I didn’t really know Southern Airways was still a thing

[ahw01]

You know, I didn't really want to go the CFI road either, but the alternatives were very, very sparse. Only the people who were really juiced in got the non-CFI jobs back in the day. I think everyone simply wanted to get their CSMEL and hop in a 402 or Navajo and get on with business. Let's face it, getting the CFI, at least since 1988, is one gigantic PITA. But once you get past that, it's not really that a bad gig unless you simply can't stand people and have zero interpersonal skills. And that is a really, really high bar to hurdle since even I can do it, considering that my GF once said that I should really not interact with people.

I think the CFI is on the same level as getting the 4 year degree...just a PITA of a different sort. But unlike the 4-year, which was pretty clear for a long time that you didn't get hired without it, there is just enough wiggle room and just enough outliers who made it to encourage the people who didn't want to buckle under and just get it done. But like most "outlier success stories", most people forget to read the details. That dude that was pushing a broom in the hangar one week, and flying a Citation the next, well, turns out his old man runs the bank that financed the jet.

The CFI takes a lot of study and fussy, nit-noid memorization, a lot of writing & self expression, which to be frank, not a lot of us are all that great at, and learning to really fly the maneuvers we barely slopped through to get our CSEL.

I get why some don't want to go that road, but by that same token, you pay your dollar and you takes your choice.

Took me 30 days of 10 hour days - 90% groundschool and 10% flying to get CFI CFII MEI. Totally worth it, but not for everyone...

 

[JordanD]

Airlines are going to pressure you to fly as well, that’s where you put your captains hat on and say “no” and let the chips fall where they may.

I dunno, hard disagree. I've never felt like I was in a position that my career was threatened because I wanted to say no to something. Anytime I have said no to something or pulled the plug due to fatigue I've never gotten any form of pushback at any of the places I've worked, even time building pre 1500 hours.

 

[SurferLucas]

I dunno, hard disagree. I've never felt like I was in a position that my career was threatened because I wanted to say no to something. Anytime I have said no to something or pulled the plug due to fatigue I've never gotten any form of pushback at any of the places I've worked, even time building pre 1500 hours.

It wasn’t career threatening, per se, but it was a threat to my check airman position…3 times I had the former (and fired) VP of Flight Ops tell me I was “wrong” for a decision I made during OE/giving a line check. That asshat tried to tell me (12 years, 8000hrs in a plane he wasn’t qualified to fly, much less knew anything about) that I should “reconsider” if I wanted to work for AS.

 

[ASpilot2be]

It wasn’t career threatening, per se, but it was a threat to my check airman position…3 times I had the former (and fired) VP of Flight Ops tell me I was “wrong” for a decision I made during OE/giving a line check. That asshat tried to tell me (12 years, 8000hrs in a plane he wasn’t qualified to fly, much less knew anything about) that I should “reconsider” if I wanted to work for AS.

And thus I am where I am.

 

[Inverted]

It wasn’t career threatening, per se, but it was a threat to my check airman position…3 times I had the former (and fired) VP of Flight Ops tell me I was “wrong” for a decision I made during OE/giving a line check. That asshat tried to tell me (12 years, 8000hrs in a plane he wasn’t qualified to fly, much less knew anything about) that I should “reconsider” if I wanted to work for AS.

Yea, that is an old guard holdout and I have heard of stuff even happening like that at mainline.