I should have become a teacher!!!!
$1500 a fortnight, after only 2 years
and here i have been flying for 7 years worked my way up through the ranks, spent 10's of thousands of dollars to get the qual's, which can all be lost if say a rock flicks up in my eye,
Not to mention that after 2 years i was still only earning say $1000 bucks a fortnight and flying planes through all sorts of weather, even having my alternate close on me on a couple of occasions leaving me in a slightly dangerouse predicament, no were to go and no fuel to go there anyway (got to love it when the met man doesnt forcast the weather properly)
why are other professions paid more than us, when they have a lower initial outlay, less risks in there day to day job, and a hell of a lot less responsability,
One thing about G.A pilots that every one forgets is they share the skys with the big boys, it is unlikley but if they stuff up they can still endanger 400pax, maybe not on there plane
The reason pilots are paid so little for there jobs, is because of companys like virgin, who come into the industry and undercut everyones ticket prices, to do this, they pay everyone in the company less and cut costs everywhere, but dont worry its not just in the airline industry bankrunners do that to some dodgy companys sell ICUS to subsidise there runs, and then when they need a new pilot the guy that has been paying $150 a day to fly is thrilled to be offered $100 a day to take command. and doesn't even realise that he has just stuffed the industry that little bit more.
The only way to combat this is to educate pilots not to fly for peanuts, never accept less than the award, EBA's are never going to be better for the pilot than the company or companys wouldn't impliment them.
For this reason, I WILL NOT work for Virgin or any other company like that, it is a stand i have taken to do my part, no one else need do the same, and yes i could be flying a 737 around but hey its a stand i think is required, if only more people would take this stand we would all get paid more.
I know what i am doing is fruitless because there are 100's of pilots out there that would (and have even tried to) stab me in the back to get my job, whilst undercutting my price and it is scum like this that ruin it for the rest, mostly guys/girls with no principles, so yep i am destine to never work for an airline in australia but hey principles are principles and i am not breaking mine.
I have never paid for an endorsment that my employer has needed me to have and never will ( signing a bond is fine as long as no money changes hands unless the bond is broken) and this is another pet hate. were bloody pilots, they need us, if they want us to have some qual specific to the company well hey thats for them to sort out.
If pilots just stood there ground a bit things would have to change.
well thats my rant finnished i hope there are some other pilots out there that refuse to work for the conditions that some operators are offering. My job is fine at the moment, award wage and i enjoy it so this is were i sit till i am able to land a job with a company willing to pay what pilots are worth.
oh yeah and there is no such thing as overpaid, if you are getting paid more than everyone else you will work harder than everyone else so you keep getting paid more, or just because you appreciate it.
So i guess Nzer will be flying a 737 around for $30k pa because its all automated now days, couldn't need any more money than a servo attendant, who may i say can earn $32k with no initial outlay, or real training. definatley something wrong with the payscale
Duke