Why I love the recession!
Dear Ppruners,
I know the title may seem a little strange but let me explain. As someone who has had to save up years and years to be able to achieve my dream of flying commercially, it has been heatbreaking that just as I got to the point where I could finance the fATPL (and have a safety net of a few years without getting my lucky break), that the market got flooded by thousands of youngsters indebted up to their eyeballs.
Traditionally, there has always been those who have parents willing to throw tens of thousands of pounds at their children to give them an advantage over others, but the silver-spooners never added up to any great number in the grand scheme of things. As such, those who were committed to getting a seat up front and who were willing to give up the good things in life for many years in order to create the possibility of this happening, more often than not did get their dream.
Unfortunately in recent times the banks decided to get very, very greedy , resulting in thousands of youngsters being allowed access to vast sums of money which previously they would never have been allowed anywhere near. The end result being that every Tom, Dick and Harry (and their sisters) were all presented with the opportunity of getting a fATPL without having to go out and find work in the real world (and discover how little it pays), or forego all the partying that one should be doing in the twenties and early thirties.
A situation was thus created whereby those of us who had saved for years and years to fund their training were no longer competing with the usual number of young ones but instead were up against thousands of late teens/early twenties who were being financed by virtue of parents securing considerable loans on their homes (note the word home and not house). The sad fact is that airlines choose the young ones over the older candidates every day of the week, effectively ending the dream for all those who had given up so much over the years.
This situation looked like having no end.....until the recession hit. Prior to this, young jet johnny and jet jill would abuse their parents' love and emotionally blackmail them into putting their house up as a guarantee. Year on year all the maturer candidates were being stepped over again and again, with no reward for their sacrifices. My, how easy this game was for the young ones these last few years - get someone else to work all their years to afford a property, then get them to put it all at risk so you can access to the sums of money required, then get a jet job that pays enough for all repayments AND a nice lifestyle AND be able to tell everyone in the nightclub you are a jet pilot.
Shame your actions have decimated the terms and conditions. Never mind that you were willing to have your parents home taken off them.
After being passed over repeatedly by the young ones, I am regretfully bitter. So forgive the following.
I LOVE THE RECESSION!
I want every one of you little tykes to have your parents' homes taken by the banks. I want you to have to go bankrupt! You have cheated me and my kind for too long. It is now payback. You want my dream? Well do what I have had to do and EARN it. Take all the risks yourself like I have had to. Work all the hours I have had to. Miss all the family parties, friend's birthdays, etc. If your parents were stupid enough to gamble all on your laziness, TOUGH!!!
Those who gambled and got away with it the last few years - and I know so many - were lucky to do so. The banks are not willing to give it out any more, finally.
For all those youing ones who began training in the last few years, I hope the recession goes on for longer. I have the funds ready for when things pick up. Not only are you stuggling to repay your fATPL loan now, but you will not be given any more funds to renew licences, ratings or pay for a type rating. You will never get access to those funds again. Your bankruptcy will ensure that. You have blown your big dream forever. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!
For all those mature guys out there - our funds are ready, as are our seats. Believe!!!