Flinty your specs are just a little rose tinted mais non?
Not at all, way too long in the tooth for that. Just telling it how it is with the logbook and stained tie to prove it.
Slim, just give it up and retreat with honour.
Bit late for that. According to the little message under his username he's banned. Shame really.
As for getting back on topic and answering the original question I fear it's too late for that (the answer) also. Too many SSTR (which, oddly, is an anagram of Slim's initials) crew hanging on contracts with massive debts. They dare not rebel because they'll be out on their ears carrying that huge loan in a file box.
My point (and there was one in all this) was not to bait Slim.......well, ok. I did but he asked for it.
No. My
point for any wannabees watching this is that as I and others have said there
is an alternative to the huge loan and buy a job approach and if you follow that alternative, exercise some patience, ingenuity, wit and win some luck there are more rewarding areas of aviation than being locked in the front of a low-cost aluminium tube and pedalling like a bloody hamster for the rest of your career, such as it will be by the time the buy-a-job brigade have finished whipping the rug out from under everyone.
Fifteen years in and I still enjoy going to work. Yes, I'm lucky. I have a near perfect job and not all bizjet jobs are like that but if you don't try, if you just follow the rest of the sheep, you'll never know will you? In fifteen years time where would you rather be? Trudging into a grey, insipid crew-room, fighting for elbow space at the desk with other 'contractors' all trying to conduct a reasonable pre-flight in too little time before flying there and back twice in the day to some arse-end-of-nowhere airport cunningly disguised as being near a major city while behind you overworked and underpaid CC flog Pringles in a desperate effort to make the rent this month............or looking forward to a quick flip to a major city while the boss conducts business, a run down to Nice/Olbia/(insert-latest-playground-of-the-rich-and-famous here) for the weekend or perhaps a few days in a ski resort?
Yes, it take a few years to build up to but for crying out loud, what's wrong with enjoying the journey?