question for "old timers"

[Huck]

I figure in 40 years I'll sit around some FBO and bother all the young bucks. Someone will say, "Didn't you fly Brasilias, pop?"

It'll get really quiet. "Yeah, I did," I'll say. "A real widowmaker...."

 

[empenage]

OK...yea I'm old. Not quite time for the dirt shower yet though.

The guy I learned from was old. Old and great! He taught me to fly in the "sandbox", Iran, Pakistan, India..this guy was a great teacher.

Whiskey for me, fresh horses for the men and a nights lodging! I'm trying to carry on his traditions as best I can.....!

 

[jetblue320]

Cycles

As in life, the airline biz runs in cycles. Like most of the posts in this thread have stated in a roundabout way, it is just where you enter the cycle. I have been flying commercially since 1982 after 2 tours as an army pilot. From my perspective, the early 1980's was a tough time to enter the cycle. Maybe I was just lazy, maybe it was lack of motivation, who knows. Trying to get on with the majors then was tough if you were a fair haired AWB without a degree. So, it was off to fly dogsh&t airplanes in corrosion corner in MIA for me. While that was happening, the airlines had a hiring boom and I couldn't get in the door without a degree or a minority moniker to use. I stuck it out flying freight, making pretty good coin for what I was doing and then it all dropped out from underneath me when a large brown carrier bought out my airline and fired us all. Then came jetBlue. My timing (or better put, luck) in this case couldn't have been better. The rest is history, or at least I hope it becomes historical for the right reasons.

You see, it's kinda like surfing: when the surf is up, ride the waves, and ride them hard. When the surf is down, you gotta paddle for a while. If the surf disappears, it doesn't really matter if you have a board or not. Right now, for me anyway, I'm riding a big one. Either way, you have to decide if you want to stay in the water altogether.

Hope this helps and sorry for mentioning an airline name.

See ya and Good Luck!