Rant

mhcasey

mhcasey

Well-Known Member
How many airlines are going to shut down this week? Or cancel schedules due to improperly stowed wire bundles?

I'll be graduating from UT next month. Currently a CFI w/ about 700 hours. I've been a competitive cyclist and hockey player for my entire 4 years at UT. I'm the assistant ride director of the largest charity bicycle ride in the world (Texas4000.org - Riding from Austin to Anchorage for cancer research).

Does anyone in a non-aviation related position want the rest of my resume? I'm about ready to give up on this business as a career option and I'm not even really in it yet. Seriously, is anyone hiring?
 
mhcasey said:
How many airlines are going to shut down this week? Or cancel schedules due to improperly stowed wire bundles?

I'll be graduating from UT next month. Currently a CFI w/ about 700 hours. I've been a competitive cyclist and hockey player for my entire 4 years at UT. I'm the assistant ride director of the largest charity bicycle ride in the world (Texas4000.org - Riding from Austin to Anchorage for cancer research).

Does anyone in a non-aviation related position want the rest of my resume? I'm about ready to give up on this business as a career option and I'm not even really in it yet. Seriously, is anyone hiring?
Click to expand...

Well, spend less time ranting and more time reading up on whats going on. The industry is going through rough times. Only the tough will survive. The Airlines we've seen fold have been WEAK. The bottom is finally falling out and this could be a good thing for the industry. It could be a wake-up call that the Government needs to fix this. It could put a major bargaining chip in our corner in the near future. When the cheap competition dies out, the Airlines get ticket price leverage back.

Its like the natural cycle of a forrest. Every few years a natural fire occurs and cleans the underbrush from the large standing trees. You're just seeing the underbrush burning man. Only the trees will be left.

If flying a Commercial aircraft is your dream, then don't let a little downturn change your life. Things are going to shake out the next few years and hopefully we'll be in a better position. Make you choice whether or not you want to weather the storm for the reward my friend. ;)
 
Hiring is slowing down for a bit due to a few factors. First, we're heading back into a recession. Airlines are usually the first ones hit and the last to recover. Keep instructing and add as many professional qualifications as you can. You might find yourself flying in a King Air or something like this due to the hard times at the airlines.

The other thing that is really hurting the airlines is the price of fuel. This is probably the first real barrier to entry for the new airlines to enter this industry. This is hurting every carrier in the US. The little 50 seat jets are the most un-economical airplane out there and there is a mad rush to remove as many of them from the fleet. That is what is hurting the regional airline industry. The 70+ seat RJs still have a cost advantage. It only takes 3 more people to break even on a CRJ700 then a CRJ200.

There are still a lot of airlines out there hiring, but it is slowing down. Take a look a Piedmont. They are hiring 25 a month for the rest of the year, and they dont have any jets on property. $110 barrel oil is an opportunity for turboprop operators, not a threat.
 
Airdale said:
Its like the natural cycle of a forrest. Every few years a natural fire occurs and cleans the underbrush from the large standing trees. You're just seeing the underbrush burning man. Only the trees will be left.

If flying a Commercial aircraft is your dream, then don't let a little downturn change your life. Things are going to shake out the next few years and hopefully we'll be in a better position. Make you choice whether or not you want to weather the storm for the reward my friend. ;)
Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

Or, get a job in HOU with one of the petro companies for the time being.

Either way, congrats on graduating! Hook 'em!!
 
Don't give up on aviation!

This is a slight downturn in our long careers ahead of us. Aviation has given me so many opportunities, met some of the best people out there, and am living a dream.

Find a source of passive income (or marry rich) and be able to live if/when your airline/charter gig/private owner goes under.
 
I have been having the same thoughts too.

I just took a summer job where I will be making more than I would in aviation until regional captain (and that's jet captain at a good regional). I am 21 years old, still have another year of college left, and it is a summer job for god sakes.

To think it would take me probably a year CFI'ing, then probably three years flying right seat on 50-76 seat jets, and I'd still be making less.


I hate to sound all doom and gloom, but aviation is shrinking and will continue to become more cost prohibitive as the price of oil is only going up and up and up. General aviation is really struggling. You'd think that the huge increase in GA flying costs would cause fewer new pilots to enter the market, but that is not true. Fewer people are learning to fly for fun, and more people are training to become professional pilots. In 2007, there were 600 more Commercial Pilots Licenses issued than in 2006, and there were 1200 more ATP Licenses issued than in 2006. Yet, the number of private pilots has decreased almost 20%, or by 50,000 in just the last 5 years! Age 65 is letting airline pilots fly for an additional 5 years. And by all indications, ALMOST EVERYONE is staying past 60. Way more than expected. How many airlines have folded in the last 60 days... Aloha, ATA, Skybus, EOS, Big Sky, Air Midwest, Skyway, Champion. How about layoffs? How about coming layoffs? How about growth reductions? The price of oil is higher than it has ever been, and yet we are still consuming it in massive amounts.

And despite all of this, there is no shortage of people who are willing to blindly take out a $70,000 loan, go fly at ATP, and then take a regional job starting at $20k per year.

Is this really the career field I would like to be a part of?

Yes, aviation is very cyclical. But I think many of the reductions that are happening today are permanent. The price of oil is not coming down...therefore we have lost a big chunk of aviation that we will never get back.
 
<Parental Guidance: This message rated PG-13 for mild flame-baiting>

Not long ago I was waiting in line for TO in Richmond when a Jetblue E190 landed.

As he pulled off of the runway an A320 for a competing carrier was told to follow the Embraer to the terminal.

"Will follow the RJ" came the transmission from the A320.

"We're NOT an RJ" replied Jetblue.

"Maybe you should step up and stop letting them pay you like it is." from the A320.

I'm not an airline guy anymore, but based upon that conversation alone (along with the link I posted above) it sounds like Jetblue is one of the "better regionals".
 
aerospacepilot said:
I have been having the same thoughts too.

I just took a summer job where I will be making more than I would in aviation until regional captain (and that's jet captain at a good regional). I am 21 years old, still have another year of college left, and it is a summer job for god sakes.

To think it would take me probably a year CFI'ing, then probably three years flying right seat on 50-76 seat jets, and I'd still be making less.


I hate to sound all doom and gloom, but aviation is shrinking and will continue to become more cost prohibitive as the price of oil is only going up and up and up. General aviation is really struggling. You'd think that the huge increase in GA flying costs would cause fewer new pilots to enter the market, but that is not true. Fewer people are learning to fly for fun, and more people are training to become professional pilots. In 2007, there were 600 more Commercial Pilots Licenses issued than in 2006, and there were 1200 more ATP Licenses issued than in 2006. Yet, the number of private pilots has decreased almost 20%, or by 50,000 in just the last 5 years! Age 65 is letting airline pilots fly for an additional 5 years. And by all indications, ALMOST EVERYONE is staying past 60. Way more than expected. How many airlines have folded in the last 60 days... Aloha, ATA, Skybus, EOS, Big Sky, Air Midwest, Skyway, Champion. How about layoffs? How about coming layoffs? How about growth reductions? The price of oil is higher than it has ever been, and yet we are still consuming it in massive amounts.

And despite all of this, there is no shortage of people who are willing to blindly take out a $70,000 loan, go fly at ATP, and then take a regional job starting at $20k per year.

Is this really the career field I would like to be a part of?

Yes, aviation is very cyclical. But I think many of the reductions that are happening today are permanent. The price of oil is not coming down...therefore we have lost a big chunk of aviation that we will never get back.
Click to expand...


While you make great points, I'll pose this to you:

Whatever you do professionally, you're going to be doing in day-in and day-out for a very long time, so you better have a passion for it. If you don't and it still consumes your time and mental energy (which more industries command these days), you're going to be miserable at work AND at home. Just look at medical discussion boards, computer graphics discussion boards, etc: you'll hear the same complaints. Regardless, find something that interests you and gives you a healthy balance of work and home life. Some aviation jobs don't accomplish this, some do - all personal opinion.

I am NOT using this as an argument to fly professionally, as there are certainly pitfalls to this career. Am I one of those people who say "I can't imagine myself doing anything else?" No, I can see myself happy doing other things. HOWEVER, I have NEVER, NEVER, NEVER met a greater group of people than those I share a cockpit with, and I DO see a future.
 
If someone is entering this business because of money issues alone, they are making a mistake. There are many careers that will likely deliver better financial rewards.
 
I like this business because of all the FREE money. Got paid $1795(before taxes) last month for 13 hours of duty.:D Of course YMMV:)
 
777forever said:
I like this business because of all the FREE money. Got paid $1795(before taxes) last month for 13 hours of duty.:D Of course YMMV:)
Click to expand...
If I was a CA sitting at home 26 days a month...I'd be in heaven.

Sitting at home 26 days a month and making $1700...is slightly less cool :p

Although I've actually already worked a staggering 4 days this month (two were airport standby and not used). So with 12 more days on call I might actually be down to only 20 or so days at home. Though I am on will-fly and calling scheduling every day from now until I get furloughed lol.
 
Woot I need to complain on these forums more often (if that's even possible). A nice 4 day trip just popped up on my schedule for tomorrow :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top