General Lee said:
Surplus1,
In a good economy without war worries, why wouldn't you want to fly the big iron at an airline like Delta? Sure, I like the RJ and can understand some people wanting to stay at a certain airline because it gives them weekends off etc, but you wouldn't want to have the chance to fly big? Sure, there are probably guys there that flew C141's or C5's across every ocean, but wouldn't you like to fly a 767 into Bermuda? I am not putting down Comair or ASA, but I am asking just you that question. I will accept any answer you provide.
Bye Bye--General Lee
General,
I'm probably not a good example or the right person to ask that particular question. If you ask one of our young guys you'd probably get a different answer. I'm numbered among the "mature". Comair will be my last airline, but it was not my first. I've already flown "big"-- 4-engines, international, airline (not military), captain, much before I even heard of Comair. And yes, I've landed in Bermuda more than once. Personally, I prefer a 72-hour in Geneva, the good beer in Bavaria, the women in Keflavick and the Hotel Sofitel in London. I like the view of that big hill in Tanzania on a clear day, the brothels of Schipol's capital city, and the fun ride from Heliopolis to downtown Cairo. He!l I even have a pic on one of those old camels near the Great P., and trust me there's nothing quite like an LOA to do a turn or two on the Hajh (sp). The steaks are good in Buenos Aires, Rio this time of year (Carnival) is a blast, Caracas is boring, but the Club Med on Martinique is fun time and there's good food on St. Maarten (French side).
The 767 is not one of my favorite airplanes (never flew it), so there's no thirst there. Now offer me a 75 (never flew that either)and you might get my attention. That's the only Boeing that ever really turned me on. I kinda prefer airplanes that start with "DC" or L, but they don't make 'em any more.
Most young pilots that I know would love to fly the big aircraft (just as I did when I was younger) and make the big bucks. Nothing wrong with that. Some folks, like me, prefer international routes, other's like the domestic stuff. Still others are happy with the short haul light stuff.
Now let me ask you a question. Since you obviously like your 767 and your landings in Bermuda, why are you guys trying so hard to take away our little CL700? You have the "big iron" and now you want the small iron too? You already have the best but you're still not satisfied and so your trying to get the least as well.
This problem, debate or whatever you want to call it, doesn't have much to do with what kind of flying we might prefer. It's really about the right to work freely, without outside interference. Everyone (I think) wants that, whether we fly small airplanes or big airplanes. You want to protect your work and we want to protect our work. That means the job we have today, not the one we might want or get tomorrow.
Once you have enough seniority to keep your job, unless your airline goes out of business, that's a good deal. Doesn't matter what you're flying. You're worried about your furloughees, and you should be. Yeah, I've been furloughed too, so I do know something about it and its not nice. I clue you in -- it's a lot worse when your whole airline collapses around you or somebody takes it away. The people you have out on the street have all been there about 3 years or less. That's nothing. Feel lucky that you don't happen to work at AAA or that your airline wasn't TWA and now you're furloughed after 18 years or you're on the bottom of the SkyNazi's list and on the street.
This is a tough business and most of you young people that have come up in the 90's are spoiled rotten. You really have little idea of how interesting the ride can get.
We have a young company that's only 25 years old. Many of us built it from nothing only to have it taken away by your Company. It wasn't much and it isn't much now, but it WAS ours and we didn't have to deal with your constantly changing Scope clause. Now you wan't our flying too? Well, we may not have any 767's and we never will, but you need to understand that our little RJs are the only thing we do have. Until we get something better, we aren't about to let you cap them wherever you want, give them away or let them be taken without one he!l of a quarrel. It's not personal, it's just human nature and business. We're both fighting to keep what we have .... our jobs.
What we have is NOT as good as what you have and we know that. But, once again, it's all that we have. We aren't trying to take what you have, we're just trying to keep what we have. Instead of giving it up and hoping that we can get what you have or whining over being hired by you (or someone else), we need to protect it, just in case we don't get anything else. If the 767 comes along in our future careers at another airline that's great. Meanwhile, we need to protect the CL700, which is our 747.
I hope that makes some sense to you. It's late and I'm rambling.
Take care
