Dear All,
Seldom do I read all, or nearly all of a thread, but I've been away for a while and this one caught my eye.
I just wanted to comment on something said a little earlier about the "newbies" keeping the pay down. It's quite simply BS in my opinion.
I fly in the US and I know that most of the posts seem to come from the UK but I think that the general principle is the same.
It's the senior guys who are willing to fly for crap who keep a cap on the pay. I see it all the time here in the US. Too many who remember the day when just to get a job to put (some) food on the table was a major achievement. Now many of these fellows who I have and still do fly with, and whom I have the utmost recpect for, think that after 30 years and 15,000+ hours, that $60,000 p.a. is satisfactory......!!!!! It's not, and in fact there are many who fly for a lot less.
I have been flying for ten years, paid for it myself as most of us do these days and have scraped together a fairly respectable 5400+ hours. Currently working an Alaska season, 500Ds etc, etc......
I refuse to work for crap pay. Yes it might mean that when I move on, that it may take a little more effort and time to find that employer who finally realises that to get quality, he needs to be prepared to bloody well pay for it. But so be it. Have some guts, pride and don't sell youselves low. The message will get across. It may take some time but it will happen........
Ok thats all.
Aloha