Let me inform all of you categorically that after tonight i still love my profession and the fact i am still able to knock a 100kgs or two off the calculated flight plan fuel or a few minutes off the flight time by continually seeking an economical and profficient way to operate my aircraft NOT to save the company any dosh but to satisfy myself that i have operated a flight to the best of my proffesional ability still satisfies me and motivates me to do better!!
BUT i feel this has been taken advantage of (with no remorse i might add) by management who have great aspirations to better themselves,that target airlines as an easy way to make their CVs look superior simply because they have heard about the professionalism of pilots and can thus ride the backs of our desire for excellence to achieve their own self centred,self serving interests and at the same time be able to profess that they have been able to control costs by not giving us any pay rises comensurate with our TRUE WORTH!!!!
But let me tell you , tonight i have been down the pub (yes we do drink!! contrary to rostering opinion who believe an 8 am call on a day off asking you to work , and you telling them you have been drinking then them commenting that it is 8am and why are you drinking at that time!!) Three of us struck up a conversation with a couple of gentry from the southern hemisphere, they were contractors now working in dubai for twelve months, contracted to fix the fences around all dubai prisons property. As the conversation continues (as it normally does) he asked me my salary, i cordially responded with about 6000USD per month, he looked at me with disbelief,nudged his mate who was sucking popcorn through his missing tooth cavity,and they both started laughing!!! I kid you not Laughing at ME!!!! They then responded with i thought you guys got paid "HEAPS" I responded with what do you mean?? They said "we thought you guys were up there with the lawyers and the doctors" I said "we were 15 years ago,now it is a different world" they still looked at us as if we were taking the P
ss!! I said OK OK what are you earning then, the guy with the popcorn fixation splutters 2200USD per week we will NOT accept anything less!!!!!!!
We had a long conversation throughout the night and they continually kept saying" they could not believe it!!!!"" believe it !" i kept saying."So how has this happened??" no response from me COZ i have no idea how! then here is the funny part they were short of a couple of contractors to cover the work rotation for next month and asked if we wanted some extra cash (with 8 days off per month , i dont think so) but get this i would be able to match my salary if i was able to take the time out on my 8 days to "help them out" But my health means more im afraid!!!!
How has our esteemed,demanding,intellectual,exacting,profession fallen to such depths?? Maybe i have answered that question with my opening statement. But one thing is for certain theses guys we spoke to tonight were in NO DOUBT about their TRUE WORTH!! and totally WE DONT TAKE S%%T ATTITUDE!!!!
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