First of all the idea that airlines should pay for your ratings is idiotic. Don't know where you got that idea. The day there are no airline pilots availabe is the day airlines will produce their own pilots. Second of all regardles of who's paying what, these gulfstream guys are paying the company for a job. That's the major difference. You can't compare 100K flight training, although I think that's majorly retarded, and people who buy a type rating. They're career investments. Still, they are not buying a job.
I'll agree, Gulfstream is unethical. My point is that we've defined what PFT is by the status quo of the industry, not by it's literal meaning which encompasses so much more.
Oh, and my first example compared us to other's in the transportation industry (truck drivers, who don't necessarily have to pay for their commercial privledges). Here's another example: a salute to all the true non-PFTers who let Uncle Sam pay for their training in the military. The rest of us have paid the bill for training to avoid this, and are thus PFT.
I know, it hurts to admit you're a PFTer, because then you get lumped in with all the stereotypical rich kid, spikey haired, ipod/backpack wearing, unskilled job thieves. On the other hand, we're all guilty, some more than others of paying for our own training, and not holding out for the airlines to pay for it.
The fact that we haven't gone past the industry standad status quo, as defined by flightinfoers everywhere, may relieve us from the PFT label, but not the sad fact that we literally have paid for our training, at least initially.
Go on, tell me that I'm wrong. It doesn't count if an airline doesn't directly benifit. Attack my profile, try to find something in my background, I'll admit it, I'm just as guilty for paying for training.
What's my point? I'm anti-PFT also, hypocritical as that may sound. My point is that we should examine all aspects of paying for training, even down to the flight schools before making Gulfstream the sole scapegoat, and rationalizing to ourselves that we haven't participated in PFT is only hurting us.
I dont' mean to offend anyone, just analizing the issue, and admiting my own fault.
