acaterry, most economists agree that the economy we were laid off in was the worst since the great depression. Most have gone through a furlough before, but none had a tougher time finding a job, much less a flying job. That's not what some whiny 495'er is saying, that's what economists said.
Every furloughed guy on here has asked the current group to raise the bar, even if that meant extending our furlough. If I were you, I would be more worried about the guys flying extended days selling you out than the guys coming off furlough.
First, thanks for the civility. That's become so rare around here.
I do not spend much time studying the economy, I never really a) found it very interesting and b) let my lifestyle become something that would let a runaway economy affect me much...I'm kind of an ant and grasshopper kind of guy. So I can't argue with any authority about who ever had a worse economy. What I go by is my own experiences and those of people close to me have experienced.
I guess my coming across as crass comes from being from a mentality and upbringing of work harder if you want better. If things don't work out, try again, try something new, but never tell someone with a better break that it is somehow their fault. That's not what I feel coming from a certain few in here. They seem to feel that because they had a roadblock, that somebody owes them something, and that everyone else is to blame.
Rapid rise, rapid fall. That's what I see in today's pilot. I and many others worked our way up, little by little and took many years and falls before we "made it". We washed planes, worked the fuel truck , flight instructed for thousands and thousands of hours, etc until we got there. And we learned to make hay while the sun shines because aviation WILL cah-rap on you. But the newer pilot of today, has little work ethic (I see it in the way I inherit planes from fellow SICs that never would have been turned over prior to 2007, and from so many of the things I hear pilots say in various forums about the contempt they hold to their passengers) and little ability to face tough breaks because things came fast and easy. Get a loan, go to a ticket factory, instruct 500 hrs or so, then go the regionals, fly a jet, so on. I know the argument of having a loan to pay comes up, but that is equaled by years of poor wages and struggle UP FRONT by the ones who came before them. Its an equal playing field. The difference is how the hardship is handled. And I see one thing clearly and unarguably: that the ones who learned early through tough times that tough breaks happen tend to handle their setbacks like men, and press on. The ones who have the fast track that was easy, they are the heinencomplainers. They took a gamble and lost, and they want to blame everyone else. Things happened fast, and then when hardship hit them, they can't face up to it. They then look for someone to be mad at, and as soon as they find something they can read into too deeply and twist the message, they jump all over it. And here we are. Frankly, I don't give a darn how anyone gets where they are. I think its long overdue that the traditional BS road to get somewhere in aviation changed. BUT!!! Don't expect to blame anyone else for your misfortunes. Those who came before you and I owe us nothing. They blazed their path, and in many ways
our path, and we benefited from it. So don't point fingers around when a bad break comes.
Now while I have never picked up an extended day, and frown upon it, it IS their contractual right to do so. It was voted and passed by the same pilots who are on furlough right now. That big pay raise looked so sweet back then but the riding pitfalls, again, were a gamble. And the events that played out now have brought the hens home to roost. And now the same "yes" voters don't like it and want to blame the extenders. But really, how can a few guys taking extended guys make a difference in 495 guys continued employment? The fact is, someone whose name and initials will remain unnamed but we all know who he is, came in swinging the sword and destroyed the entire fabric and culture we had. He was going to do that no matter what. The 495 in a real sense were never really furloughees, they were
hostages, since day 1. Sure we were somewhat overstaffed, but going from 9 and 10 hour days to 12-14 hour days, EVERY day, was the result and aim all along. The new normal. Now that recalls have started, and hopefully will bring in EVERY one that wants to come back, we need to be one group with one goal. Yes I know that is an impossibility, so is a 100% accident free industry but we still aim for it. So we try. But even with the return of the hostages, we still have that "new normal".
What is sad now is that we have the cookie eaters who have accepted that. These guys scare me more than anything, to be honest. And I'm not just talking about a contract, I'm talking about burning metal and human remains. But my message to the returnees was simply "please don't add to the weaklings we already have". That was it. But this whole thing blew up because the same few are always SEEKING to find something to be upset about. And they did. that's what got this whole thing going. So let me repeat my original message: "Welcome back, we're glad you are back. Please don't screw it up". I will tell ANYONE on the line when I fly with who is a cookie eater the same thing: "don't screw it up". Anything read between the lines that results in angst is the fault of the reader, plain and simple. My hands are clean of anyone's oversensitiveness. Its pretty damned easy to figure out who I am, you all have a seniority list. Run into me on the road when we are both back and I'll buy your welcome back beer (if we EVER see 12+ hour overnights again). If I'm eating, join me for dinner on me. You'll see I'm not the monster you think I am. You just need to be able to stop looking to be so easily offended. And for the record, I HAVE heard a couple of things that raised red flags from some furloughees....but like I said, this is a togetherness call, nothing else.
