How many doctors or lawyers regularly have to spend 16-18 days separated from their families?
How many lawyers have to pay for training courses so they can work the company's photocopier?
How many doctors have to pay to learn how to work the machines that go ping in hospitals?
That’s exactly why I wish people would stop bringing themselves and their careers down by paying for type ratings. To all the folks paying for their type ratings: PLEASE STOP!!
Before I continue, let me say that there are some cases where it is necessary to buy a type rating. Those who have families to support and bills to pay may need to do it. I know someone who had to do it because a medical condition prevented him from building PIC time as a commercial pilot. These are special cases and what follows does not apply. The following is for the guys (and girls) who grew up wanting to fly, and who are eager to get into that first jet.
The movies show pilots commanding a great deal of respect and living lavish lifestyles and taking buckets of money to the bank. We know that these days it’s quite the opposite. The economical hardship of the past few years has had a lot to do with it, but a lot of it is self inflicted. The media description of pilots was indeed accurate a number of years ago. Those guys did not attain that status by paying for type ratings. They made sure that the airlines recognized them as highly skilled professionals. As such, they were in demand, and their salaries and treatment reflected this. Nowadays, the airlines can do as they please with us, because they say “well, we can always find someone who will pay for his training if Captain John Brown refuses to accept the crap treatment we’re giving him.”
In any other field, if you want professional services, you have to pay big bucks. Think of what it costs to go see a medical specialist. Yes I understand that everyone wants to get into a jet as soon as possible, and it may work out to be a better investment right now to pay for the type rating than to be an instructor. That’s a very good reason to do it, but please look 20 to 30 years into the future. Today, we accept poor pay bad treatment from the airlines just to fly the jet that we’ve always wanted to fly. What’s going to happen when you finally get fed up with it? Do you think they’ll just say “OK, we’ll start paying and treating you better.”? No. They will simply tell you to leave if you don’t like it because they’ll find a new person to do the job.
Folks, nobody else in the airlines had to make the sacrifices or had to undergo they type of training that we do (save maybe the maintenance guys). Do not let the management degrade you. Remember, you can walk into the CEO’s office and do his job, but he can’t do yours.
Respect yourselves and your profession. Do not accept unsatisfactory working arrangements. Consider it a small sacrifice. Keep flying the props and building time. The jet job will come, and when it does come, it will be all you ever wanted.