Gulfstream First Officer Program

[TankCommander]

With all due respect capt_zman, you are a ........... well, you all ready used fool, so I'll use ......... "BONEHEAD"!

I read some of your other postings just to see who you were and what you were about. I think I figured you out. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Does that look about right?
Thats fine. In a capitalist country we need good busniss people like you. I am wondering though...... were you born into a poor family like me? Something tells me you weren't. How many planes do you own? I think I read four?
Anyway, I really don't think you have any concept of me or what being a soldier is like. Watching TV does not count. I stayed in the millitary for as long as I did because I loved it. As a Tank Commander, I was in charge of a 6 million dollar veh. I trained soldiers, young men that came from broken homes, had no self esteem, no disipline... pretty much a future that neither one of us would want. I watch them grow up, I mentored them, watched them get married, and have children. Two of them, I took their bodies back home to their parents and folded a flag over there coffins and presented the flag to their mothers and told them "on behalf of a greatful nation I present you this flag." Last count, I'm the god father of 14 children. My soldiers that call or e-mail me still address me as Sergent.
Inorder to do this you must "LEAD BY EXAMPLE". This is another reason I left after my back surg. Soldiers deserved to be lead by example, not by an NCO behind a desk; but I don't expect you to understand that. After the surg I could not run nor be on a tank. I served my country, my country did not serve me! I was making $23,000 a year, and that was at 18yrs of service. It's obviouse I didn't stay for the money.
You stated: "...you could have spent 2 more years pushing paper behind a desk and guaranteeing a $1000 deposit per month for life"? I'm not going to buy a trailer in the back woods of Tennesee so I can collect state subsedes and live off my $1000.00 a month retierment. 70k, yes I had a chance to get a head start since I'm 38yrs old.
Is that what really pisses you off?
If it does, here's something that will really grab your goat. It was all tax payer money. Yes, you helped me learn to fly... Thanks!
You stated: "...did you think about the fact that you are competing against multi-thousand hour pilots, ranging from 2,000 to 20,000 hours who have forgotten more than you have learned?"
Oh, You are so right. I don't think anyone should be learning to fly right now....Get out of here!!!!! We all make our way with the personal attributes that we bring to a company that we get hired to work for. I spoke to a senior Captin that worked for a major airline. He sits on an interview borad. I asked him what he looks for in someone that he would hire. He told me everyone interviewed meets the requierments for the job, time and ratings. He said the person being interviewed has three minutes to answer one question that he has. Its not one he verbally asks, but rather, "would I want to sit in a cockpit with this guy for eight hours?"
In the CAV we had some Tank Commanders that were not that good. They knew what they had to know. They were pompous asses that were hard to deal with day to day. No soldiers wanted to be on his crew. He could not train soldiers, he didn't have the patince. When **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** hit the fan he froze. Basicly he was no asset to the unit at all. I have learned that these poeple exsist in aviation also.

Anyway, I'm sitting here rambleing. My wife just walked by wearing a smile......... I got work to do!

capt_zman one more thought....... At this very moment, as you read this, your chest gets tight and you fall to the floor. As you look up at the ceiling you know this is it, it's over. Tell me, what would you give to get 2 more years....... $1000.00 a month?
The one thing none of us can buy is time.

Thanks for your thoughts, some of them anyway

 

[B190Captain]

Just out of curiosity, I thought Tank Commanders were officers.

Well, I could be wrong of course.

 

[stillaboo]

I spoke to a senior Captin that worked for a major airline. He sits on an interview borad. I asked him what he looks for in someone that he would hire. He told me everyone interviewed meets the requierments for the job, time and ratings.

That's the point, TC. With your experience, if you're not hired by Gulfstream, you won't even get invited to interview anywhere else. You may have the required minimum time to sit in the right seat of anything legally, but, 250 hours of 1900 time or not, you aren't competitive with even a 3000 hr CFI, let alone all the furloughed guys looking for jobs these days.

I think the Delta pilots had your best interests at heart, but didn't give you good advice. Do whatever it is you have to do to get hired at Gulfstream (pay them some more $? Sorry, I couldn't resist). If not, your 1900 time, while great experience, will just be Multi time at your next 121 interview, which likely won't be happening any time soon.

Good luck!
-Boo!

 

[broncodrvr]

Hey Tank Commander. I got out in '97 after 13 yrs. Ex USN Rescue Swimmer, USA Infantry Officer light and mech. i shared many of your hot spots. After I got out I went to the corporate sector, had a nice office and salary and absolutely hated it. You simply need to look at your circumstances, and choose whichever route best fits your needs. You are the one that is going to get yourself into the airlines; not some company or somebody else (aside from who you know). I am a GIA guy. I looked at where I was at in life, and it was the best route at the time. I interviewd like everyone else and gave it more than 110%. The questions "hey did you PFT?", or "so you're a GIA guy?" never comes up on the flightdeck. Nobody cares because it is trivial. Everyone is there to do a job, and enjoy themselves. The 1 out of 500 times it comes up, I tell the person where I did my 1900 time, and it is the end of the story. Either they do not have the fortitude to back up their ideals, or they simply do not care. I tend to think it is the second of the two. I totally agree that a 250 hour pilot with knowledge of the FARS and experience is really not in competition with the 6-10k hour person. You get what you put into it. Personally I take my job seriously and put a lot into it; studying, sims, etc.... so, I expect to get a lot from it. We are all proffessional pilots on those flight decks, hence we act that way. I would not care if the President bought your job. If you knew your stuff, and were a professional crew, enough said. Take the route that best suits you, and go for it because you never know uless you try. HOOHA!

 

[broncodrvr]

Just out of curiosity, I thought Tank Commanders were officers.

The lowest level which incorportes an Officer is the platoon level. This level generally has 4 vehicles. 1 Officer commands one and is resonsible for "leading" the remaining 3; 4 highly trained and professional NCOs command the other 3. Often times working in pairs without the supervision of an "O".

 

[d.fitz]

Tank Commander

Right on!

Money is useless if your not havin fun! Even if you get 250 hours and then dont fly ever again at least you did it. Notice that some of these people arguing here arent even pilots - they are more like zealots. Its useless to debate.

Do what you want - its not going to make any difference in the long run.

Outstanding job serving our country - you make all of us proud to be americans!!

Maybe one day you can teach capn_whatever the meaning of respect

 

[wil]

Please kill this thread!!

 

[B190Captain]

That's the point, TC. With your experience, if you're not hired by Gulfstream, you won't even get invited to interview anywhere else. You may have the required minimum time to sit in the right seat of anything legally, but, 250 hours of 1900 time or not, you aren't competitive with even a 3000 hr CFI, let alone all the furloughed guys looking for jobs these days.

I think the Delta pilots had your best interests at heart, but didn't give you good advice. Do whatever it is you have to do to get hired at Gulfstream (pay them some more $? Sorry, I couldn't resist). If not, your 1900 time, while great experience, will just be Multi time at your next 121 interview, which likely won't be happening any time soon.

Good luck!
-Boo!

What a bunch of Bullsh!t.

Thanks for the clarification Bronco.

 

[stillaboo]

No need to get upset here

BS?! I think what I said was taken the wrong way.

All I was saying is that with such low time, it's unlikely that TC will be competitive on the open market, so it is essential he do everything in his power to get hired on at Gulfstream.

I do think the Delta guys gave him bad advice b/c he spent a good amount of $ to get (outside of Gulfstream) merely 250 hours of multi time.

Make one joke, people cry foul. I even put a "" in. If you're in a tank shooting depleted uranium, that's serious. An internet board . . . let's all just keep this whole thing in perspective, okay?


-Boo!

 

[B190Captain]

I apologize stillaboo. I was just in a bad mood.

 

[capt_zman]

TC,
You have a very respectable military career, and that I do respect as I mentioned in my post. But now as your life transitions into the civilian world, the only relevant fact is reality, and perception is not reality. To me, in my opinion whether it's right or wrong, says that to walk away from a pension and then give half of your money to learn how to fly was a bad decision. Yes, there are other ways to learn how to fly that are much less costly than GIA. Maybe you knew this, maybe you didn't, but the reality is that you are no better off than the 250 hr commercial/cfi pilot. You might think you are, but therein lies the crux of the decision. Again, perception is not reality. I may be wrong, and again, for your sake, I hope I am.

I am glad you are happy with your decision, it's time gone by with no chance of turning back. Life is about choices, whether good or bad, and living with the consequences of those choices. The previous statement of "do what you want, it doesn't matter in the long run" is a crock of crap, and I'm sure you know that.

So good luck and I wish you the best.