What should I do now?

[wildbill]

Remember the old saying, " It is better to be down here wishing you were up there, than being up there wishing you were down here." Stick to your guns. Only you know your limitations and don't ever let anyone change them. I had an employer once who called me everything under thesun because I refused to fly his plane with the engines running rough. He relented a had them checked only to find that 12 cylinders were cracked on a navajo due to the previous pilot overboosting the engines. Remember, you are a professional and you are trained to make those unpopular decisions. Best of luck to you. When you explain what happened to a potential employer, they would be foolish not to consider a safety minded aviator.. Don't give up on your dream..

 

[IAHERJ]

The responses you have received were all very nice and productive. I will offer you a little more advice as I once sat at the other end of the interview table. You will be interviewed in the future by a regional airline given your qualifications time wise and I assume you have graduated from college. You will have to address the termination issue and how you chose to address this will be very crucial to the interviewer. When a recruitor from a regional sees that an applicant has been terminated from a flying job, a red flag instantly goes up. Questions that arise in the head of the interviewer consist of things like; "is he/she and attidude problem?, too slow and anal?, not a team player?,". You have the chance to make your case in the interview. Be honest about your end of employment status and do not under any circumstances degrade any of the pilots or the company in the interview. Tell it like it was and don't be afraid to openly admit that you might have not done the right thing but that you stand by your decision at the time. Good luck in the job hunt.

IAHERJ

 

[Boeingman]

This forum is very enlightening for guys like me that have only flown military and went straight into the airlines.

Some of these stories are incredible.

 

[Cardinal]

For some further food for thought, don't forget that they can fire you just as easily for going in marginal conditions and then having an incident/accident. Better to be fired before the wreck than after. Think about it this way. When you're interviewing at the majors, imagine what the great story about your personal integrity you'll be able to relate.

 

[AV1ATRX]

All of the information I have recieved has been very helpful, so I want to ask another question. I was fired by the company owner, not the chief pilot, who strongly disagreed with the decision. After the fact, he told me that when the paperwork had been done, it was in my file that I had been laid off for lack of work, and that is what the airlines will hear when they call them. Should I still tell the whole story, or just leave it at whatever information they get from my former employer? I feel like it's an important part of my past work history, and I'm not ashamed of the truth. But, I know very well not to dig a hole for myself if I don't need to.

Y'all have been great with all of this. I really appreciate the information, as I'm sure it will help me in the future.

 

[bobbysamd]

Pilot Pushing

You didn't state exactly how "bad" the weather was, but, nevertheless, good decision. I'd hire you. You exercised good judgment. Don't forget one of the Five Hazardous Thought Attitudes in ADM. Follow the rules; they're usually right.

You did the right thing. It's an age-old problem. People should read Chapter 3 about Pilot Pushing in Flying the Line.

I guarantee that if an incident ensued , that "company" of yours would have hung you out to dry. Always, always, put safety first and protect your certificates.

You could stand a few more multi hours to be competitive. Getting your ATP would be a good idea, too, if you haven't already.

At least your Chief Pilot is a standup guy. He is doing you a favor because a layoff will let you collect a full award of unemployment benefits. See if you can get an LOR from him that states all the circumstances about why you left that company and states specifically you were laid off for lack of work. That may obviate any need to disclose a termination on an app.

Good luck with taking the next, big, positive step in your career. Actually, you just took a big, positive step.

 

[bayoubandit]

Outstanding decision! I also think every airline out there wants a guy or gal who makes a decision and sticks to it. I know AA would love to have a person like you based on my experience there. Almost every interviewer will bring up a "situation"you've encountered.You've got a great one here. There is nothing wrong with being terminated when you were in the right and the interviewers know this. Airlines want conservative pilots, not cowboys. I am most impressed that you were able to tell the boss what you think about that situation and stuck with your answer. Good job!

Once mgmt/mx tried to pressure me into a situation I didn't like at a 121 airline. I was an FO at the time and would not give in to their requests to put it mildly. I heard from everyone from why mx to marketing needed the plane. I told the CA they could find another FO or send a mgmt. pilot to come get it. We were at a remote outstation in another country. The CA backed me up and the chief pilot went along with it also. I never heard anything about it later. I told this story on my interview at AA and they sucked it up. They want to see the right thing done even if you have to answer for it later.

Judging from my experience, you won't have any problems with getting an airline job. Good luck!

 

[justApilot]

A lot of good advice. Seeing that your boss was such a dirtbag, I would want to get a copy of your employment records. Just to make sure that nothing negative has been documented without your knowing. Good luck to you. You did the right thing.

 

[AWACoff]

Okay, flamesuit on.
Call me the devil's advocate but you posted:
"...so I did trips that weren't legal or were unsafe in other respects..."

"I refuse to compromise the FARs..."

"Should I go work for the FAA since I am such a strickler for the rules..."

Your post seems contradictory. I'm all for your decision making. If you deem a trip unsafe, you don't go. That's what a PIC does. A competent PIC does not fly illegal and unsafe trips though. I'm guessing those incidents were in the past and not at the same operator that fired you and that you have learned from them (haven't we all broken FARs in the past?..yep). Everything from a DUI to an accident can be talked through in an interview. It's all in how you present yourself. Take responsibility but DO explain thought processes involved and lessons learned. You will succeed in this industry if you want to...guaranteed.

Tenacity.

 

[Timebuilder]

TB for the defense, your honor.

I'll bet those early "bad" decisions were a part of the learning curve, and there is remorse shown for those decisions. This last decision shows a growing maturity in flying, and a greater responsibility being exercised.

I'm asking for a suspended sentence.

Keep flying.