Please help! In the first years of your career, did you ever...

[tutoradriane]

...have to rely on government assistance because your pay was too low? Did you ever receive food stamps? Or WIC?

I'm a documentary filmmaker working on a story about how low pilot pay is. I would really love to speak with a pilot who was in (or currently is in) this situation.

I think most Americans would be shocked to learn how difficult a new pilot's life is, and how poorly paid they are, especially considering the expensive and lengthy training they must undergo, and the responsibility they bear for hundreds of lives. After all, a doctor can only harm one patient at a time, but a pilot holds hundreds of humans in his hands. Seems like pilots ought to be remunerated accordingly.

I recognize that it is a difficult thing to ask you to do, but I hope you'll agree that this is an important issue that needs to be brought to the public's attention. I hope my film will be effective in shaming the airlines into paying a living wage and/or spurring the FAA to enforce reasonable minimum salaries. And while the low salaries at the regionals were briefly reported widely after the February Colgan disaster, I have never seen a pilot come forward and admit that he had to rely on governmental assistance because his employer paid him so poorly.

If you google my name, you'll see that I have worked in documentary film for some time. This project already has a distributor, and will be seen in theaters and on television and DVD. I am hoping to present pilots in a very sympathetic light - you are highly skilled, highly trained professionals, and the airline industry has been cutting costs on your backs for far too long.

Please PM me if you'd be willing to consider speaking with me about this important topic.

Thank you!

Very best wishes,

Adriane Giebel

 

[Raoul Duke]

you are wasting your time. make a documentary movie about strippers more people will want to see it.

 

[LazyLightnin']

The pay rates are published. It's not difficult to see how low wages are, and most active pilots will choose to keep their jobs rather than have their voices published. Even if the job is a low-paying one. Good luck, however.

 

[73belair]

Wow you two are a lot of help. I think for the most part pay is just enough above food stamps, but considering the time and $$ invested the wages are still horrible.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

I'll echo what 73Belair posted.

Never needed food stamps, but this occupation at the Regional level requires the assistance of a spouse who makes decent money... especially when you factor in a mortgage, school loans, children, etc.

 

[JumpersAway]

You can do some research for Freedom Airlines- they actually started to terminate pilots, or threatened it, after a host of them started applying for government assistance in uniform. Good luck with your docu-film..........

 

[Skywest Pylot]

you are wasting your time. make a documentary movie about strippers more people will want to see it.

So this guy is trying to shed some more light on the pathetic wages at the regional level and this is how you respond? No wonder we can't get the compensation we deserve. You are a disgrace. Now crawl back to your trailer while the rest of us try to bring some justice and respect back to this profession.

 

[Skywest Pylot]

tutoradriane,

I really like your idea. It would be great to have a documentary to pass out at flight schools to educate the newbies on the realities of the industry. Would you consider keeping some names and identities anonymous? I think a lot of people are worried about getting into trouble/getting fired for participating. Keep up the good work.

 

[tutoradriane]

@ Skywest Pylot

"tutoradriane,

I really like your idea. It would be great to have a documentary to pass out at flight schools to educate the newbies on the realities of the industry. Would you consider keeping some names and identities anonymous? I think a lot of people are worried about getting into trouble/getting fired for participating. Keep up the good work."


Thanks very much for your supportive words! Yes, I would definitely consider keeping identities anonymous. I know this is a risky proposition.

I'm also happy to speak with pilots who have retired or who have moved on to other work, and who are thus out of reach of retribution by the industry.

Please PM me if you'd be interested in speaking out.

Thank you!

Adriane

 

[smoknjoe]

...have to rely on government assistance because your pay was too low? Did you ever receive food stamps? Or WIC?

I'm a documentary filmmaker working on a story about how low pilot pay is. I would really love to speak with a pilot who was in (or currently is in) this situation.

I think most Americans would be shocked to learn how difficult a new pilot's life is, and how poorly paid they are, especially considering the expensive and lengthy training they must undergo, and the responsibility they bear for hundreds of lives. After all, a doctor can only harm one patient at a time, but a pilot holds hundreds of humans in his hands. Seems like pilots ought to be remunerated accordingly.

I recognize that it is a difficult thing to ask you to do, but I hope you'll agree that this is an important issue that needs to be brought to the public's attention. I hope my film will be effective in shaming the airlines into paying a living wage and/or spurring the FAA to enforce reasonable minimum salaries. And while the low salaries at the regionals were briefly reported widely after the February Colgan disaster, I have never seen a pilot come forward and admit that he had to rely on governmental assistance because his employer paid him so poorly.

If you google my name, you'll see that I have worked in documentary film for some time. This project already has a distributor, and will be seen in theaters and on television and DVD. I am hoping to present pilots in a very sympathetic light - you are highly skilled, highly trained professionals, and the airline industry has been cutting costs on your backs for far too long.

Please PM me if you'd be willing to consider speaking with me about this important topic.

Thank you!

Very best wishes,

Adriane Giebel

Dear Adriane.

Put this post on lamaland.com
It is a chat board like this one, but for the former employees of Mesa air group.
BTW, LAMA means Life After Mesa Airlines.

Good luck and take care.
Joe.