Originally Posted by
Skippy69
Some guys on here are painting lovely pictures about transferable skills- I'm sorry but I don't buy it- unlike alot of young pilots who had Mummy and Daddy pay for everything- I myself fortunately got a trade- and then paid those outrageous training fees.. it ain't glamourous- it pays pretty well when you get onto the right contracts- and it's a job..
I was not looking forward to having to go back to my old boss and ask for my old job back after 5-6 years of flying... It is what it is and I'm saving plenty of cash now that I'm doing it..
BUTTT- to say that the skills we have are transferrable is not a notion that I buy, many companies know that as soon as something else comes up flying wise you'll be gone... Also looking at a gps or making swanky radio calls don't really stack up to working in an office or flipping burgers... Knowing a fuel load or weight and balance or asking an FO what sandwich he/she got on said flight don't really translate to much else...
I feel for the younger SO's here that have taken a short cut to get into the big jet game and thanks to that silly little P2X rating they are served with- their hours count for naught also- so getting into GA for many will be impracticable- unless they are willing to get a real entry level job as a 172 whale spotter or something..
Anyway- don't be afraid of labouring, waiting, delivery driving or finding yourself a sugar mumma of daddy...
It really are patronising views like yours which makes guys/girls like you a nightmare to fly with for the younger generation. Times are different now where if you don’t have a degree you don’t have a basic option for a good starting point in the real world. Penalising this generation for choices which are no longer widely available to them (military, bush flying, GA) makes you a poor leader. Leaders encourage and find strengths in their peers and help to hone their weaknesses, not call them snowflakes or slam them down every chance one gets. Also, are you also saying if your kids wants to go to university to get a law degree you will send them packing at 18 and tell them to make their own way? Also, you do not know the life stories of each of the SOs, painting a generalised picture of them is just unfair.
It is a fact for those who wishes to join CX now as a SO you no longer need 3000 hours, although we were still getting people with diverse background and skills. Some come from SA, EUR, South America etc and have plenty of experience, some may well have had a previous life as a dentist. We as leaders in this company is not to discriminate what their background is but to help each and every one become a better pilot. Those who really can’t fly won’t make it through JFO and is rightly so.
We don’t know what the world will look like in 18 months, be it the same as it is now or back to some form of normality. I feel the younger generation have a better chance of finding employment with a similar salary, as their previous careers are still fairly current. However for us who have been in the company for much longer, it will be unrealistic to think we can find a job which pays the same. Some probably can, but certainly not most.
I am an advocate for “keeping the team together”, to quote our DFO two months ago. To train a pilot with an expired type rating to get to operating as a line DEFO / SO takes four months give or take. If we need people back quickly in the event that vaccines and quick testing makes the world go round again, we don’t want to be the one who cannot compete. However, if temporary cuts to salary is not going to cut it, then LIFO should be adhered to as per our contracts. Ok rant over.