Unfortuantely, the profession of pilot is still a HUGELY mis-understood, and under-valued area. Take as a prime example Hawke's statement "They are nothing but glorified bus drivers".
Joe Bloggs Public hasn't a clue as to the complexities of flying RPT. They have no knowledge of what we must first do to get to where we are - approx 1 year full time flying training, followed by working in GA for a few years to clock up hours - usually 1500 before an airline will look at you. Then "school" again to be trained on the particular aircraft, then line training, base checks, route checks.... yada yada yada ad infinitum.
We have to be lawyers, meteorologists, physicists, computer programmers, mathematicians - all at the same time. No specialising here...
We have on average 100 or more people's lives to look after per flight...
And when **** happens, we have to keep cool, calm and collected whilst those around us scream and whail and pray, and figure a way to resolve the situation...
And then we go home, go to sleep, and do it all again another day.
Are we under paid? Yes.
Do the airlines care? No, since we are just glorified bus drivers. Airline accountants see us as the lowest common denominator.
Australian pilots need a union with BALLS, and a UNIFIED union at that - not all these seperate neutered factions that we have in Australia today (that really are a puppet of the airline!).
It is time Australian airline pilots stood together, not apart. No more individual contracts, no more back-stabbing.
I am not advocating a return to the AFAP (we all know that could NEVER happen!
), but it is time we stopped thinking of ourselves alone. I am NOT going to bring 1989 into this, but you MUST admit that a LOT has happened since then, to the DETRIMENT of the industry as a whole - pilots became just a signature on a contract.
Actually THINK about this before responding in some vitriolic manner that I expect from a lot here.