Jinx,
Next time you're chatting to your favourite Base Captain ask him or her for a totally honest opinion on the knowledge of wannabees regarding the realities of the job and their comments on the main forums. The ones along the lines of, 'I'll fly for free,' or 'so what if they've chopped your terms and conditions - there's a queue of us waiting to take your jobs so stop your moaning and get on with it.'
Come to think of it, why don't you all ask your wonderful airline contacts why they can't be arsed to come here and spend time with you?
Do you think paragraph one and paragraph two could in some way be connected??
I was a little suprised by the post from Jinks, registered a long time and a huge number of posts yet somehow we almost seem strangers to him. I realised then that a huge proportion of his time is spent on Jetblast. Have you noticed that it is another forum essentially ignored by the pro pilots?? The vast majority of its regulars and 'characters' seem to love being associated with professional aviation but have no actual connection with or genuine knowledge of it at all.
Without Scroggs, the Welshman and the additional occassional visitors thumping you with the truth this place would be the same cliquey, up it's own arse, fantasy world wallowing in its own spiral of misconceptions, half truths and wish fulfillment. On the FTO and Lasors side of things we're especially indebted to the concise, factual slaps in the faces from folks like BillieBob and a few others who will never let dodgy marketing or claims go unanswered. They are protecting your money - you have free will and can still go ahead but as I said the other day wannabees don't have the excuse of not knowing any more.
If a thread like this seems a bit of an unpleasant ice water shock you simply aren't getting around the site enough. Is there really anything in it that doesn't relect an average single day of comments on the Rumours and News or Terms and Endearments forums?? Here's one today from a well respected regular:
I wish all those who want to join BA well. It’s not the company it used to be though. The work is getting harder and harder, and a relatively sizeable proportion of your duty time is spent faffing about, not flying aeroplanes.
Against that background we have a management that is determined to destroy the professional status of flight crew, and treat you like fork lift operators. We are in all likelihood about to go through a bloody and acrimonious dispute on the lines of Cathay Pacific – The Empire Strikes Back.
By all means be enthusiastic to join the World’s favourite, but please come in with your eyes open. You’ll need to think about your own circumstances, and whether you can afford to make your own independent pension provision. There is a very real chance that BA pilots will be on a par with Aviva bus drivers by the time they’ve finished with us.
I'd suggest that if you want warm, fuzzy and fawning while shelling out tens of thousands of pounds go buy a rug at Harrods. We'll continue to tell it how it is.
Flying a jet is great but, as Scroggs brilliantly points out, which one is a hundred times less important than the company, it's attitude towards you, and the quality of life you get. Outstations versus main bases are probably the most important issues in short haul/low cost quality of life - never been mentioned here but absolutely vital. Also, I've don't ever remember any discussion of these forums regarding Sops. Your dream aircraft remains precisely that if your company insists on you having the autopilot permanently on while your mate flying a supposedly much less sexy beast is with a company that really lets you fly.
So, if you do meet airline people who've been flying for several years please ignore the obvious questions and ask them who and where the happiest pro pilots are that they know. That's groups of pilots not one cheerful individual. Knowledge like that is gold dust when you are targeting applications.
Thoughtfully yours.
Rob Lloyd