All you people ripping shreds off this lad and telling him why he shouldn't be doing this ... fair enough. You have made some strong points and some fair points. A lot of people giving him a lot of good reasons, what NOT to do.
I would now like to hear ONE SINGLE suggestion from everyone slating him, as to what he could do, instead, that would keep you guys happy and also enable him to get where he wants to be.
Seriously.
He's 26, and wants to get into aviation. Can't blame him for that. He's got a wife and kids so he needs to have at least some kind of an income, even a mediocre one. He's probably not going to be able to sell the missus on going c-catting at ardmore and clearing $50 a week. And the kids will be not be too keen on daddy shooting off to the Botswana swamps for a couple of years. All of us who did the hard yards, I would bet that most of us were a bit younger and didn't have families, and didn't mind sleeping in cars or whatever, this guy is in a bit of a different situation.
So let's hear it from all you guys knocking him, what else is there in New Zealand that a fresh CPL can do, not flash, but anything that pays the rent and puts bread on the table and clothes on the kids' backs for 3 or 4 years while he tries to get those hours he needs to apply for Link or whatever.
We all know the answer and it is, "SWEET
ALL"
And that, my friends, is the real disgrace of NZ aviation. Not the Jetstar cadet program, which is nectar from heaven for guys in Phoenix's position.
Someone else said a couple of pages back, all Jetstar have to do to get overrun with applicants, is pay a little bit more than GA. And I agree. So now that it's actually happening and we all find that we don't like it, whose fault is it really? It's certainly not Phoenix's fault. It's not even Jetstar's fault for seeing the opportunity to save some money, and ripping into it, they are responsible to their shareholders not to us.
It's pathetic for us, who are long established in decent airline jobs and don't have to worry about money any more, to give these young guys no carrot and all stick.
Sadly that's all we've got to offer them, because WE are the ones who have let the industry get into such a goddam despicable sorry state for such a long time now.