Wow, where do I start?
I think I'll start here:
Skyline said:
I wasn't planning on a 150 per se, (unless you know about a fabric covered tailwheel version that I don't) but something of similar dimensions and capacity. Consult my avatar if you are in need of a broader hint. But then again, some of my best moments in flying have taken place in a C-152. Go figure.
I always wanted to make it as honestly as possible and to take the most difficult path.
So forking out $15 to $25k in order to secure a job at a
single outfit is the "easy" path? What if you get laid off? Is it the easy path then?
True heros of the sky right? You like doing things the hard way in an already heavily competitive market. I will see the both of you on the construction site someday.
Heros of the sky? I can't speak for mini (although his logic is unimpeachable), but for me, there is no "PFT" for my goals, there are just qualifications and job offers. PFT is not an option for me. If that makes me a 'hero of the sky,' then so be it. And yes, the market is competitive, but that's what we signed up for. I decided a long time ago that as long as I'm flying and making ends meet financially, then I'm happy. As far as I'm concerned, "buying" a single job offer does not constitute "making ends meet."
Oh, and about that construction site comment, I'll have a masters degree in the near future, so I don't think you'll see me there any time soon--not that construction isn't an honorable and financially rewarding endeavor. And I do like to "mix it up" with the construction guys every now and then down at the Home Depot.
I suppose the flight school just gave you your licences? When the first real company decides to take a chance on you and they slide that big nasty training contract across the desk I hope you decline on principle.
A training contract is not PFT. The company is simply ensuring that you won't bolt at the next thing that comes down the pike. To be constantly paying for employees' training only to have them ditch out in a few months puts the employer in a precarious financial position. I completely see where they are coming from. If you are unsure about whether you are willing to stay the duration of the contract, don't accept the job.
And actually, (funny you should mention this) the school didn't "give" me my licenses. The government did. I flew at a state school. Tuition and flight costs were dirt cheap, and I recieved pell grants to cover most of my training. And the school that I currently instruct at paid for my CFI-G, will pay for my MEI, and would have paid for my CFII if I hadn't already had it. If you hang around long enough and work hard, they'll likely pay for your ATP too. They are also paying for my masters degree (well, waiving tuition. That's sort of like paying.)
An ego is an expensive luxury in this industry.
Yeah, and it runs about $15 to $25K for a single job offer.
Some folks are just in it for the money, others for the adventure and some for the self destruction.
I'll take "adventure" for $500, Alex. But strangely enough, auto-pilot ON at 400' AGL just doesn't seem like adventure to me. If you want to PFT to read
USA Today and commute to sit reserve, you go right ahead.
-Goose