Hiring 40 bagillion pilots this week!!

[Minnesota_Flyer]

So, Independence Air is going out of business today, most of the big airlines are in bankruptcy or close to it and thousands of airline pilots have been furloughed, but the job market for pilots hasn't looked this good in five years. Kit Darby, who runs Air, Inc., a publishing company that tracks pilot employment, says more than 10,000 jobs will open up this year. He said experienced pilots looking for work can probably find it but a few of them might need an attitude adjustment. "Whatever it is, you just have to get over it," said Darby. "Then you've got to get yourself up and get back to the marketplace. There are a lot of quality jobs out there." Darby said there are a lot of unemployed pilots who have a hard time taking a pay cut, a smaller airplane or a demotion but he urges them to look at the larger picture. Just about any steady flying job is going to pay more and be more satisfying (to a pilot) than just about any other type of career. He said he's had numerous clients that have left the industry in disgust, become successful at something else and then come back begging for a flying job. "It's a lifestyle. It's not just a job," he said.

I just threw up in my mouth a little.

 

[KevinT]

I don't understand how someone can even say that.... that's a whole lot of excuses wrapped up in one paragraph

 

[SteveC]

I don't understand how someone can even say that.... that's a whole lot of excuses wrapped up in one paragraph

Simple, really. He's out to sell his product and has no qualms about "spinning" things to fit his agenda.

 

[tonyw]

I don't understand how someone can even say that.... that's a whole lot of excuses wrapped up in one paragraph

It's all about the Benjamins.

No, not the Benjamins people WON'T be getting if they listen to Darby.

The Benjamins he makes by selling his product.

You know the world is coming to an end if you read "Darby says Pilot Hiring Outlook Bleak."

 

[derg]

Aye yi yi.

Darby isn't talking to the Independence Air pilots, he's talking to the guys who are noobies that haven't clued-in on how much the average pro pilot thinks he's full of dookie.

 

[Mr_Creepy]

I just threw up in my mouth a little.

Couldn;t have said it better myself. What a slime.

SO glad we are not in the "airline interview" business anymore.

 

[mpenguin1]

I just threw up in my mouth a little.

I am not sure of the numbers, but, Pilot hiring will be up this year, I have no idea as to the numbers, but look for Alaska, Continental, UPS, & Fedex to start the hiring process.

 

[flyover]

I'm trying to see exactly which part of his statement is inaccurate. Now that I'm in that "phase" of aviation it seems right on.

I just talked to a couple of guys who mentioned they had gotten some licenses, tried some other things and decided they just preferred a flying job. It was where they were most comfortable. And even at the lower rates it's a challenge to do as well in another field.

So what's the beef exactly? Is it that he's wrong? Or is it the message you don't like?

 

[derg]

So what's the beef exactly? Is it that he's wrong? Or is it the message you don't like?

I started Jetcareers because of Kit Darby.

When I was a newbie, unless you were in the military or in a well-connected circle of professional pilots, in order to get information you had to purchase the hellaciously over-priced FAPA and later the "Air Inc" services to get basic questions answered.

It was August of 1994 in Minneapolis at the OBAP convention. This was the first time in my life I had seen more that two professional pilots in the same room, ever! It was incredible.

Question-o-rama! If I had a question about American, bam, there was an American pilot there. If I had a question about Delta, bam! there was a Delta pilot there, and so on.

There was a pilot from the Air National Guard that suggested that I look into the guard. They were looking for pilots, I wasn't 27 yet and he said I had a 'fire' in my eyes -- however, he was heading off to another engagement so he pointed me to Kit Darby before he left.

VERY roughly paraphrased

"Hi, my name is Doug Taylor, I was talking to Mr. (name withheld) about the Air National Guard and he suggested I ask you some questions."

"Great! The Air National Guard is a fantastic way to build experience. What you need is my (can't remember the title) guide to the Air National Guard, it's $30 but has everything you need to know about the guard."

"I'm just trying to find out if it's a good way to build experience".

"It'll be the the best $30 investment for a guy like you."

"What's the maximum age? I remember that if I were to go thru OCS..."

"It's right there in the book..."

Long story short, I felt it was insulting because he was at a networking convention where young neophytes like me can talk to 'the real deal', and I wasn't the only person he was trying to continuously market materials to.

So I figured that one day, I'd find a way to connect 'people in the know' with 'people who want to find out' without having to join an expensive service or buy yet another $30 book that really doesn't answer the questions I had.

From my perspective and experience, most of the data and statistics that Kit uses is meant to do one thing... Drive people to subscribe to his service.

I'm of the school of thought that people that really care about the aviation community should just answer the friggen question or at least point the person in the right direction where he could find an answer.

So, Independence Air is going out of business today, most of the big airlines are in bankruptcy or close to it and thousands of airline pilots have been furloughed, but the job market for pilots hasn't looked this good in five years.

On crack. He should compare his 'data' from 2005 with his data from 1996 thru early 2001.

Kit Darby, who runs Air, Inc., a publishing company that tracks pilot employment, says more than 10,000 jobs will open up this year.

Are those 10,000 airline jobs, or a culmination of everything from $10 CFI jobs, banner towing jobs, etc?

He said experienced pilots looking for work can probably find it but a few of them might need an attitude adjustment. "Whatever it is, you just have to get over it," said Darby.

But I thought the market was the best he had seen in 5 years? Lemme guess, they don't subscribe to his service so they're missing out I presume.

"Then you've got to get yourself up and get back to the marketplace. There are a lot of quality jobs out there."

See above. Yes there some, but a lot is a gross overstatement. The 'tops' are in many circles, UPS/FDX and SWA and rumor has it that FDX, as I've heard but have not verified, has 40,000 qualified-applicants on file.

Just about any steady flying job is going to pay more and be more satisfying (to a pilot) than just about any other type of career.... -and- ...It's a lifestyle. It's not just a job," he said.

Which tells me that it's "apples and oranges", but perhaps that's just me.

He said he's had numerous clients that have left the industry in disgust, become successful at something else and then come back begging for a flying job. "It's a lifestyle. It's not just a job," he said.

You wouldn't a a "client" if you weren't coming back to "beg" for a flying job. It's as questionable as someone working at a Methodone drug treatment clinic exclaiming, "Eight out of ten people are heroin addicts! I see it every day!"

He represents the 'pre internet' era of career information and he's in a fight for relevance. Much the way that Pat Robertson has a shrinking audience and he makes the bombastic-quote-o-the-day with gets some free publicity and drives people back to this station to see what he'll say next.

 

[Mr_Creepy]

Excellent post Doug. I know very little about the guy and now I feel I recognize him!

 

[Sprint100]

I started Jetcareers because of Kit Darby.

When I was a newbie, unless you were in the military or in a well-connected circle of professional pilots, in order to get information you had to purchase the hellaciously over-priced FAPA and later the "Air Inc" services to get basic questions answered.

Doug, I seriously salute you. I love to see the humanitarian side of people:rawk: .

 

[derg]

It's nothing personal, I just find him to be a lot like a "Ray Neidl" of professional aviation. He'll say what he's got to say to keep his status as the "Go To" guy for his chosen field.

I'm not saying that he's evil, or a bad person, I'm just saying that.... Well, what did Dave Letterman say to Bill O'Reilly a few nights ago, 'I think most of what he says is crap'.

If a kid wrote me an email to ask about what airline pilot schedules are like and I said, '$40 kid, I'll give you 5 days of access to the section of my website where I talk about pilot schedules', and argh...nevermind, I've got to go run errands...

 

[Mr_Creepy]

Doug have you ever been tempted to do that?

I haven't done it yet but I remember days when I would get a flood of emails asking me "what's the fastest way to the airlines" from high school and college kids.

I don't know how I kept my discipline but I did manage to answer each email individually.