I've been banging on, ad nauseum, for years against buying TR's and paying to fly. Almost fifteen years ago I was offered a turboprop job providing I bought the rating. At the time I had 2500 hours, was bashing around the bush in C210s and C402s and was ten to fifteen years older than my peers so if anyone could have legitimately bought a career 'catch up' I think I could. I didn't. I've since refused more jobs than I can remember on the same basis. Did it slow my career progress? Undoubtedly, so please don't try to tell me I've no right to criticise this abhorrent system or those who feed it and then complain.
Buying TR's and jobs was around when I got into this industry albeit in a less prevalent form. I knew before I started my training and I planned accordingly. Many others have done the same and on the way have had times where we've taken jobs, even outside aviation, to pay our way and there's the difference. Some of us didn't just worsen our financial position by throwing more money at the problem. It's melodromatic to say that you'll flush £50,000 down the pan if you don't get an airline job immediately. Your licence won't just evaporate. How about biding your time until something else comes along? It's worked for thousands of others, what's changed in the last few years?
If I sound unsympathetic then maybe that's what fifteen years of telling people, who won't listen, how they're screwing the industry does to a person. I'm a patient man but a decade and a half of being told I'm wrong only to eventually see I was right......I think 'I told you so' is quite a restrained response. I'm not gloating, in fact I find it very, very disappointing and would much rather have been proven wrong.
Maybe if people stopped wanting everything now, now, now and refrained from looking down upon the 'lesser' jobs like instructing, air taxi work and the like they might find more support. Perhaps accept that they'll have to tread water for a bit, drive a lorry (done it), work in a warehouse (done it), sit behind a desk (done it), work in a pub (done it) until a job comes along instead of stamping their feet the 'oldies' might feel more inclined to respect their efforts.
Originally Posted by Clandestino
I'm just telling you that not caring about newcomers........
That's so far off the mark it's funny. I come from a background where people help each other out, a system I've benefitted from and contributed to. To my mind that's what one (thanks Kelly) does for others and because that's what others did for me. The more I look around the wannabee forums though the more I see people trying to work out ways to screw their peers which is very sad.
If the unthinkable happens? I'll do the same as I've always done and refuse to pay. Why do people find that so hard?