Rant from a regional FO!

Derg said:
Yeah! Was he part of the "manual trim" crowd on the Junkstream?
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I'm just curious. I've known guys that worked there at almost all phases of the operation. From the Resort Air (?) phase, to the latest iteration. Interestingly, all seem to have the same story. Actually, a friend of mine used his former garb for his kid's Halloween costume.

I never worked there, but I know why "Frank was Right"
 
Derg said:
The guy installing my garage door opener was an owner-operator. His main company got bought out and they wanted him to guy a new tractor from a specific company, which his main company owned by another family member.

Says he's happier installing garage doors.

FWIW
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I owe most of what I have to trucking, but I still hate it with a passion. I only do it because I am good at it, and I have limited skills.
 
desertdog71 said:
I owe most of what I have to trucking, but I still hate it with a passion. I only do it because I am good at it, and I have limited skills.
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One of my really good friends, and a JC lurker has the same love-hate relationship with trucking. He's a 767 FO, fairly new, had left trucking to fly jets, but slowly got dragged back into trucking on the side.

He loves it. He hates it. He's almost going to sell it but then doesn't. He's a good guy, I have to have him "de-lurk".
 
jrh said:
I don't know of any other industries, outside of aviation, that expects so much of their entry level employees yet treats them with so little regard.
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You must not speak to many associates at law firms, analysts at investment banks, or residents at hospitals. All my entry level friends from college who are attorneys, bankers, and medical residents are treated FAR FAR worse than I was as a first year regional pilot.

I'm not saying suck it up. I'm not even saying stick with airline flying if it makes you miserable. I too respect anyone who makes a move to better their situation. Hell I did it when I finally left my desk job after 4 years to get into flying in the first place. I'm just saying when you get into this profession there are certain truths you should accept so buyer beware. Anyone who accepts a job based on the promises of a recruiter is a fool. Do your own research and let facts/history be you indicator.
 
WRT "don't go backwards": I went from the left seat of a jeeeeettttttt back to single pilot turboprop. Best move I ever made. The pay is better and the QOL is off-the-charts better. Will I retire from this job? Probably not. Am I sorry that I "went backwards". No, sir, not even a little bit.
 
Boris Badenov said:
WRT "don't go backwards": I went from the left seat of a jeeeeettttttt back to single pilot turboprop. Best move I ever made. The pay is better and the QOL is off-the-charts better. Will I retire from this job? Probably not. Am I sorry that I "went backwards". No, sir, not even a little bit.
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If pay is better and QOL is better then you went forwards, not backwards. Equipment means squat-all.
 
desertdog71 said:
I'm in the process of selling my rig. I don't want employee hassles, they complain, break stuff, and cost too much. ;)
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Tractor-Trailer Drone Mod 2000.

Do it.

There will be plenty of former drone operators separating from the USAF that have no tangible skills other than being X-Plane aces that could use some work.
 
Boris Badenov said:
WRT "don't go backwards": I went from the left seat of a jeeeeettttttt back to single pilot turboprop. Best move I ever made. The pay is better and the QOL is off-the-charts better. Will I retire from this job? Probably not. Am I sorry that I "went backwards". No, sir, not even a little bit.
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I wouldn't say PIC jet 135 to PIC Air Ambo is a step back for more money/QoL.

It seems there is pay/QoL portability working up a 135/91 career, as I know someone that has done that with a high level of success. Premier I > Falcon twin > Falcon tri-jet >GIV > G 550 > now a career position at a casino.

In 121, the huge drawback is going back to 0 every job change. If you're at the bottom of one list, it's not a big deal to to the bottom of another list for improved $$/QoL laterally. Or going from regional CA to career stops like a lot of members here. Unfortunately, due to no fault of their own, some get stuck in the washing machine ( ZapBrannigan ).

So to compare what you did as a "step backwards" in the same light of jumping off a seniority list, I'd say is not a fair comparison.
 
I'm not sure I think there are "career positions" at casinos. It's kind of right there in the word "casino". That said, my "step backwards" wasn't just in equipment. Most corporate positions (as far as I can tell) would be a lot more interested in a guy who's currently in the left seat of a jet flying ~60-70 hours/month than a guy who's flying a PC-12 ~10 hours/month. But Steve's larger point that "backwards" is in the eye of the beholder is absolutely right, and sort of what I meant to impart. I think basically I'm just trying to say that there's no crystal ball and no playbook that will always give you the "right" answer.
 
I was surprised to learn that even Army pilots are having to go to the commuters. In the recent month or two I've worked with a guard Blackhawk and an Apache guy. It was interesting to learn that the EMS operations are actually incredibly competitive and even prefer pilots of smaller helicopters as apparently the military stuff is pretty stable and easy to operate.

The biggest gripe I have about the commuters is the FO pay. CA pay, you can break 6 figures fairly easy if you are willing to put the effort in. FO's are pretty much maxing out around 60k which IMO is too low. After that comes job security - you just don't have it unless your airlines name is on the ticket stub.

The flip side, if you don't want to work and don't mind making only 80-90 hours a month, is sitting ready reserve where you sleep all day and pick up a day trip here and there. I did it for a couple months, it's the bees knees if you live close to the airport.

I think most at the commuters would love to GTFO but it's easier said than done. Ironically the one place I have a ton of contacts at uses a 3rd party system to call random people to interview. So it doesn't help me.
 
wheelsup said:
In the recent month or two I've worked with a guard Blackhawk and an Apache guy. It was interesting to learn that the EMS operations are actually incredibly competitive and even prefer pilots of smaller helicopters as apparently the military stuff is pretty stable and easy to operate.
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I've worked with a bunch of guys who came out of Blackhawks and Apaches (more Apaches, I think). AFAICT, the big problem for military pilots (and most EMS guys are still ex-military, although that seems to be slowly changing) is that they just don't fly all that much. That said, I'd be awfully surprised if your average military rotor-wing guy couldn't get a job at some place like Air Evac, do a couple of years there, and get on with Methods, PHI, Metro, etc. I think half my indoc class at Omniflight were guys coming over from Air Evac...
 
eightballfreight said:
Please go on.
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Not sure I follow your point. The poster said he knew of no profession that treats entry level employees worse than the piloting profession. I named 3 professional occupations where entry level employees are treated poorly. Of course not every profession does but many do. Pilots love to act like lucrative jobs with great QOL grow on trees. It seems many of these pilots haven't worked outside of aviation because the reality is different than the perception. There's a reason we call it work.
 
jrh said:
This conversation is so weird.

Most of the same old timers who talk about demanding better pay, better QOL, better management, how an airline pilot is worth more than they get credit for, etc. are the same pilots turning around and telling the OP to suck it up and deal with it. They had to deal with massive amounts of suck, therefore you should too.

I don't know of any other industries, outside of aviation, that expects so much of their entry level employees yet treats them with so little regard.

Something to keep in mind is what opportunities exist *outside* of aviation. It's a false comparison to say, "Well, what else are you going to do? Keep working as a CFI?" Heck no! You can do WHATEVER YOU WANT!

You don't *have* to be a pilot. I left the airlines and am flying a desk, doing aircraft sales nowadays. Very happy with it. My brother makes a full time living selling event tickets online. I have several friends from college who are happily working as teachers overseas. A few other friends have good lives as nurses. It's a big world with lots of possibilities. All of them have significantly better QOL than the majority of airline pilots and oftentimes make equal or better money.

To the OP: Good for you. I've got tons of respect for the people in this world who vote with their feet. Best of luck to you in the future.
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Wait, there are other occupations besides being a pilot? :)

Yes, we all know, but this is a pilot website. If the guy wants to fly for a living, he needs to prepare for some rough patches. Being a first-year regional FO is terrible, but it's often unavoidable for someone lacking multi-turbine experience. It's a means to an end. You hold your nose and get through it. Or not. He can quit, but with the knowledge that this career does actually pay pretty well down the line, and that walking away at the first sign of adversity is extremely shortsighted.

Is there significantly better QOL in other industries? Perhaps so, but this month I'll have been at home 17 days, and had breakfast on the beach in Sydney on my last trip. I'll take it.
 
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