FurloughedAgain
Cabin Heating & Air Tech.
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2002
- Posts
- 1,657
Welcome to Flightinfo.com
- Register now and join the discussion
- Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
- Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
- Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
- Share the passion for aviation
- Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun
MidAtlantic Captain Positions At 01/99 DOH
- Thread starter FurloughedAgain
- Start date
Welcome to Flightinfo.com
- Register now and join the discussion
- Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
- Invite your friends
- Share the passion of aviation
- Friendliest aviation community on the web
General Lee
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2002
- Posts
- 20,442
TWA 2 ASA FO
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2003
- Posts
- 471
DrinkSweetTea
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2003
- Posts
- 94
Perhaps Jetblue will want already typed guys since they will be operating a brand new airplane type with not a lot of people experienced in that plane. But, that doesnt always mean youll be a shoe in. Some companies like the first way of you learning something, to be the way they teach it. Would you be able to take another furlough and going back the bottom of the list again if it came to that?
rptrain
Probationary Member
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2002
- Posts
- 199
FurloughedAgain
Cabin Heating & Air Tech.
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2002
- Posts
- 1,657
VC10 - I disagree.
RPTrain - We moved for my new job so I would be giving up a semi-stable gig (as stable as one can be in the airlines) for about an extra $10/hr. Adding a commute. and working -- again -- for a company whose long term survival is in question.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... or three times... or four times...
RPTrain - We moved for my new job so I would be giving up a semi-stable gig (as stable as one can be in the airlines) for about an extra $10/hr. Adding a commute. and working -- again -- for a company whose long term survival is in question.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... or three times... or four times...
On Your Six
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2004
- Posts
- 4,506
Leave ONLY for an EMB-170/190 TYPE (Worth Its Weight in GOLD)
Only leave if you can get an EMB-170/190 type. Upgrade times at Comair are super long - you need to consider that. I would say go for it and get the type and aim for JetBlue - you need to think long term....
Let us know what you decide - good luck.
Only leave if you can get an EMB-170/190 type. Upgrade times at Comair are super long - you need to consider that. I would say go for it and get the type and aim for JetBlue - you need to think long term....
Let us know what you decide - good luck.
On Your Six
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2004
- Posts
- 4,506
FurloughedAgain
Cabin Heating & Air Tech.
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2002
- Posts
- 1,657
decisions
Thank you everyone for your advice.
You know, like many of the pilots who post on this forum, I found myself spending the vast majority of my career as an airline pilot in a hurry.
I raced through college in order to get out into the real world. I hurried through flight instructing while racing to build the qualifications necessary to earn the coveted single-pilot night-frieght job. I rushed through flying night-freight and quickly moved on to the commuters. No sooner was I trained as Jetstream 31 first officer than I found myself interviewing at companies that flew Dash-8s... not relenting in my search for something "bigger and better" until I had been awarded a Saab 340 F/O seat.
A few years later when friends were leaving Chautauqua to go to (what was then considered to be) a low-end LCC, I followed. We assumed that DC9 first officer was far more valuable to us than Jetstream or Saab Captain time. It wasn't long before I was furloughed and was rushing once again to find work in the interim. Six months later I was in class at US Airways and a short three years later I found myself on the street once again.
Since then I've interviewed dozens of times constantly searching for that one missing qualification that might make the difference and turn the tide on my aviation "career". Perhaps that one extra type rating, or that extra few hours of PIC turbine, or that new qualification would make the difference between meeting my own career expectations...or spending my life wondering "what if?"
I think its time that I stop rushing around.
There is more to life than wearing four stripes and sitting in the left seat.
We now live in a modest home in a nice neighborhood in CVG. We've got a fenced in backyard for the dog and a wonderful group of friends and neighbors who make being home a heck of a lot nicer than being on a trip. My wife truly loves her new home and the thought of spending even fewer of those precious moments at home while commuting to MidAtlantic just doesn't pass the gut-check.
When I filled out my APL preference form I only included one choice -- MAA Captain. I made that choice with the belief that it would take years for that position to reach me. During that time I could distance myself from US Airways, sit back, wait, and watch to see if they could successfully restructure. If they could, then once they called I would return. If not, then I didn't have all of my eggs in one basket. Of course, that plan was derived during a time when Comair was growing by leaps and bounds and was one of the most stable choices in the industry for a long-term career ... if not the most financially rewarding. Since then Delta has chosen to grow the DCI family (ironically enough using my own former employer - Chautauqua - who I never would have imagined would have an all-jet fleet and multiple codeshares). Growth has come to a halt and attrition is near zero. Upgrade time at Comair now is more than likely approaching a decade.
Answering that phone call from US Airways was the hardest thing i've ever had to do. You see, I love that airline. I wanted to work for US Airways ever since I was a little boy (Allegheny at the time). The time I spent there was literally a dream-come true for me, and answering the recall -- to the left seat no less -- would have been a lot like coming home.
The fact is though that if I left Comair and went back to US Airways to fill another box ... to try (once again) to improve my qualifications with the hopes of moving on ... and then six months later found myself unemployed again, I dont think I could look my wife in the face and explain why.
So to those of you still waiting for MidAtlantic my seat is yours. I wish you and the entire US Airways family the best of luck with the hopes that you will be able to turn the tide and reinvent yourself as a lean, competitive airline.
In the meantime I think i'll stay here in the right seat. Hopefully Delta's realignment of RJ flying will not have too great an impact on Comair and I'll be able to finally sit back for a few years and enjoy the flying career that I've spent the last decade trying to build -- I'm just not going to rush around trying to fill boxes anymore.
Thanks again for all of your advice!
Thank you everyone for your advice.
You know, like many of the pilots who post on this forum, I found myself spending the vast majority of my career as an airline pilot in a hurry.
I raced through college in order to get out into the real world. I hurried through flight instructing while racing to build the qualifications necessary to earn the coveted single-pilot night-frieght job. I rushed through flying night-freight and quickly moved on to the commuters. No sooner was I trained as Jetstream 31 first officer than I found myself interviewing at companies that flew Dash-8s... not relenting in my search for something "bigger and better" until I had been awarded a Saab 340 F/O seat.
A few years later when friends were leaving Chautauqua to go to (what was then considered to be) a low-end LCC, I followed. We assumed that DC9 first officer was far more valuable to us than Jetstream or Saab Captain time. It wasn't long before I was furloughed and was rushing once again to find work in the interim. Six months later I was in class at US Airways and a short three years later I found myself on the street once again.
Since then I've interviewed dozens of times constantly searching for that one missing qualification that might make the difference and turn the tide on my aviation "career". Perhaps that one extra type rating, or that extra few hours of PIC turbine, or that new qualification would make the difference between meeting my own career expectations...or spending my life wondering "what if?"
I think its time that I stop rushing around.
There is more to life than wearing four stripes and sitting in the left seat.
We now live in a modest home in a nice neighborhood in CVG. We've got a fenced in backyard for the dog and a wonderful group of friends and neighbors who make being home a heck of a lot nicer than being on a trip. My wife truly loves her new home and the thought of spending even fewer of those precious moments at home while commuting to MidAtlantic just doesn't pass the gut-check.
When I filled out my APL preference form I only included one choice -- MAA Captain. I made that choice with the belief that it would take years for that position to reach me. During that time I could distance myself from US Airways, sit back, wait, and watch to see if they could successfully restructure. If they could, then once they called I would return. If not, then I didn't have all of my eggs in one basket. Of course, that plan was derived during a time when Comair was growing by leaps and bounds and was one of the most stable choices in the industry for a long-term career ... if not the most financially rewarding. Since then Delta has chosen to grow the DCI family (ironically enough using my own former employer - Chautauqua - who I never would have imagined would have an all-jet fleet and multiple codeshares). Growth has come to a halt and attrition is near zero. Upgrade time at Comair now is more than likely approaching a decade.
Answering that phone call from US Airways was the hardest thing i've ever had to do. You see, I love that airline. I wanted to work for US Airways ever since I was a little boy (Allegheny at the time). The time I spent there was literally a dream-come true for me, and answering the recall -- to the left seat no less -- would have been a lot like coming home.
The fact is though that if I left Comair and went back to US Airways to fill another box ... to try (once again) to improve my qualifications with the hopes of moving on ... and then six months later found myself unemployed again, I dont think I could look my wife in the face and explain why.
So to those of you still waiting for MidAtlantic my seat is yours. I wish you and the entire US Airways family the best of luck with the hopes that you will be able to turn the tide and reinvent yourself as a lean, competitive airline.
In the meantime I think i'll stay here in the right seat. Hopefully Delta's realignment of RJ flying will not have too great an impact on Comair and I'll be able to finally sit back for a few years and enjoy the flying career that I've spent the last decade trying to build -- I'm just not going to rush around trying to fill boxes anymore.
Thanks again for all of your advice!
KeroseneSnorter
Robust Member
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2003
- Posts
- 1,530
Furloughed,
I know what you mean. 3 years ago I would have jumped at one of the J4J offers, but after being out of the airline biz for a while I am seeing the regionals for what they are.
Flying Corporate I am actually (gasp!!) seeing my kid grow up!! And I have been home for the past 3 Christmas, and Thanksgiving holidays.....something that I had missed every year for the previous 7 years. And to top it off the pay is much better than any of the regionals. So like you, instead of jumping at one of the so called "good deals" I find myself wondering how they are actually getting anyone to fly those things for the wages offered! Although it appears that there are darn few takers for the job from anybody that has anykind of experience. Mostly just the older guys that were furloughed later down the line with 10 or 12 years in at U and have not found anything better yet.
Yet everyday I see the kids coming through that think 60 grand is a fortune to fly left seat in an RJ and be gone away from your home and family for 200 + days a year. And they are willing to pay 100k to learn how to do a job that has a starting wage of 18 k.
Strange how it came to this, considering that your average motivated high school student makes better money than that working part time after school.
So like you, barring any unforseen events I will not be accepting any of their generous offers, I prefer working somewhere that actually appreciates the experience I have and is not just looking for a warm body.
I know what you mean. 3 years ago I would have jumped at one of the J4J offers, but after being out of the airline biz for a while I am seeing the regionals for what they are.
Flying Corporate I am actually (gasp!!) seeing my kid grow up!! And I have been home for the past 3 Christmas, and Thanksgiving holidays.....something that I had missed every year for the previous 7 years. And to top it off the pay is much better than any of the regionals. So like you, instead of jumping at one of the so called "good deals" I find myself wondering how they are actually getting anyone to fly those things for the wages offered! Although it appears that there are darn few takers for the job from anybody that has anykind of experience. Mostly just the older guys that were furloughed later down the line with 10 or 12 years in at U and have not found anything better yet.
Yet everyday I see the kids coming through that think 60 grand is a fortune to fly left seat in an RJ and be gone away from your home and family for 200 + days a year. And they are willing to pay 100k to learn how to do a job that has a starting wage of 18 k.
Strange how it came to this, considering that your average motivated high school student makes better money than that working part time after school.
So like you, barring any unforseen events I will not be accepting any of their generous offers, I prefer working somewhere that actually appreciates the experience I have and is not just looking for a warm body.
On Your Six
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2004
- Posts
- 4,506
Furloughedagain,
Well said. Your post was very profound - I think we are all looking for a little security and sometimes we rush to take advantage of opportunities that "might" lead to something else. In this business, nothing is for certain.
Comair is a great airline and I am happy that you are finding some peace.
Well said. Your post was very profound - I think we are all looking for a little security and sometimes we rush to take advantage of opportunities that "might" lead to something else. In this business, nothing is for certain.
Comair is a great airline and I am happy that you are finding some peace.
Mahalanobis
New member
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2004
- Posts
- 1
typhoonpilot
Daddy
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2002
- Posts
- 1,381
KingAirKiddo
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2002
- Posts
- 465
Furloughed Again,
I was sort of hoping you'd help my seniority a bit
In all seriousness, I am proud to know that I work amongst such professionals as yourself. Best of luck (to us all) for a long, prosperous, and stable career.
KAK
By the way, you ever considered writing a book--sort of a "handbook" for aspiring airline pilots or something like that?
I was sort of hoping you'd help my seniority a bit
In all seriousness, I am proud to know that I work amongst such professionals as yourself. Best of luck (to us all) for a long, prosperous, and stable career.
KAK
By the way, you ever considered writing a book--sort of a "handbook" for aspiring airline pilots or something like that?
Last edited:
NYRANGERS
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2002
- Posts
- 592
Tough choice. I wish you the best in whatever you decide.
One a side note, how did you get a job with comair and keep your seniority number with Us Airways? Is it only Delta furloughees who are not welcome? Again, good luck, I am glad you found a job, I know you have nothing to do with comair's policy.]
NYR
One a side note, how did you get a job with comair and keep your seniority number with Us Airways? Is it only Delta furloughees who are not welcome? Again, good luck, I am glad you found a job, I know you have nothing to do with comair's policy.]
NYR
Furloughed Again,
Glad to hear things are going well for you. It continues to amaze me how much alike our careers and choices have been, up to and including our decision making today.
It was very hard to pass up (twice) the PSA Captain position, as I need to fill that Turbine PIC box still as well, after many years in airline servitude. I continue to fight with that reflex, as my gut is just now beginning to have a say in decision making, where before it was all really just greed (most call it something more friendly, like "desire"). I too figured it would take considerably longer for the Captain seats to reach us on the APL. I prefer to let things play out longer to see if U will even exist in a year or two.
It's funny how life changes your perspective. If you'd have told me just 4 years ago that I'd be in this position and pass up a free Captain's seat and considerably more dollars than I stand to make anytime soon, I'd have wondered what you'd been smoking. I've felt almost ashamed (not a good word but you get the idea) in explaining to my friends that I'm bypassing "better" opportunities for a job with lousy pay but instead rich with time for family and (as much as possible) security in employment as an airline pilot.
Best of luck to you in your job, and more importantly, in life.
Swaayze
Glad to hear things are going well for you. It continues to amaze me how much alike our careers and choices have been, up to and including our decision making today.
It was very hard to pass up (twice) the PSA Captain position, as I need to fill that Turbine PIC box still as well, after many years in airline servitude. I continue to fight with that reflex, as my gut is just now beginning to have a say in decision making, where before it was all really just greed (most call it something more friendly, like "desire"). I too figured it would take considerably longer for the Captain seats to reach us on the APL. I prefer to let things play out longer to see if U will even exist in a year or two.
It's funny how life changes your perspective. If you'd have told me just 4 years ago that I'd be in this position and pass up a free Captain's seat and considerably more dollars than I stand to make anytime soon, I'd have wondered what you'd been smoking. I've felt almost ashamed (not a good word but you get the idea) in explaining to my friends that I'm bypassing "better" opportunities for a job with lousy pay but instead rich with time for family and (as much as possible) security in employment as an airline pilot.
Best of luck to you in your job, and more importantly, in life.
Swaayze
FurloughedAgain
Cabin Heating & Air Tech.
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2002
- Posts
- 1,657
FurloughedAgain
Cabin Heating & Air Tech.
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2002
- Posts
- 1,657
link
By the way, if anyone is researching MAA in order to try to make their own educated decision, this months Airways Magazine has MAA and the E170 as the cover story.
http://www.airwaysmag.com/magazine/a101/
By the way, if anyone is researching MAA in order to try to make their own educated decision, this months Airways Magazine has MAA and the E170 as the cover story.
http://www.airwaysmag.com/magazine/a101/
Looking4Traffic
RFP Aircraft Delivery
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2003
- Posts
- 129
Furloughed:
Maturity comes with experience and you've had your share. I agree that Comair is as good a home as any and it makes sense to me, at some point, to consider putting some roots down. This industry is cyclical and I'm tired of worrying about whether I'm going to be sitting at the right place when the industry strengthens again. Seniority only comes for those that wait so waiting is what I'm going to do. Someday hopefully we'll be sharing a brew somewhere and laughing about the "good ol' days" when we we were getting paid less than $40 per hour to fly five-to-six legs per day in RJs into every major airport in the United States while being criticized for not agreeing to concessions. In the meantime, I'm happy to have the job.
Maturity comes with experience and you've had your share. I agree that Comair is as good a home as any and it makes sense to me, at some point, to consider putting some roots down. This industry is cyclical and I'm tired of worrying about whether I'm going to be sitting at the right place when the industry strengthens again. Seniority only comes for those that wait so waiting is what I'm going to do. Someday hopefully we'll be sharing a brew somewhere and laughing about the "good ol' days" when we we were getting paid less than $40 per hour to fly five-to-six legs per day in RJs into every major airport in the United States while being criticized for not agreeing to concessions. In the meantime, I'm happy to have the job.
Share this page
Latest resources
-
-
-
-
-
AC 90-89C - Amateur-Built Aircraft and Ultralight Flight Testing HandbookAmateur-Built Aircraft and Ultralight Flight Testing Handbook
- Neal
- Updated:
