What are you gonna do when your airline Tango Uniforms?

Doug Taylor said:
Grandma might not have the discretionary income to fly from Kalamazoo to Orlando to see the grandparents, but ER's have been packed to the brim with Europeans taking advantage of the exchange rate.
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Must be some old grandparents... or a really young grandma...

:D
 
ZapBrannigan said:
Thanks. I've thought about writing a book, but I couldn't think of a topic that would be anything more than a short story. And who wants to read the autobiographical ramblings of a former airline pilot? lol
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Hehe, well they could at least give you a monthly column in Flying Magazine or AOPA flight training:)
 
surreal1221 said:
Lots of companies, that are hard up for American pilots - for some reason.
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That is most likely my initial 'plan B'...only problem with that plan is that most of those employers want time-in-type. And, I don't have Boeing or Airbus time. :( Nevertheless, that's still my first option.

If that fails, I will probably go back to the medical profession I left to join this rat race. I'd rather not.....but the paychecks will be sweet if it happens.
 
PCL_128 said:
I think there are plenty of foreign airlines looking for Q-400/Dash-8 pilots. Have you gone to the Q yet?
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Yeah, I've noticed that and it is a very heavy contributing factor in my transition to the Q. Unfortunately, I am 100% opposed to the pay rate. It's insulting and negatively effecting the industry. I see it....and I really don't want to be part of that.
All that being said, I continue to think that once the PNCL/ Colgan debacle gets sorted, the rates will improve for the Q. As such, I am on the list to transition because in a matter of time, that very thing will happen. Don't have a class date yet, and depending on when they offer me one, I will probably defer to a later date. I've got great seniority on the Saab and live in base. If/ when I transition, my relative seniority will plummet and I'll be commuting.

Sorry for the drawn out explanation. Short and sweet: no, not on the Q yet. But it's probably gonna happen before the end of the year.....most likely Summer '08.
 
You shouldn't worry about bidding it because of the pay rate. You did your part. You voted YES. Not your fault that 50.5% didn't have any brains. By you not bidding it, that just means that more junior guys will get it at a lower payrate than you would get. That's my 2 cents, anyway, and you know me, I'm as militant as they come. :)
 
That's an interesting perspective on the situation. Thanks for the positive vote from you. Yes, I did my part, and continue to do so by promoting the merits of ALPA representation to everyone around me.
Question: how would you explain to all the bitter XJT'ers it's not my fault when I launch w/ 74 people at less than 50 seat rates while their flying is being reduced? It makes me furious to think I would be contributing negatively to the industry.
 
Cruise said:
Question: how would you explain to all the bitter XJT'ers it's not my fault when I launch w/ 74 people at less than 50 seat rates while their flying is being reduced?
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I'm reminded of a flight bag sticker that some NWA pilots have about their concessionary TA: "Don't blame me: I voted YES!"

There will always be XJT (and even PCL) pilots that will hold it against you, but most of them will support a YES voter, no matter which airframe he is operating. Pilots don't make decisions about airframes or anything else related to the business. All we can control is our own votes. You'll probably run into some jerk that will blame you for his flying reduction, but they are few and far between, and they aren't worth worrying about. With the current state of the industry, you might be flying at Colgan for a little time yet to come. Might as well enhance the resume as much as possible, and the Q is probably the best way to do that.

Oh, and if some guy from XJT tells you that you're "stealing his flying," remind him who really owns that flying: CAL pilots!
 
PCL_128 said:
I'm reminded of a flight bag sticker that some NWA pilots have about their concessionary TA: "Don't blame me: I voted YES!"

There will always be XJT (and even PCL) pilots that will hold it against you, but most of them will support a YES voter, no matter which airframe he is operating. Pilots don't make decisions about airframes or anything else related to the business. All we can control is our own votes. You'll probably run into some jerk that will blame you for his flying reduction, but they are few and far between, and they aren't worth worrying about. With the current state of the industry, you might be flying at Colgan for a little time yet to come. Might as well enhance the resume as much as possible, and the Q is probably the best way to do that.

Oh, and if some guy from XJT tells you that you're "stealing his flying," remind him who really owns that flying: CAL pilots!
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Yeah....you got that right! It's a sad state of affairs; but, it is what it is. Time to weather the storm that's brewing.
 
Do you (generic "you") folks that deny jumpseats to non-union pilots carry a list of pilots that voted "yes" for a union but lost?
 
SteveC said:
Do you (generic "you") folks that deny jumpseats to non-union pilots carry a list of pilots that voted "yes" for a union but lost?
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Nah, no such list is available. Best way is to ask for a union card. Depending on their reaction, you can tell whether someone is a union supporter or not. The union supporters get apologetic and talk about how much they need a union. The no-voters get all defensive and start talking about how their company is "different" and doesn't need a union.
 
PCL_128 said:
Nah, no such list is available. Best way is to ask for a union card. Depending on their reaction, you can tell whether someone is a union supporter or not. The union supporters get apologetic and talk about how much they need a union. The no-voters get all defensive and start talking about how their company is "different" and doesn't need a union.
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Do you let the supporters on the jumpseat then?
 
I don't want to necessarily say it was "luck", more or less the "preparation" curve intersecting with the "opportunity" curve which intersected at the "hunger" line.

Gotta have all three.
 
PCL_128 said:
I'm reminded of a flight bag sticker that some NWA pilots have about their concessionary TA: "Don't blame me: I voted YES!"
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Voted "yes" to the TA or voted "no" to the TA? :)

Personally, I have yet to find a person that'll man up to it.
 
I am currently a CFI. I am making OK money (a little shy of 30k), my schedule is VERY flexible, I like the people I work with, and most of all, it seems very stable, since we train mostly foreign pilots now.

If I lost my job tomorrow, I still have a few places I could go instruct, if needed. Worst case scenario, I will go back and rebuild my IT business I had before I was instructing.
 
Plan A) Try to get as far up on the food chain as possible. Ride it out and see where my career takes me. I have NO idea why guys want to stay at Regionals. You really don't want to be stuck there when mommy major decides to cut contract feed.

Plan B) Not sure.....yet. Real Estate? Teaching? Political work? I'm going to explore plan B more with my new move!

On a side note, I think that Airline guys need to keep their ears to the ground concerning the corporate/fractional/135/91 type of flying opportunities that may come up throughout one's career. I know I am!
 
1. See about getting a job with the National Park Service.. aviation related or not.

2. Get my seaplane rating and move to Alaska in search for the thrill of a lifetime
 
DeltaASA16 said:
2. Get my seaplane rating and move to Alaska in search for the thrill of a lifetime
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:yeahthat:

My wife would never let that happen though. Perhaps I'd bone up on my probability and try to get into the actuarial sciences. (Talk about job security!)

Or maybe become an airline CEO. Who knows. ;)
 
Realms09 said:
I am surprised that more pilots are not attracted to this sort of back-up plan (coast guard, navy, merchant marine, sailboat racing, etc.). Astronauts, aviators, and sailors are all essentially made from the same stuff. They seek to explore and to command a vessel and crew. It's just the medium that changes.
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Next week I start a course to get my USCG Master Ship Captain license.


Doing this for fun, but I suppose it could also be the a step towards a plan B. I like playing with boats as much as I do planes.




Yaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhh, matey!
 
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