A Life Aloft
Well-Known Member
Well maybe he should have just stayed on the street and collected unemployment and let another pilot take the position then. It's sad to me when professional pilots can not behave as one group and support one another. The "us" versus "them" mentality got old a long time ago. No one can predict what will happen either. Things are may not be the best there at the moment, but there are worse choices too. Pilots, especially with low hours, just need to survive right now and take what jobs they can. Is this the best situation? Of course not. But what immediate alternative is there? The Regionals are not and were never meant to be a career. At most of them the pilots can find plenty to complain about or panic about and run around screaming like their hair is on fire. How does this benefit anyone? They ALL are working for less than desirable wages in truth. Perhaps they will iron out their contract issues. No one has a crystal ball and all management are known to puff and threaten many things, and many of them never happen.
Instead of all the Mainliners constantly giving the stink eye to their fellow pilots, how about a little encouragement, empathy and understanding for a change? After all, that is the position that many of them began their careers in or have they all just forgotten that already? If a pilot can work, gain more experience and time and increase their chances of being hired at a major at some point, then what is the issue? I say, keep yourself focused and keep plugging along. Don't fault the pilots at the Regionals, fault the management at the Mainliners who created and have manipulated this situation with Regional flying from day one. Look at the pilots groups at the Mainliners who allowed this. Only the pawns at both ends are different, but the game is the same.
It's always amazing to me especially, when the cushy Captains at the Mainliners are looking down at others who are struggling to get into the industry are always quick to judge and gripe. The Regionals cannot scope themselves, in all truth. The Mainliners gave away and and laid down on scope over the years faster and more often than a $20.00 street girl in Hong Kong and now have the nerve to whine? Seriously? I am not sure what all the bickering and all the Zola the Magnificent predictions get anyone, either.
The economy is rough, very rough right now and other alternative jobs are few and far between and the competition for them is stiff. The opportunities are less than in previous times. Pilots wanting to eat their own, is not helping. Giving away and allowing the giving away of the the work and then slamming those who take the work, is hypocrisy at it's best. It's fine of course to work at the big happy Mainliners who created all of this mess in the first place though isn't it and then look down at their creation and pooh pooh the pilots there. None of this will be solved by doing so either. You want to protect the profession? Then protect and gain back the scope on THAT (the Mainline) level. One can point all the fingers that they want to at Regional pilots, but the true onus comes from looking in the mirror.
Personally, I would rather wish Jet well, hope this works out, and keep my fingers crossed for him.
