Like Late arrival, I have been reading this thread for years.
In the 1950s (yes!) I ws nuts on being an RAF pilot. The RAF taught me to go solo on Chipmunks as a cadet. Then there was the infamous 1958 Duncan Sandys Paper. The RAF advertised itself for "boys who want to fly" .... no mention of a career.
I chose a different career, was very successful, made redundant in 1999, had enough skills to pick up another very successful set of consultancies - happy with it all.....
What did I learn and what's it got to do with you ?
I was very active in my union; we didn't win everything but we didn't lose a lot. We had scabs - we fought them as hard as we fought the management. We found publicity a powerful weapon - tell the public how it is.
[I]Honestly[I] very, very few people think there might be someone in the front seat paying to fly them.....
Push the press, the TV, the aviation magazines, [I]anyone[I] you can get the message across to. How much do passengers pay to fly Ryanair? How much do pilots pay ? Have (jokes) - leave bits of paper on airline seats with requests for collections for the pilots' (cabin staff ?) training.
BET I've just been made "redundant" from one of my consultancies for speaking out .....
I'm poorer but my head's still high.....
Good luck; when I'm in the back, I'll be thinking of you up front.
Nigel