Bunglerat,
I feel that your comments are appropriate and it's great to work with somebody who is positive, nevertheless the dreadfulness of it all remains, albeit your current situation is obviously better than many in lesser paid jobs (not to say that you haven't been there and done that).
Professional Pilots are fortunate that they have the personal tenacity, skill and devotion to persist with flying. It is the Pilots choice to be employed as such, and that Pilot should have the ability to value his/her training and experience and put a realistic price on the table for his/her service to what is regarded an essential service.
When did paying for a $30k endorsement become acceptable?
Pay for parking? WTF
Sleep in the airport car park during a tour?
No thank-you. When does common sense and your balls kick in to say "you can STICK IT"?
Someone is really Fu*kn with our lives here - we all know the direct and indirect costs involved with training, working, recurrency etc.
Making a long list of negatives will probably make you an enlightened but somewhat bitter and twisted individual as you say (like me
), but if you take those concerns outside of the flightdeck or lunchroom (which I think Pilot types are not good at), chances are that they will be addressed.
I hope that the verbosity of this thread stops and it provides impetus to voicing Pilot concerns beyond that of our Captain or FO/SO colleagues.
I'm not a pollie, but if many of you think that an online petition is a good start, suggest some wording and constraints, and although it may take me some time, I can work out how to get it online.
*** Aside *** I should address this qn to AFAP, but some PPRUNERs may have inside knowldege... has AFAP ever made an advertising campaign to try and fatten membership numbers? i.e. pamphlets sent to persons attributed with an ARN, membership forms handed out when commencing new employment etc? As mentioned by lostwingnut, workers rights and things such as unions and workplace ombudsmen are not usually introduced to green Pilots.
KRviator, re coin check out the
general aviation safety net award . Many employers will use this as their benchmark. IT'S WORSE IN NZ! Several years ago I rejected an invitation to work as FO on a multi-engine turbine >5700kg in an NZ capital city for a major business for a salary of something like NZ$23 or $27k/annum.
THE PUBLIC
DO GIVE A DAMN, AND NOBODY WANTS A PILOT WHO HAS SLEPT IN THE STAFF CAR PARK OVERNIGHT OR EATEN 2 MINUTE NOODLES FOR DINNER THE NIGHT BEFORE, TO FLY THEM BETWEEN PORTS.