'Will work for free'

[Vortex Thing]

I think the problem lies above not below....

Gnirren again you missed the point.

I have always studied hard and decided young to be a pilot aged 8. Aged 12, I choose my O level, A level and degree subjects to maximise the chances of that happening knowing that I planned a military flying career before a civilian one. At 16 I was awarded an RAF flying scholarship at 18 I joined the university air squadron. I then went to Sandhurst and spent 8 years as an Army officer waiting 3 years before being allowed to even apply for the army pilots course and then eventually left the army some 4 years ago.

I finished off my CPL/IR and did an instructors rating. I worked for £8k a year in my first instructional job driving 165 miles to work as it was the only instructing job I could find I got paid £180 for my first months work. It cost me almost £800 a month to get to work but there were no other jobs. I then found another school 80 miles away rising to the dizzy heights of £11k a year and then my wife and I decided to relocate closer to London as there was more work there. I eventually got a job 20 miles away this time paying £20ph in the air and there managed to get a good amount of hours and experience on PPL and CPL courses.

After a few years of instructing I could no longer meet my commitments financially and even though willing to work at any type of aviation job needed to earn a living wage. All the time I had diligently applied monthly to firms across the world happy to relocate to any country anywhere in the world to get my break, I tried firms in Africa, Asia, Canada, etc but never got an interview. I applied for ops jobs and dispatch jobs before begrudginly moving away from aviation because I found a role that paid £60k for my commercial knowledge working an 80hr week to look after me and mine.

I retrained again (costing me 5k more in training for my non aviation role) and carried on waiting for the day that maybe someone might invite me to interview I have earnt my right to have an interview and nobody of the 293 outstanding applications that I have in a box would give me one.

So you tell me what the options are when you are 35? I have no desire to make the industry worse, I have no desire to destroy anything that you have done but I belive that I have the SAME not lesser rights than you to be in a cockpit. You make it seem like I have used money to take a shortcut rather than getting a real pilots job, you find me one who will even give me the chance by interviewing me and then things would be different.

I did not decide to go 738 or nothing. I have applied to all the locals and TPs. Flybe have never offered me an interview, nor BACON, nor Loganair, nor Eastern, etc, this is not for lack of phonecalls, doorstepping, cajoling, etc attempts they just never offer most do not even answer. If I could get an instructing job at a local commercial school then I would have taken it but the hours make no difference when I and you see 200hr guys getting interviews and me not.

You say skill and ability should be the deciders, well you are right if you want to test me out against any applicant can you tell me how 200hr guys get an interview with Flybe and I don't based on a CV?

Is it due to my lack of skill how would you or they ever know if I cannot get an interview. Ryanair were the 1st airline to offer me an interview ever since 2003 when I left the army was I supposed to say sorry no can't take it it may erode Scroggs or BBTs future. I think not!

You keep making it sound like I do not understand the consequences of where my and others actions can lead the industry, sorry again fundamentally wrong. I do understand, I, as is my right, do not like how the industry treats me but am not stupid enough to not take any opportunity presented to me as no one else will even interview me.

If you would not in my position then good for you but you are not me and though you think that I am somebody who has bought their way in through lack of skill I would suggest that I am a reasonably able pilot who has come through arguably one of the most selective and demanding backgrounds and training courses in aviation and challenge you to prove that I do not deserve to be in the RHS somewhere.

I would genuinely have preferred more instructional time, more multi time and a TP job but if Eastern, Logan, Flybe et al will not even interview me and even if I was successful I need £45k a year just to make the mortgage and meet my debt. My choices were limited to FR or back to the office watching planes out of the window and making other people happy by making them lots of money. You may not believe that I deserve to be there but if I would argue that my skill and knowledge are as good as any FO 2000hrs or less out there who is NOT jet or TP rated. I have not jumped the queue I have taken the ONLY opportunity available and would do so again every day for the rest of my life.

If that means that in 10 yrs time we get paid less than that's life but I am not your airlines HR Director or your board of directors now am I. I'm just another qualified, keen aviation lover and professional pilot who wants to fly ANYTHING for a living.

Trust me getting the PPL onto first solo when they are 30hrs on and struggling is more rewarding than acheiving a 25 min turnaround but the PPL guy isn't going to pay my mortgage and nor are you!

So Gnirren stop making it seem like it is about the jets I don't care about the jets I just want to get a job flying that allows me some hope of paying the debt of that I have accrued qualifiying myself so to do and if flying for free, be it in instruction, para dropping or as an astronaut gets me more experience then I will do it as no one out there except me cares about me and until you are willing to go on strike and make your airlines recruit fairly by skill and knowledge as YOU suggest then I suggest that you step down from what is an ivory tower (it must be if you belive that you can query my skill and ability and call me beyond stupid! without knowing nothing of my ability, never having met me and never having even seen my CV) and take a look at who is looking after me: you Fellow Aviator, Scroggs and Gnirren are not exactly fighting your HR directors to make sure that I get an interview or even a fair crack of the whip now are you so why do you think that I should protect your Ts&Cs I ask you why YOU have a greater right than me to be in any cockpit?