As if I'm serious with my threats to sin bin! The idea of me tracking him down and ruining his career is ludicrous. Come on people, can you not see a bit of banter when its put in front of you? Mind you, do not underestimate the influence of the GATP.
SinBin, you have been warned, plus the political party you vote for are responsible for numerous abominations in recent British history which contiue to affect our lives 10 years after they were last in power. Also you say you are not rich because you live in a 2 bed house. You do however say you earn over 40k per year. This puts you way above the average income in the uk, and coupled with the fact that the morgtgage payment on your 2 bed house will be fairly low (unless you pay a premium to live in a "desirable are", which wouldnt surprise me), you are my friend a rich man.
I have no bitter pill to swallow and have no jeleaousy towards those who can afford to buy a type rating. If I subsequently end up in a situation such as SinBin's where I am reduced to the stage where buying a TR represents my best overall option then I might be forced to do the same, whilst being violently sick and with the word mug written across my forehead.
Whilst everyone would love to stay true to their ideals, the fact remains that I would think very carefully about deliberately putting my aviation career at a disadvantage through doing so. Id imagine every wannabe bar none is against the idea of paying for TRs, but they do so for the reasons stated above.
The point I am trying to make is that absolutely no pilot should find themselves in such a situation, and the fact that they do could be remedied through radical action, such as that proposed by the GATP. If only enough of us could work together.
It may be the case that the GATP cannot win the battle against self sponsored type ratings for the time being, however I certainly think a difference can be made with respect to pilots paying for their own line training, and with respects to the issue of expenses and salaries whilst training. (eg Ryan Air)
Furthermore, a wannabes union could have many different functions, from providing adive with respect to training ssues and disputes, to providing grants or cheap loans to fund the training of worthy candidates.
The fact that we are not yet professional employees should not make a difference to the effectiveness of such an organisation, look at what university students have achieved over the years through the National Union of Students.
Lets face it people, at the moment we have absoultely no representation as a group, and are as a result getting completely shafted. I am seriously intending to look into the idea when I have time and would appreciate it if anyone else who is interested in playing a part get in touch via PM.
As the great Bob Marley once sang:
"It takes a revolution, to find a solution"
THE GATP WILL PREVAIL
Last edited by Baboon Boy; 29th Jan 2007 at 22:58.
Reason: wanted to give sin bin a bit more stick (sorry mate)