Furlough Factor?

[LanceDriver]

Just curious-

It is widely known that the pilot job market is as competitive as ever, especially with the recent UAL, USAIR, CAL, and even maybe the AA furloughs.

With that said, is there any "hope" for the 30-ish commuter/corporate/military guy with say 4500 hours and 1000-1500 turbine PIC anymore? Assume ATP and college degree.

With all the talk I see everywhere about guys with 10,000 hours in Boeings and 3 types on the street, it makes me wonder.

Sometimes I have images of every single TWA pilot and UAL furloughee in line at the HR offices of SWA.

sorry to be negative but I am a "young guy" in his early stages of the flying career, and wanted to hear some opinions

 

[mar]

Your timing isn't the best

Look, I'll be short and to the point.

You may not get much response to your question as it was posted shortly after an older gentleman asked a similiar, "What are my chances?" question.

But I've got a thing for lost causes so today is your lucky day.

Here's the deal with airline hiring:

--Timing is critical
--Preparation is critical
--An inside connection is SUPERcritical

The best any of us can do is to be as prepared (well-rounded in terms of experience and knowledge and skills) as we can be when the next wave of hiring hits.

And it will hit--it's just that nobody knows when.

Is the job market super competitive? You bet!

Does it really matter that there are 10,000 hour pilots with three types on the street? Um not really; not exactly.

A 10,000 hour pilot will check all the same boxes a 5,000 hour pilot will check. If you're qualified for the job then you're qualified.

Right now is the time to get a degree (sorry Pilotyip); build your time; take care of personal matters so that when they fire the gun you can spring forward.

Because no matter what you want to be on the first part of that hiring wave. If you weren't prepared or made a false start and get hired on the backside of that wave, well then my brother, you will now be a very precarious position for the next several years.

At that point you may languish in the right seat for years and live in constant fear of furloughs--which are simply an inevitability in this industry.

As a professional pilot you'll learn to structure your life (sleep/eat/wife/friends/money) to adapt to the unpredictable and cyclical nature of this crazy industry.

You can either learn to ride out the waves or get the crap knocked out of you swimming up stream.

Sorry I wasn't so short, but hopefully to the point.

In sum:

Long road;
Many sacrifices;
Bad sleep/poor eating habits;
Doubtful payoff at age 60;

Bottom line: It's your life; your choice. Only you'll decide if it was worth it.

Good luck

 

[350DRIVER]

Timing is pretty close to being everything when pondering this question. I think a lot depends on what your career ambitions and desires are. I do not think too many people present day would be looking at tailoring their credentials towards achieving the goal of making it to a UAL, Airways, AA, etc. Keep in mind some companies do hire many pilots from a 91/135 background. I would say the many of ATA drivers that I have met came from a 135/91 gig.


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[46Driver]

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