Help a furloughed pilot decide please

[Big Slick]

I would personally stay at AE and upgrade in 2 years. It's a sure thing. You won't have to commute and you won't take a pay cut. Also, if you want to work for AA, you may be able to flow up to the mainline.

Philosophically, it seems like a dangerous thing in this business to keep switching jobs in order to chase the brass ring. Six years ago in my AA class, we had 2 guys from FedEx, 1 from Alaska, 1 from SWA and lots of people who had given up captains jobs at Continental Express, AE etc. Not to mention folks who had given up promising military careers. Also, we had folks who had given up great corporate jobs. We've all been furloughed over 5 years. Talk about lost income. If you get too greedy, you could end up with nothing.

If you stay at AE, the worst thing that could happen is that you start logging PIC a couple of years later. If you leave, all kinds of bad things could happen.

Also, in this industry, things could look TOTALLY different in two years. US Airways may be the awesome job that everyone wants. AE could be hiring like crazy. Won't the upgrades at AE speed up once the AA flowbacks are recalled? You never know.

I would spend as much time as possible with my kids and stay patient. Your children don't care how much money you make, they are just glad to spend time with you. Trying to predict the future is just too hard in the airlines.

Let's say you commute for the next two years and get 1500 jet PIC. There are 3 possible outcomes:
1. You don't get hired by SWA, AA or CAL and you go back to US Airways where you become a commuter.
2. You don't get hired by SWA, AA or CAL and you go back to AE at the bottom of the seniority list again.
3. You do get hired by SWA, AA or CAL and you become a commuter.

Or, you upgrade to captain at AE in 2 years. You make a decent income and you spend time with your family. You can still interview with SWA, AA or CAL, but you have not bet your entire life on a long shot. US Airways might look good in a couple of years too. In any case, you will have a solid fall-back position. Who knows, you may decide you want to stay at AE.

But then again....who knows?

 

[Swaayze]

Slick,

Thanks, pretty much my sentiments exactly (except for the flowing up to AA part, that ship has long sailed and ironically enough in my resignation letter to Eagle in '99 I mentioned that I'd love to stay at AMR but that the flowthrough agreement was "anything but certain"). I also appreciate the frax guys but right now I just can't wrap my head around being gone 7 full days at a stretch. Yes I'd get more days off there but at Eagle I'll soon hold 2-day trips likely with about 14 days off. That means home part of every day and hotels less than 10 days a month. I'm basically just in the wrong business at this point I guess, but I'm not in a hurry to get out of it either. I want to have my cake and eat it too.

I basically have decided not to decide. I did not put in for a Republic Captain slot and I'm sure I'll stress over it again the next (and probably last) time it comes available (fairly soon I'm guessing). I simply cannot muster the energy and drive to accept another interim job and all of its associated hassles right now.

Funny story, my Mom is on a big spirtual positivity thing right now and has been praying for me, which is great. She called yesterday from the airport where she was going on vacation and had just talked to an AA Captain, telling him how I really would prefer AA and I'm stuck at Eagle, yada yada yada. He tells her I should get out of Eagle and forget about AA, just go to FedEx or UPS so I'll do well enough to retire early and because boxes don't bitch. She was so excited and I really felt kinda bad explaining to her that not only is it not that easy but that I don't even qualify to apply to either of them after 15 years in the industry!

Oh well, one way or another I'll end up where I'm supposed to be eventually. For now I'm an Eagle puke.

 

[Big Slick]

Maybe you can start a second job like teaching online or being a substitute teacher. I took a big pay cut this year and I'm planning on starting a second job soon.

I was a substitute after I graduated from college and I liked it. You make $50-$100 a day and you only work about 6 hours. (Teachers get lunch and one period off each day.) Plus, you work on the days you want.

I would also make sure I kept my options open at US Airways. Although that position doesn't seem as good as SWA, AA or CAL today, it might be awesome in a couple of years. They could merge with CAL, for example. They could purchase a bunch of 777s and start flying to China. Who knows?

If you choose not to decide, just make sure you keep your options open.

Bueno Suerte

 

[GuppyPuppy]

Slick-

Best post so far on this thread.

Swaayze-

Have you thought about becoming an x-ray technician? Seriously. If you ever decide to move, for whatever reason, you won't lose much as far as your salary.

Good luck with your final decision. It's not easy. I'm going through something similar right now, but I am building PIC at J_B. Commuting stinks, even a relatively "easy" commute. Consider today's weather in the NE with all the cancelled flights...some fathers will be missing their kid's birthday tonight or tomorrow because of it.

I think maybe you should:

A. Stay at Eagle and tough it out until you make captain.

or

B. Get out of the airline industry

Cheers!

GP

PS: I'd get out, but I'm too lazy and too stupid to do anything else.

 

[Swaayze]

Commuting stinks, even a relatively "easy" commute. Consider today's weather in the NE with all the cancelled flights...some fathers will be missing their kid's birthday tonight or tomorrow because of it.

PS: I'd get out, but I'm too lazy and too stupid to do anything else.

GP,

Thanks for the response, I do need constant reminders right now. Just this morning I was also reminded why it's good not to commute. BTW, I've done plenty of it, it's just been long enough that it's dulled in my memory now and I'm foolish enough to consider it again. Today is day 1 of a trip for me but I had a 1600 show, so I had to leave at 1500. My kids had Valentine's Day parties at school this morning so I made an appearance and was one of 2 dads total in my girls' classes who attended (they're in Kindergarten and still happy for me to show my mug around them in school). After that I had a quick lunch with the wife. Not quite the same as a day 1 for a commuter which would've probably begun at 1500 yesterday.

I too, am lazy and stupid so don't feel bad .

 

[PHXFLYR]

Swaayze:

With 3 type ratings and 10000hrs total time,how do you figure you don't qualify for a position at Fed Ex or UPS?? I say start the application process
and see where it leads. Can't hurt giving it a try...and I'll bet you'll be surprised. Whatchathink?

PHXFLYR

 

[Freight Dog]

Swaayze:

With 3 type ratings and 10000hrs total time,how do you figure you don't qualify for a position at Fed Ex or UPS?? I say start the application process
and see where it leads. Can't hurt giving it a try...and I'll bet you'll be surprised. Whatchathink?

PHXFLYR

It's called having thousands of hours in the right seat because of stagnation while FedEx and UPS both require turbine PIC.

Something that's unfortunately becoming more and more common these days... and will even be more common as a result of Age 65.

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

Substitute Teaching can be rewarding, if you're up for it.

In GRB there is a big shortage. They have steadily been reducing the minimum requirements, and they still can't get enough candidates. The going rate is about $120/day.

GRB is the 5th largest school district in WI, and in my kid's school they had to cancel some classes because they had used every single substitute they had-no one was left.

Hey, wait, that sounds like my airline-no crew left to fly the airplanes!

cliff
YIP

 

[Swaayze]

Yep, Freight Dog is right. FedEx and UPS both require more turbine PIC than I have logged, as does SWA, SkyBus, VirginAmerica, Lynx, and probably quite a few others. This is the whole reason for this thread, trying to decide at what price I go for the PIC at this stage in my life.

Thanks for the suggestion Cliff, but I'm not sure I'm teacher material and our district pays only $75/day so I can usually do better finding some OT to fly.