Great Lakes

HVYMETALDRVR said:
Haha sorry though I should confess I've always been a Stearman nut.
Click to expand...

Bastard. That's like saying Aerosmith is better than the Rolling Stones. Have you ever experienced a Waco?

Also - please clarify - are you talking about the Boeing Stearman, or pre-Boeing Stearman's? C3R's and Speedmails and such? Those are cool.
 
My knowledge is 15 years out of date, and dispatch (not pilot) focused, but here you go:

Lakes is an accident waiting to happen. I always remember one particualr incident in which the Dir of Maint. came in and grounded the Brasilia fleet because, due to poor record keeping, they didn't know if the correct tires were installed on the airplane. Long story short, several hours and numerous inspections and ferry flights later, we were able to get the birds back in the air. but not before cancelling almost the entire day.

There are valid reasons to ground an airplane, but in my opinion, poor records is not one of them. That didn't need to happen. But that's the kind of company it was, at least back then.

I left after only three months because I was so appalled at what I experience.

Epilogue: a few months later, Quincy happened
 
I think the list of what people consider acceptable regionals would be shorter. Take Skywest it used to be one of the best, now its one of the worse. Best advice is to apply everywhere and take what you can get.
 
The flying is great. The training is great. The pilot group is fantastic. The pay could be better. As said before, you get some experience that you would never see at any other airline.
 
SY737 said:
.... The training is great...
Click to expand...

Isn't the entire training cycle unpaid?

I get that we're all grown ups and we shouldn't sign on with a company if we're going whine about the pay when we knew about it in advance. But I simply cannot conceive how a company looking to hire skilled professionals can have people in training for multiple weeks (?) unpaid (if true) and then pay them what can only be described as indentured-servitude wages... Except that indentured servitude implies that basic necessities are afforded, which is not necessarily the case at these wages. I mean, I have a friend who has worked there for a few years and has [allegedly] never earned over $16k in a year. If that doesn't make you sick, then consider yourself lucky.

Thankfully for Great Lakes, there is no shortage of skilled professionals willing to work for charity.
 
Cal Goat said:
But I simply cannot conceive how a company looking to hire skilled professionals can have people in training for multiple weeks (?) unpaid (if true) and then pay them what can only be described as indentured-servitude wages... Except that indentured servitude implies that basic necessities are afforded, which is not necessarily the case at these wages. I mean, I have a friend who has worked there for a few years and has [allegedly] never earned over $16k in a year. If that doesn't make you sick, then consider yourself lucky.
Click to expand...

Pilots have paid $35k or more out of their pocket to pay for their regional airline training and then work for free at Gulfstream so landing a Great Lakes job would be like hitting the lotto to some people.
 
Troy said:
Pilots have paid $35k or more out of their pocket to pay for their regional airline training and then work for free at Gulfstream so landing a Great Lakes job would be like hitting the lotto to some people.
Click to expand...

And in doing so, kick the rest of us in the balls and cheapen our profession.

Can I get an eye-twitch smiley up in here?
 
See, I start every interview off letting them know I will fly for free. I have no shortage of job offers.



Can I get a ride to work somebody?
 
Cal Goat said:
And in doing so, kick the rest of us in the balls and cheapen our profession.
Click to expand...

Obviously, that's what happens when you chose a profession that is also a fun hobby people pay to do as pass time. You knew it before you started flying so you shouldn't complain about it. The bottom line is that most people look out for themselves first (our politicians included), instead of doing what's best for the greater good of mankind. It's unfortunate but it will never change (I hope I'm proven wrong somebody about that).
 
Troy said:
Obviously, that's what happens when you chose a profession that is also a fun hobby people pay to do as pass time. You knew it before you started flying so you shouldn't complain about it.
Click to expand...

With that line of thinking, professional baseball players should paid in oranges, capri sun and pizza parties after each game. I am tired of hearing the hobby verses career argument. If you are a professional pilot, it is no longer a hobby, period.
 
Inverted said:
With that line of thinking, professional baseball players should paid in oranges, capri sun and pizza parties after each game. I am tired of hearing the hobby verses career argument. If you are a professional pilot, it is no longer a hobby, period.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. The majority of us who make it to this point in our flying careers have done so at great cost both financially and in our personal lives. If it were just a hobby I would've stopped at a private and possibly an instrument and saved myself tons of aggravation.

New member by the way. Looking forward to some good conversation!
 
Inverted said:
With that line of thinking, professional baseball players should paid in oranges, capri sun and pizza parties after each game. I am tired of hearing the hobby verses career argument. If you are a professional pilot, it is no longer a hobby, period.
Click to expand...

Hey, I didn't say that I agreed with it and feel pilots should be paid peanuts so don't shoot the messenger. I'm just telling you how it is and saying people shouldn't complain because they knew what they were getting into. These regionals will take advantage of the fact that they have thousands of apps on file and know they will work for less for their first 121 break. It is what it is. I did more for the greater good than a lot of the people on this forum can say by standing up for us pilots and not taking a 121 job because of the pay. But look what it got me, it's been 10 years since I've been waiting for conditions to improve and I have never even gotten one thank you from a pilot for doing my part in trying to improve conditions.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top