Food for thought!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
You have all read my post on what i think of the current situation of our profession. So i will not repeat myself. However, once again this is directed to all young aspiring aviators.
The world airlines have for a long time cried that pilots coming and leaving after obtaining type ratings as a huge factor to why they impose these ridiculous cost. So in their wisdom as business people they implemented fees for type ratings initially. Young pilots, not realising the future implecations, excepted the fees and progressed to airline positions. This then lead to fees being introduced for interviews and application acceptance.
As several pilots have pointed out, if a company is willing to treat you in such a manner at the beginning of your relationship woth them, How do you think they will treat you while you are employed by them. The fact that people leave airlines to acquire positions at other airlines is a direct reflection on the treatment of the employee by the employer. This is then a direct indication that these airlines were poor employers in the first place. If you pay and treat your employees with the respect and remunerate them according to their market value, they will not abandon you to find better employment.
Yes it is true that some aspire to fly heavier equipment and thus leave to experience that lifestyle, but they are a fraction of the pilot community.
We have been are worst enemies and it is not the senior aviators that will suffer!. We will have lived are lives the way you all intended to. Therefore, it is up to all you young aspiring pilots to turn this profession back to were it was 10 to 15 years ago and even before that. And the only way to achieve that is by stopping the practices of paying fees.
The airline companies can not blame you for THEIR FINANCIAL MISCONDUCT....so do not allow them to. Your futures are in your own hands ladies and gentlemen. Us old timers will have walked away without having to put up with this nonsense, but remember we did not allow it to become this way. All my peers have never paid for a type rating, interview or application acceptance. When it was thrust upon us we refused and it was put back in the briefcase by the beancounters. DO NOT SELL YOURSELF SHORT. YOU ARE ALL PROFESSIONALS and thus should be TREATED AS SUCH.
I hope this message hits home to all out there!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Thank you all for putting up with my thoughts.
AC100