I was a SAR pilot, 4500 hours of it, in all weathers, any time of day, often finding and picking up idiots who should have known better. Twice taken to court for 'damages' when I wouldn't pick up surf boards and often asked by the 'victim' if they could be dropped off at the car park next to their car if I wouldn't mind.
I risked my life and my crew for a fairly rubbish wage using a licence that cost far more to obtain than a fixed wing licence.
Now I fly for an airline.
What's different? The skill set required for my previous 'life' was completely different to that which I require now. Do I feel that my current colleagues are in any way less competent than those I flew with before? Absoloutely not.
As for the Hudson. I know many people who have done much more in an aircraft and sacrificed much more for much less – as I suspect many others here have.
I completely fail to comprehend what you are trying to prove with this point? What the crew (I include the FO in this as he was also an ex-mil pilot who contributed alot to the incident) achieved was exemplerary. A massive bird strike just after take off followed by a double engine failure and a water landing in a big jet with large high bypass engines. Truely excellent. Sacrificed more for less? Not really.
Look at airline pilots pay, ask most people, and ask what pilots earned in the 1950's? Probably get an answer of £100,000 per annum.
Ask again for the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's and the 2000's and you will probably get the same answer £100,000. Pilots wages have not moved with inflation for decades.
Many will say, 'ah but the aircraft are all automatic now!', true, there are many automated and crossed over systems to 'assist' in your task. However the downside of this is that the complexity involved when those systems start to fail is immense. Many times the safest option is to disengage ALL systems and revert the beast to a stick and rudder aeroplane. This sort of day, with 350 people behind you, is when pilots earn their pay.
I'm sure you pay insurance on your motor vehicle? I'm sure that you've moaned about it but had to pay it as it is a legal requirement? I'm also sure that you never, ever want to have to 'use' your insurance because of the consequences it has in cost, injury and legalities. But you feel safer knowing you have it there in the background. Piloting is, in many ways, the same. If you don't know what I mean try flying with some of the smaller 'local' outfits in Africa. It can be an eye opener to anyone who has only flown in the US or Europe.
Is it fair for the pilots to want to reclaim losses when gross mismanagement has led the entire workforce up the garden path? Probably. At least they should attempt to protect themselves from the losses and end up paying their pensions into the hands of the liquidators.