yes, I would definitely consider keeping identities anonymous. I know this is a risky proposition.

I'm also happy to speak with pilots who have retired or who have moved on to other work, and who are thus out of reach of retribution by the industry.

Please PM me if you'd be interested in speaking out.

Thank you!

Adriane

 

[smoknjoe]

...have to rely on government assistance because your pay was too low? Did you ever receive food stamps? Or WIC?

I'm a documentary filmmaker working on a story about how low pilot pay is. I would really love to speak with a pilot who was in (or currently is in) this situation.

I think most Americans would be shocked to learn how difficult a new pilot's life is, and how poorly paid they are, especially considering the expensive and lengthy training they must undergo, and the responsibility they bear for hundreds of lives. After all, a doctor can only harm one patient at a time, but a pilot holds hundreds of humans in his hands. Seems like pilots ought to be remunerated accordingly.

I recognize that it is a difficult thing to ask you to do, but I hope you'll agree that this is an important issue that needs to be brought to the public's attention. I hope my film will be effective in shaming the airlines into paying a living wage and/or spurring the FAA to enforce reasonable minimum salaries. And while the low salaries at the regionals were briefly reported widely after the February Colgan disaster, I have never seen a pilot come forward and admit that he had to rely on governmental assistance because his employer paid him so poorly.

If you google my name, you'll see that I have worked in documentary film for some time. This project already has a distributor, and will be seen in theaters and on television and DVD. I am hoping to present pilots in a very sympathetic light - you are highly skilled, highly trained professionals, and the airline industry has been cutting costs on your backs for far too long.

Please PM me if you'd be willing to consider speaking with me about this important topic.

Thank you!

Very best wishes,

Adriane Giebel

Dear Adriane.

Put this post on lamaland.com
It is a chat board like this one, but for the former employees of Mesa air group.
BTW, LAMA means Life After Mesa Airlines.

Good luck and take care.
Joe.

 

[cjdriver]

You should know that the pay is so low simply because there are a great deal of silver spoon kids that are willing and able (parents pay their rent) to work for nothing, and some have even paid to work at an airline. It has nothing to do with the fed or the airline management, and everything to do with the types of people attracted to flying for an airline. Just sayin'.

 

[cjdriver]

As a case in point, I offer the following:

I flew with a guy whose parents paid for a degree in engineering for him. After getting a job as an engineer, making good money, he decided he didn't like sitting at a desk, and had his parents pay for Comair Academy. A fast track to the airlines. When he graduated from the school with his certificates, which cost tens of thousands of dollars, he flight instructed there for peanuts to build time. All the while his parents footing the bill. Then, when he had whatever the minimum flight time was (I'm guessing 500-1500 hours), he paid another $10k to get an interview at Comair regional airlines, for a first officer position on a Brazilia turbo prop that I'm guessing paid about $14-16k/yr. All in all, the guy spent probably close to $100k for a job that paid $16k. If a company can get someone to spend that kind of time and money preparing for a job making that little, why wouldn't they take advantage of that? How can you blame the industry or government reg's on this behavior?

 

[brokeflyer]

that is why the wages are so low.....they allow 250 hour pilots to get hired.

they need to move that up to around 2500 hours MIN. then wages will go up and ticket prices will increase and all will be happy.

please make the documentary.

 

[Raoul Duke]

So this guy is trying to shed some more light on the pathetic wages at the regional level and this is how you respond? No wonder we can't get the compensation we deserve. You are a disgrace. Now crawl back to your trailer while the rest of us try to bring some justice and respect back to this profession.

yes this is how I respond to a stupid idea. Pilot pay is low for the first couple of years. OMG what a tragedy, no other professions would dare to start new hires at low salaries. I am so shocked that everyone does not automatically get paid 747 CA rates. What is the compensation you deserve? If you don't get what you feel you are worth, quit and go somewhere else. No one is holding a gun to your head.

 

[Kalifornia]

yes this is how I respond to a stupid idea. Pilot pay is low for the first couple of years. OMG what a tragedy, no other professions would dare to start new hires at low salaries. I am so shocked that everyone does not automatically get paid 747 CA rates. What is the compensation you deserve? If you don't get what you feel you are worth, quit and go somewhere else. No one is holding a gun to your head.

I think we found Pilot Yip's illegitimate son, conceived with a stripper.

 

[InTransit]

yes this is how I respond to a stupid idea. Pilot pay is low for the first couple of years. OMG what a tragedy, no other professions would dare to start new hires at low salaries. I am so shocked that everyone does not automatically get paid 747 CA rates. What is the compensation you deserve? If you don't get what you feel you are worth, quit and go somewhere else. No one is holding a gun to your head.

You are actually quite out of touch. If this doesn't affect you, then get out of the way.

 

[crj567]

You should also look into a little airline called "MESA." They actually sent crews on the shorter overnights equipped with a board to place between the aisles to sleep on-rather than a hotel room.

BTW-

MESA
SUCKS!!!!!!


-Roll That!

 

[kingair1]

I am a 3rd year pilot for Alaska Airlines

Still on WIC to this date. It will end after August.

My oldest son qualified for reduced meal purchase in 7th grade last year.

Last year we missed the Food stamp program by making $ 100.00 over the monthly maximum pay requirements for a family of 5.

Lost over $ 35,000.00 in savings to funding my MAJOR AIRLINE PILOT JOB making mortgage payments. ( my fault for not budgeting ). Keep in mind we live in a 1989 split level home 30 miles East of Seattle. This house was a fixer upper when bought in 2006.

And pilots are overpaid ???? **ck that Sh** !!!

 

[N813CA]

Why do you hate these parents that make an effort to pay for their childrens education? Even if it is $100,000 +. I have to respect the parents for starting a college fund 30 years ago. Sick and tired of hearing about it.

 

[QOL_is_great:)]

I remember my first year in the regionals (Jan 99-Dec 99) and with the last two months as a captain I made $19K for the year. Well below the federal limit to receive gov't. help with my family of four.

Only reason I couldn't recieve the money is I worked a part-time gig (national guard pilot) and that small amount of coin pushed me over the cutoff. I wanted to continue to my service after leaving active duty and also knew hard work was better then being a slacker. It caused more time away from home but it worked out in the end.

View Airline Pilot Central for pay scales. Remember the pilots my earn a certain amount of coin per hour, but that's for maybe only 80 hours of pay per month.

Example via the above mentioned web site. A B1900 FO earning $20 per hour on 3rd year pay is flying 80 hours per month is only bringing in $1,600 gross. If that same pilot has 12 bid periods and each is 80 hours credit per month then said pilot will see $19,200 for the year, gross.