Yeah and the positive spin that the Vested Interests put on everything is sickening at times. Its either boom time in the airlines, about to be boom time or its never been a better time to train in preparation for the boom (during the bust).
Pass rates are always excellent, exam results amongst the best and contacts with airlines superb..
The fact is that I could name a half a dozen people who lost their shirts on flying training post Sept 11th. Do you remember Swiss and Sabena going bust? Do you remember the layoffs from Virgin and MyTravel and others? Do you recall how all airline hiring was frozen, how people already on type rating courses or working their notices were told that the job offer was being pulled? Do you remember all the cadets on courses who were told to go home or continue paying their own courses or who were as far as line training but still got chopped before Final Line Check? Do you remember airlines like Aer Lingus being on life support and selling the painting from the boardroom walls?
Well that, my friend, was 2002. Not long ago.
I won't bore you about the recession of 1990 and its effects on airline hiring as you'd consider it ancient history. And as for the 1970's oil crisis and Dan Air and Caledonian and Air Europe and Freddy Laker - you'd think I was some crusty old historian. Yet all these things have happened in many pilots current careers.
Just because it was sunny yesterday and sunny today does not mean you should put your umbrella on eBay...
One of the unique aspects of PPRuNe is the lack of marketing varnish. You're a big boy, you make your decisions any which was you want,
Good luck,
WWW