IMO all the people that whine and complain that 250 hour pilots are/were getting jobs, its because they are pissed off that they had to spend time instructing or just flying around for a couple years before they could get a job.
I've read several threads about this on here and it sounds like your assessment is the most accurate.
I'm trying to decide which way to go here. I'm currently at ATP, and I think the program is great (so far). I've got the PNC loan to go to GA in October, and was just directed to this site by some other people. They think that the GA program is the most evil program on earth, but no one says why..??
All people on here have said is that:
1) they're concerned at why someone would "waste" $25,000 to get flight experience when they can instruct and get paid for it. I don't understand why someone else's money is a concern to them? If someone has the $25,000 to spend on 250 Turbine hours (that's $100/hr in a B1900D), why is that a bad thing? If someone had $1,000,000 to spend on renting a G6 for 500 hours, would it still be an issue? I just don't understand this rationalization. And please, don't take this the wrong way, I would love to hear why this is of such concern to the majority of the people on this (and other GA) threads?
2) the majority of the dissidents of the GA (and ATP) programs are saying that people should just go to their local FBO, get their hours and training, and then go CFI somewhere for the extra hours. Why is it a requirement that anyone who wants to be an ATP needs to first be an instructor? Some people are just not cut out to be instructors, I know I'm not. Again, I'm not trying to pick a fight, but rather I am interested in hearing why people are of this mindset...
I'm not trying to make enemies here, but I have a real concern now about entering this field. Before I paid for trraining, I talked to two friends of mine that are FO's for the legacies. They were all for the ATP program and the GA program (for me). That's the main reason I went forward with this.
Flying an airliner has been a dream of mine since I was a child. However, I was told then that you had to join the military and have 20/20 vision. Recently I found out neither of those were true. I am 36 years old, and for the past 13 years have been working in IT project management. I was laid off last September and made a decision that I didn't want to spend the rest of my working life in that field. So I researched several new fields, including the police force, ATC, and airline pilot. Since being an airline pilot was always my dream, and I found out it is achievable, I went for it.
I find flying very peaceful and enjoyable. I also love travelling. I realize that flying for an airline is very political, but I spent my last 13 years in corporate America, and know how to deal with the politics of corporate America. My financial position is really no one else's business, so I'm not sure why anyone would care if I put myself into $150k of debt and only eand up earning $20k for the first 5 years? Or whether I paid everything in cash, am a millionaire already and am just entering the field for the love of flying?
Again, I'm not trying to make waves, but I really want to hear some solid reasons why this is a bad route for me? Maybe I need to rethink this and get a job as a greeter at WalMart?
:bandit: