A300Capt
Freight Dawg
Pilot career losing it's luster?
A hint of destiny was scribbled among the goals in John Diacsuk's eighth-grade yearbook in 1966: become an engineer, go to West Point and fly jetliners.
Who could blame the Teaneck, N.J., youngster? Back then, being a jet jockey was just about the coolest thing in the world.
"The Mercury astronauts of the 1960s were pilots, and shows such as 'Sky King' and '12 O'Clock High' were playing on TV," Diacsuk recalled.
Now, at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Diacsuk has the swagger of Chuck Yeager with his deep-blue American Airlines uniform and salt-and-pepper hair. Four stripes on each sleeve signify he has made it to the top of his profession as an MD-80 captain for the world's largest airline.
Yet his greatest fear these days is landing in the unemployment line. His pay has been cut by almost a fourth because of losses at American that forced unions into concessions worth $1.8 billion.
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, two airlines have filed for bankruptcy protection, billions of dollars have been lost, and tens of thousands of jobs have been eliminated. Just last week, pilots at Air Canada agreed to a 15 percent pay cut and 317 layoffs to help save their insolvent airline.
The glamour of the cockpit has turned into a fading vapor trail.
No simulator on Earth could have prepared airline pilots for the latest turbulence. In the past two years, 8,300 pilots have been laid off. Experts say there are 85,000 to 100,000 airline pilots in this country.
Furloughed pilots are usually placed on a recall list so they can be hired back when the economy turns around, but the current downturn could ground many pilots for good.
"It has been the worst economic and employment crisis in the history of the airline business," said John Mazor, a spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association, the largest pilots union in the country.
So, when Scottie Clark, a captain at United Airlines, hears talk about overpaid pilots, she laughs.
"I've heard that we all make $300,000 a year," Clark said. "I don't think anyone worries about what we make after we've put a plane on the ground in a bad snowstorm when the runway wasn't cleared."
George Hopkins, author of three books on pilot unions and a professor at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Ill., said most pilots aren't in big-money jobs.
"Today, a first officer (co-pilot), depending on seniority, would be hard pressed to make $100,000 a year," Hopkins said. "They only fly 85 hours a month for reasons of fatigue. I defy anyone to say they don't put in a hard day's work."
"What's different about being a pilot now is that you hold your breath about your job and hope the airline holds together," said Diacsuk, 51. "I would bet you half of my co-pilots will be furloughed this year. The bulletin boards are full of houses for sale and cars for sale."
Pilots can't change airlines without losing pay and seniority. A captain such as Diacsuk, with 14 years experience, can earn $130,000 to $150,000 a year. "If I go to another airline, I'll go to the bottom of the seniority list and make $21,000 a year," he said, declining to reveal his salary.
If he stays with American, he could be demoted to first officer -- losing another 21 percent while possibly working longer hours.
Diacsuk, who despite his New Jersey roots speaks to passengers in a Southern twang picked up at Clemson University, said he might spend a 14-hour day flying four legs between cities. The day might include a trip from Newark, N.J., to Chicago, then to St. Louis, back to Chicago and a return flight to Newark.
"You could get 10 of those days a month," he said.
Diacsuk commutes to Newark from Pen Argyl, about 15 miles north of Easton in Pennsylvania where taxes and the cost of living are cheaper than in his home state.
A former Navy helicopter pilot, Diacsuk began training at age 37 to fly jetliners in Dallas when American was cranking out dozens of pilots every month.
"It was like Star Fleet academy," he said.
Not anymore.
"Some pilots are teaching, and some are trying to go back to active duty," he said. "Some will never fly again."
Diacsuk isn't sure how long he'll be with American.
"I have a friend who was a flight attendant, and he is now selling cars," he said. "I'll probably end up selling real estate."
A hint of destiny was scribbled among the goals in John Diacsuk's eighth-grade yearbook in 1966: become an engineer, go to West Point and fly jetliners.
Who could blame the Teaneck, N.J., youngster? Back then, being a jet jockey was just about the coolest thing in the world.
"The Mercury astronauts of the 1960s were pilots, and shows such as 'Sky King' and '12 O'Clock High' were playing on TV," Diacsuk recalled.
Now, at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Diacsuk has the swagger of Chuck Yeager with his deep-blue American Airlines uniform and salt-and-pepper hair. Four stripes on each sleeve signify he has made it to the top of his profession as an MD-80 captain for the world's largest airline.
Yet his greatest fear these days is landing in the unemployment line. His pay has been cut by almost a fourth because of losses at American that forced unions into concessions worth $1.8 billion.
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, two airlines have filed for bankruptcy protection, billions of dollars have been lost, and tens of thousands of jobs have been eliminated. Just last week, pilots at Air Canada agreed to a 15 percent pay cut and 317 layoffs to help save their insolvent airline.
The glamour of the cockpit has turned into a fading vapor trail.
No simulator on Earth could have prepared airline pilots for the latest turbulence. In the past two years, 8,300 pilots have been laid off. Experts say there are 85,000 to 100,000 airline pilots in this country.
Furloughed pilots are usually placed on a recall list so they can be hired back when the economy turns around, but the current downturn could ground many pilots for good.
"It has been the worst economic and employment crisis in the history of the airline business," said John Mazor, a spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association, the largest pilots union in the country.
So, when Scottie Clark, a captain at United Airlines, hears talk about overpaid pilots, she laughs.
"I've heard that we all make $300,000 a year," Clark said. "I don't think anyone worries about what we make after we've put a plane on the ground in a bad snowstorm when the runway wasn't cleared."
George Hopkins, author of three books on pilot unions and a professor at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Ill., said most pilots aren't in big-money jobs.
"Today, a first officer (co-pilot), depending on seniority, would be hard pressed to make $100,000 a year," Hopkins said. "They only fly 85 hours a month for reasons of fatigue. I defy anyone to say they don't put in a hard day's work."
"What's different about being a pilot now is that you hold your breath about your job and hope the airline holds together," said Diacsuk, 51. "I would bet you half of my co-pilots will be furloughed this year. The bulletin boards are full of houses for sale and cars for sale."
Pilots can't change airlines without losing pay and seniority. A captain such as Diacsuk, with 14 years experience, can earn $130,000 to $150,000 a year. "If I go to another airline, I'll go to the bottom of the seniority list and make $21,000 a year," he said, declining to reveal his salary.
If he stays with American, he could be demoted to first officer -- losing another 21 percent while possibly working longer hours.
Diacsuk, who despite his New Jersey roots speaks to passengers in a Southern twang picked up at Clemson University, said he might spend a 14-hour day flying four legs between cities. The day might include a trip from Newark, N.J., to Chicago, then to St. Louis, back to Chicago and a return flight to Newark.
"You could get 10 of those days a month," he said.
Diacsuk commutes to Newark from Pen Argyl, about 15 miles north of Easton in Pennsylvania where taxes and the cost of living are cheaper than in his home state.
A former Navy helicopter pilot, Diacsuk began training at age 37 to fly jetliners in Dallas when American was cranking out dozens of pilots every month.
"It was like Star Fleet academy," he said.
Not anymore.
"Some pilots are teaching, and some are trying to go back to active duty," he said. "Some will never fly again."
Diacsuk isn't sure how long he'll be with American.
"I have a friend who was a flight attendant, and he is now selling cars," he said. "I'll probably end up selling real estate."
