Arizona, Florida of the West...

MikeD said:
Tucson and Northwest FDs have had to have extra recruit academies due to people dropping out of academies. Not washing out or failing, but just figuring out a few weeks in that they’re not really interested in the job or that it’s too much work. And they just drop out. So not enough people graduate to end up filing the slots that need to be filled. This is unprecedented. Including needing to practically beg for people to apply and take the test. There’s probably people who would’ve killed for that job, and didn’t get selected for an academy.
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Kids growing up in the Google era that have been spoon fed not wanting to do real work. What. A. Shocker.

this is a good thing, they’re lazy workers, and less workers means the ones actually showing up will get higher pay.
 
Oxman said:
I'm going to start taking Amtrak.
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Apophis said:
“Quote from man who’s never taken Amtrak”
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If you live on the northeast corridor, Amtrak is 100% awesome.

I used to go to NYC a lot for work, and from DC, the Acela was the absolute best way to get in and out of Manhattan.

Flying to/from LGA would have made sense if the ground transportation hadn't been a byzantine gladiator-blood-sport, so Amtrak it was.

And it was good.

Haven't used it in a long time. Even the NE Regional wasn't that bad, but the Acela really rocked for biz trips to NYC.
 
mrivc211 said:
Why
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I thing @Roger Roger Is getting at is that we (pilots) are the one of the whiniest work group there is. We are literally peeved over the lightest inconvenience. We have no room to shout down on others that have it much harder than we have with "you should quick complaining about your pay and quality of life...and should just be happy to have a job."
 
killbilly said:
If you live on the northeast corridor, Amtrak is 100% awesome.

I used to go to NYC a lot for work, and from DC, the Acela was the absolute best way to get in and out of Manhattan.

Flying to/from LGA would have made sense if the ground transportation hadn't been a byzantine gladiator-blood-sport, so Amtrak it was.

And it was good.

Haven't used it in a long time. Even the NE Regional wasn't that bad, but the Acela really rocked for biz trips to NYC.
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its amazing you made it out of that alive. Those trains are awful crashey!
 
KLB said:
I thing @Roger Roger Is getting at is that we (pilots) are the one of the whiniest work group there is. We are literally peeved over the lightest inconvenience. We have no room to shout down on others that have it much harder than we have with "you should quick complaining about your pay and quality of life...and should just be happy to have a job."
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True but you Cant make assumptions about how a pilot got to his position. A lot of the sacrifices came before getting to the airlines. And to back what @SlumTodd_Millionaire is saying, this job ain’t easy. Heavy divorce rates, medical issues as you age, time away from home, never sleeping comfortable, risk of furloughs.
 
mrivc211 said:
True but you Cant make assumptions about how a pilot got to his position. A lot of the sacrifices came before getting to the airlines. And to back what @SlumTodd_Millionaire is saying, this job ain’t easy. Heavy divorce rates, medical issues as you age, time away from home, never sleeping comfortable, risk of furloughs.
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If you were a real hard worker, you would have stayed at those previous jobs. Kids these days won’t stick with a real man’s job like 135, they want to go to the airlines where someone plans their flights, fuels, loads, cleans, briefs the passengers….
 
SlumTodd_Millionaire said:
Eh, being a pilot is not an easy gig. The hours suck, the time away from home/family/friends, the fatigue, the yearly jeopardy both in the sim and at the doctor, etc. Don’t minimize the sacrifice.
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When I meet a professional pilot, it is very easy to discern if they've ever had a job outside being a pilot. Waiter, blue collar trades, sales, anything - anything Mike Rowe ever did on Discovery Channel... Not all, but many of the only-ever-been-a-pilot types I've met will bitch about a 20 minute EDCT as if there were asked to dig a 300ft long trench for sprinklers.

Like you said flying for a living is hard in some aspects, time away from home, etc.. However, I've never met a pilot that has calluses or bad knees from being a pilot.
 
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bimmerphile said:
having been on the other side of the tow bar... life is very different. Thankful for the perspective, but also happy to be out of the elements and grumpy when the APU doesn't work
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Deicing at the regional (and in the CRJ) was a royal pain in the ass, so I find myself complaining out of habit. But in my current airplane you definitely end up feeling bad for the guys in the bucket while we sit inside and drink our crappy coffee.

I've got no tolerance who treat the ground crew poorly. Aviation is weird in that the harder you work, the less you get paid. Help each other out and make their lives as easy as you can and it's good for everybody.
 
CFI A&P said:
When I meet a professional pilot, it is very easy to discern if they've ever had a job outside being a pilot. Waiter, blue collar trades, sales, anything - anything Mike Rowe ever did on Discovery Channel... Not all, but many of the only-ever-been-a-pilot types I've met will bitch about a 20 minute EDCT as if there were asked to dig a 300ft long trench for sprinklers.

Like you said flying for a living is hard in some aspects, time away from home, etc.. However, I've never met a pilot that has calluses or bad knees from being a pilot.
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I’d rather have calluses and bad knees than three ex-wives and multiple child support payments, only to die at 68 because the average pilot doesn't live much past retirement.

There‘s a lot more to whether a job is “hard” than just a measure of manual labor. And yes, I spent several years doing heavy lifting in un-air-conditioned Florida warehouses, so I know real labor.
 
SlumTodd_Millionaire said:
I’d rather have calluses and bad knees than three ex-wives and multiple child support payments, only to die at 68 because the average pilot doesn't live much past retirement.

There‘s a lot more to whether a job is “hard” than just a measure of manual labor. And yes, I spent several years doing heavy lifting in un-air-conditioned Florida warehouses, so I know real labor.
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No doubt there are some common hazards to this industry. One of my mentors likes to say "You're not a true Captain until you've been divorced." He's now retired from 121 flying, spends most of his time on a sailboat or vintage Harley and is on wife #3. Some people just choose their own misery.

I also know plenty of non-pilots that are divorced, so it isn't just this industry - it is the species not the profession.

Same for the financial decisions. I've never met a journeyman electrician that bought a "master electrician's house" in the same way pilots buy "captain's houses" prior to their upgrade.
 
SlumTodd_Millionaire said:
There‘s a lot more to whether a job is “hard” than just a measure of manual labor. And yes, I spent several years doing heavy lifting in un-air-conditioned Florida warehouses, so I know real labor.
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I was a Pile Driver and worked on the water mostly. Spent a lot of time on the Mr. Guy, pictured (much bigger than it looks). It was hard, dirty, loud and dangerous.

Before my time but the Mr. Guy was purchased to build this bridge. Anyone want to guess?

mrguy.jpg
 
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