Regional Staffing With Upcoming Retirements And Work Rules

[johnpeace]

Not this again...you get old.

He's almost right. This IS an easy job for modestly intelligent/capable people to do. It's not all that demanding and it's not a hard job to be really good at.

The problem though is that flight time requirements for newhires are going to be financially unattainable. New airline pilots would HAVE to be professional pilots with 1000 hrs or so of actual, professional pilot experience. Few people can afford to rent an airplane to fly 1000 hrs in.

But, what will likely happen is some form of reduced flight time mins (500 hrs? 300?) for graduates from some training program that looks good on paper (ATP? God help us!). Which just puts us right back at 300/25 'pilots' who have a bunch of experience riding around in an airplane with their buddy...but virtually no real decision making or even critical thinking/situation evaluation ability.

Kinda' like the last hiring spree.

Regional airlines will subsidize Part 142 training for new employees and bind them with an employment contract and promissory note. Providing initial training from zero to hero is still far cheaper than paying competitive wages to attract employees that would have to be projected through to the entire pilot group. It's not what you want to hear, but it is the least expensive solution for the airlines.

They still haven't hit the bottom of the barrel yet. When they do, they will buy some pilots and start from scratch - not pay everyone more. After all, why should they pay YOU more? - you're already doing the job for present wages.

I don't think our unions would find that acceptable at all. That amounts to the company offering newhires a substantial asset/benefit (their flight training) that isn't available to the rest of the pilot group.

Perhaps our JCBA should reflect the potential for this and include language to mitigate it.

 

[777forever]

Flying airplanes is stupid easy and better than working at walmart... there is an endless supply of bar tards with a credit card ready to 'graduate' from pilot school and start at an airline.

And if you don't have any other options it's not that bad of a gig

Its stupid easy most of the time, until you get an emergency. It can happen to anyone of us, any day. Just remember we are always 2 geese going thru both engines and shutting them down on climb out away from this being a very very difficult job.

Google the Quantas A380 uncontained engine failure. Not so stupid easy is it?

 

[cynic]

Its stupid easy most of the time, until you get an emergency. It can happen to anyone of us, any day. Just remember we are always 2 geese going thru both engines and shutting them down on climb out away from this being a very very difficult job.

Google the Quantas A380 uncontained engine failure. Not so stupid easy is it?

Look guys... I wish becoming a pilot were harder and I wish it paid more and I FULLY acknowledge there are good and bad pilots and I've even flown with former navy pilots that were far more skilled than I.

My point is that getting a commercial or even an ATP is stupid easy and airlines don't care how good of a pilot you are and that... there is a line of bar tards with credit cards ready to sign up for a job that is better than working at walmart. At least after a few years you can make decent money,

 

[bri5150]

He's almost right. This IS an easy job for modestly intelligent/capable people to do. It's not all that demanding and it's not a hard job to be really good at.

The problem though is that flight time requirements for newhires are going to be financially unattainable. New airline pilots would HAVE to be professional pilots with 1000 hrs or so of actual, professional pilot experience. Few people can afford to rent an airplane to fly 1000 hrs in.

But, what will likely happen is some form of reduced flight time mins (500 hrs? 300?) for graduates from some training program that looks good on paper (ATP? God help us!). Which just puts us right back at 300/25 'pilots' who have a bunch of experience riding around in an airplane with their buddy...but virtually no real decision making or even critical thinking/situation evaluation ability.

Kinda' like the last hiring spree.



I don't think our unions would find that acceptable at all. That amounts to the company offering newhires a substantial asset/benefit (their flight training) that isn't available to the rest of the pilot group.

Perhaps our JCBA should reflect the potential for this and include language to mitigate it.

I completely agree with your view. It requires a "modest" amount of intelligence. Cynic's view is that anyone with a pulse and a credit card can do it. That is 100% completely false.

 

[bri5150]

Its stupid easy most of the time, until you get an emergency. It can happen to anyone of us, any day. Just remember we are always 2 geese going thru both engines and shutting them down on climb out away from this being a very very difficult job.

Google the Quantas A380 uncontained engine failure. Not so stupid easy is it?

I couldn't agree more with your post.

 

[bri5150]

Look guys... I wish becoming a pilot were harder and I wish it paid more and I FULLY acknowledge there are good and bad pilots and I've even flown with former navy pilots that were far more skilled than I.

My point is that getting a commercial or even an ATP is stupid easy and airlines don't care how good of a pilot you are and that... there is a line of bar tards with credit cards ready to sign up for a job that is better than working at walmart. At least after a few years you can make decent money,

If it's so "stupid easy", and airlines don't care about how good of a pilot you are, why do people fail checkrides? I understand you may get retrained, but you certainly won't be high on the list to get on with another airline with multiple failures. Heck, you may even lose your current job.

 

[johnpeace]

If it's so "stupid easy", and airlines don't care about how good of a pilot you are, why do people fail checkrides?

Not everyone who tries can do even easy things.

 

[Flyer1015]

Vv

You referring to UAL in an earlier decade?

That was done to hire females and minorities, to "diversify."

 

[cynic]

People fail out of the training at McDonalds! There is a bar for commercial aviation, it's just REALLY low.

 

[Jetjockey]

Ahh..... Cynic is back gracing us lowly pilots with his superior intellect. I find it ironic how someone with such a superior career and self-described intellegence reads and repsonds to a pilot (Bar tard...whatever that is) message board. I suppose the Mensa message board gets a bit dull.