Kit Darbys AirInc goes TU!

[GogglesPisano]

It's not what he did 20 years ago, it's what he's done over the last 10. Convincing starry-eyed kids that there is a pilot shortage and that there is a tremendous return on investment. A lot of people learned the hard way that he was full of dog poop.

 

[Browntothebone]

Krap! I just renewed my membership. Sux that they didn't let me know of the impending shutdown. I'm going to call them and get my money back since I just renewed.

 

[Motive Flow]

There goes that free AirInc membership to recent ALPA furloughees...right down the toilet.

 

[saabservant]

My first job offer in late 1997 came from attending one of his seminars and job fairs.
Went to a couple more over the years, but no direct interviews or offers.
His newsletters were good sources for learning how to conduct a search, do apps, and survive an interview, and pass a sim ride.

My only gig would be his prices, which were steep for the job fairs.

He did arrange special fairs for groups in trouble, ie the Mesaba pilots during their bankruptcy. I know a few guys who got offers, a couple from Continental...

If his only sin was peddling optimism and being prepared, I'll forgive him....

the sadder message is: there is no hiring anymore, even Darby admits it!

 

[NuGuy]

Heyas,

FAPA and the follow on Air, Inc was a product of the times. There was no internet, and no ubiquitous method of communication. Some aspects of aviation were VERY hard to find information on unless you just happened to know someone.

The Internet has changed the way we think about information, but more importantly, how information flows. That has put a LOT of information "brokers" out of business, not just FAPA, et al.

Nu

 

[freightdogfred]

He was a money grubbing weasel, and that's being nice. He could give a rat's ass about helping anyone, he was in it for the money and nothing more. There was a real decent old guy out of LA, a real old-skool dude that cut his teeth flying the old iron to places I can't even spell. I think his name was Nichols or something similar. He had a rag called FCI (Flight Crews International) that came out once or twice a month, and it had real time, accurate info on hiring and contract work, complete with phone numbers and contact names. If you had some experience you'd find work right away with it. Well, Kit bought him out just to shut it down, to force people to go to his service. Maybe when the pilot shortage shows up he can find work.

 

[FreightGod]

He's looking a lot older too. Saw him several times during my forced training in Sept.

Caught a jumpseat with Kit back in the 90s.
Not sure what he looks like now or back then.

He pumped me some on the Tower Air hireing, operation, etc.

Nice enough chap I guess, but all business.

There was a real decent old guy out of LA, a real old-skool dude that cut his teeth flying the old iron to places I can't even spell. I think his name was Nichols or something similar. He had a rag called FCI (Flight Crews International) that came out once or twice a month, and it had real time, accurate info on hiring and contract work,

Yeah, we all rememberd him and subscribed to his rag. $35.00 per month was it..?

Some guys got a job from it, most did not.

Most jobs came from connections and friendly intel:

"Evergreen are having a class next month and they are short of 2 guys."

So and so are looking for 747 drivers, call so and so ASAP..

Etc, etc.

Once ya got a foot inside the "community" the phone would ring.

 

[FlyFastLiveSlow]

Uh, no, shutting down "for tax reasons" would officially qualify you as a scumbag . . . . .

That summarily describes Kit, no?

 

[rajflyboy]

It's not what he did 20 years ago, it's what he's done over the last 10. Convincing starry-eyed kids that there is a pilot shortage and that there is a tremendous return on investment. A lot of people learned the hard way that he was full of dog poop.

I agree 100%

I was always ticked off that Darby woud never give phone numbers to the Hiring HR folks at company's. Thats really helpful when you are looking for a flying job.

I could always find that info on my on and never did spend any money with Air Inc!

 

[pipe]

When I was in college (one w/ an aviation program), he came to town to "speak". In retrospect, he came to town to take everyone's beer money in trade for a subscription to his worthless rag. I am proud to look back on my early wisdom -- I knew at the time that the beer was a better investment. I have since landed interviews and offers with four majors over the years and not even referenced a borrowed copy of his rag. Anyway, I digress.

I was sent by the school to pick him up about an hour away in a light twin. He asked if he could fly on the way back to the school. I was a current MEI at the time so I didn't care, as long as it went in my logbook. He proceeded to underperform my worst students all the way back to the home drome. I was phenomenally unimpressed -- so unimpressed that I didn't even bother to go hear his talk. In addition (and this is important when you're 22 years old) he dressed like a ******************************, he had ******************************bag hair, and he had the social panache of a lump of dung. At that age you tend to look at an airline captain and a USAF reserve pilot and assume that they walk on water -- this guy was the most singularly umimpressive lump of plasma you could imagine. Good riddance.

PIPE