for agent 123
Dear Sir
My CPL dates back to 1996, I was employed in 2002!...do you see that 6 yr gap...the boom you are talking about is post 2002 phenomena and lasted till last year.
There are scores of guys who were unemployed between 1995 and 2002 who got employed cos of the boom and they form a big chunk of the first officers online today...we know what we went through those years, recognise the value of our jobs and feel the pain of those thousands of unemployed cpl holders at present.
Its a cyclical industry and some get lucky, some have contacts and some struggle ( a large silent majority ) like me to get their first job after 6-8 years.
There are all types of first officers, its true for captains too...we ( captains ) need to address the issue if someone is found complacent or does not follow sop's etc. Its a challenge to the left seat to deal with such guys ( a minority in my opinion )...thats my perspective...phew!