Kit Darbys AirInc goes TU!

[CheapFlyer]

Just got an email that they are shutting down.

 

[BigMeat]

Finally!

 

[Amish RakeFight]

He'll be back when the cycle resets, unless he's on to a new endeavor. Care to share the email to the extent possible?

 

[johnboy99]

Bad for Kit. Good for me. I am going to the attic as we speak to retrieve all my interview stuff. Next stop EBAY.

 

[ACL65PILOT]

Well it was near the end when he pi$$ed off DAL in 07. They black listed him. That is why they went to other job fairs.

 

[BID]

how did he piss off Delta?

 

[Networ-King]

Couldn't happen to a nicer d o u c h e bag..... good riddance.

 

[ASA_DFW]

Let's say that Brian Bolt was not happy with a few things.... That is all I'm going to say. It is hard to run an airline career service company when nobody is hiring. The cash flow is just not there. Somebody new will come along around 2012.

 

[ACL65PILOT]

It was more than Brian. I will promise you that. It went a lot higher.

 

[~~~^~~~]

PM me, I'm curious. What did he do?

 

[~~~^~~~]

Just got an email that they are shutting down.

Why? The pilot shortage is almost here!​

 

[ACL65PILOT]

four years is a long time to wait for the hiring to start. I am sure that he is "shutting down" to claim a loss for tax reasons.
That is good business!

 

[Cookie Monster]

I couldn't be happier to hear it!

Made my day!

 

[Fubijaakr]

I was going to say, "What about the coming pilot shortage?" but you beat me to it.

 

[Ty Webb]

Uh, is this like good news, or not? Can we get a ruling?

four years is a long time to wait for the hiring to start. I am sure that he is "shutting down" to claim a loss for tax reasons.
That is good business!

Uh, no, shutting down "for tax reasons" would officially qualify you as a scumbag . . . . . because the people that paid for your services, and the companies owed payment for your advertising and your other commitments are going to be losing money, through no fault of their own.

He must have some obligations he committed to that he can't or won't make . . . so, like Madam Cleo, he's shutting down.

I guess this means the hiring boom's officially over? Can we get a ruling on this?

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Kit Darby: sugar coating a shi t sandwhich all these years..... all the jobs I got were on my own or thru contacts....

 

[GogglesPisano]

There's always Yip

 

[414Flyer]

There's always Yip

Yeah but YIP is not a snake oil salesman. Yes he is the eternal optimist, but I cant fault him for that.

If Kit would have had his way, Air Inc would have been a step in the hiring process to get on at any airline, it would have all had to go through him and his company. A few years back, Kit tried to entice/bribe a pilot with a free interview site to take his website down, since that was the kind of content Kit charged for.

 

[blzr]

There'll be another hiring boom, and another Darby! time to reset my spam filters!

 

[miaboeingcapt]

There's always Yip

Excuse my ignorance but who is Yip?

 

[Captainzero1]

Kit, for all his percieved faults did help a few people get on with airliners over the years. No denying that.

Rez what happened to getting a job based on your qualifications instead of who you know. Just like a meritocracy you repubs are always preaching to me.

 

[jetjock6]

The bad news is that the future generations will not get a chance to spend a $100 to let Kit tell them how great of a pilot he is.

So long D-bag!

 

[F/O]

WTF, the pilot shortage is almost here!!

Sorry, just had to chime in there....

 

[CatfishVT9]

He's got a new job now. He's been working at the Alteon Training center teachin' them furiners in the 737 sim. He's looking a lot older too. Saw him several times during my forced training in Sept.

 

[Smacktard]

Kit, for all his percieved faults did help a few people get on with airliners over the years. No denying that.

Rez what happened to getting a job based on your qualifications instead of who you know. Just like a meritocracy you repubs are always preaching to me.

Thousands of people used Kit's services and benefited from his help. A vast majority of his business was helping pilots make themselves look better (and a lot of you need that) so that they look better in the eyes of the interviewer. How this can be construed as being a snake-oil salesman is beyond me. Air Inc isnt even in the same league compared to the snake-oil men of Riddle, Flight Safety and even ATP. They take tens to hundreds of thousands of your dollars and lie to you. Kit charged you $200 and you got all sorts of material and counselor support, hardly what you could call a rip off. And for the guys and gals that didn't have connections, Kit's career fairs were great. I went to a few them in 2000, 2001 and 2004. They were all well planned events that were worth the price of admission.

So go on, bash if it makes you feel better, but also remember you're laughing at some good people that worked for him for almost 20 years that are out on the street. Wow, isn't that a real knee slapper...

 

[GogglesPisano]

Excuse my ignorance but who is Yip?

Do an FI search for Pilotyip's posts. He's a nice enough guy, with very civil posts, but he discourages potential pilots from "wasting" resources on a college degree and propogates the myth that there is a pilot shortage -- or there's one right around the corner.

More pilots, less pilot pay (he's management.)

 

[avbug]

Pilotyip was management...now unemployed. He's also a pilot, however...not simply a desk jockey.

Air Inc was certainly more snake oil than help. While it may have provided some help to military pilots just entering the civil world, for the most part it was all window dressing and no substance.

Even the magazine, airline pilot careers, suddenly went out of print a year or two ago...they took the money for subscriptions and then went to an internet-only service...no refunds offered, no extention or discount. Simply poor and dishonest service.

Their customer service was legendary for rudeness and the inability to return a phone call or email.

Their products were overpriced. They inflated their hiring states severely, lying to prospective customers about the pilot demand, and also about their own results.

Now, they send out an email on the 12th, saying they're out of business on the 13th. You might call them honorable...but professionals don't behave that way. Kit Darby's a dirtbag that preyed on inexperienced pilots and military pilots who didn't know any better.

I'm surprised it took them this long to shut down.

One day's notice. How efficient of them.

 

[tomgoodman]

But that was then

Air Inc was certainly more snake oil than help. While it may have provided some help to military pilots just entering the civil world, for the most part it was all window dressing and no substance.

I think that, like many organizations, it was good when it started. Thirty years ago there were no forums like this one, and FAPA (as I think it was called), provided a helpful service at a reasonable price. That and Molloy's "Dress for Success" were about all we military guys had for guidance until deregulation kicked in. From that point on, a gypsy fortune teller would have done as well.

 

[Carl_Spackler]

I remember seeing newsletters from Air Inc listing airlines, a/c type, hiring, minimums, contacts and addresses. This was good information until the internet came along and you could find the same stuff, find it faster, and get it for free.

 

[pilotyip]

In defense of Kit. He provided a service; over the years many pilots have benefited from that service. I wish he had been around in 1977 when I got out of the Navy my career may have taken a different path. I always recommended it to military pilots when they seperated. Go at least once, some of thee best money you could spend. I attended shows 2-3 times per year for 8 years until the pilot shortage made it impossible to hire at the shows. I had a lot of fun, meet a lot of industry people, got some job offers which I turned down because USA Jet was great place to work. Why is it Kit can not be part of the brotherhood, he certainly paid his dues.