Bluelearjet
I omit driver, because anyone with the size of chip you have on your shoulder should not be guiding a push bike let alone an aircraft.
What you and others seem to forget is that it NOT the Lo-Co's that drive the terms conditions and pay down, it is the accountants and managers who live for their bonus.
Cutting back has been the bean counters aim for many years and the easy targets are crew members, who have traditionally received high renumeration, for what is perceived little actual work.
What we have forgotten here is the CAA who allowed the Bader Report as the basis for our flight time limitations, and overnight crews went from an average of 450 hours per year to 700 hours without any change in pay.
Now controlable costs are the target of bean counters, and encouraging people to pay for their own ratings is one way to cut the training budget.
I agree with SSTR's as they put the onus upon the student and not the airline.
What I do not agree with is Flexicrew and 6 month contracts for cadets or captains.
Calling the pilots "Scum or Scabs" is totally uncalled for and does nothing for the credability of the person posting.
Human nature will take over and if there is a short cut available it will be taken, even if it means further debt.
CTC have made many hundreds of thousands of pounds from their product and while there was a hiring boom it worked, but in years of lean recruitment it has stalled as the company figures have shown.
We may yet see the demise of CTC, but I do not think we will see the end of the SSTR schemes, as long as there are more pilots than jobs, this is reflected by the numbers of students seeking a career in an airline.
Even in the current climate we have not seen a significant down turn in numbers seeking entry to Integrated or Modular training, and until we do airlines (Read Bean Counters) will continue to encourage part time working and SSTR's.