Bacon: have a wee think.
Think about Airline captains and what they have been through to get there, how much money it has cost them, how secure the long term market has been over the years, and how much responsibility for lives, national security and the amount of high pressure decisions, lifestyle, working hours etc that they experience. Now: find a comparitive profession: mm; lets say, surgeon, accountant, top civil engineer or top civil servant. Now go to let`s say, a surgeon:
Dr scoggins, sir, I want you to go to work at 4.30 (in an hour by the way because you are on standby) and stand at the surgery table for 12 hours constantly operating with your patients lives at risk, and if things go wrong, another two hours or even three (total 15) and by the way with not a single break; but if you get a chance if you managed to throw in your bag a couple of unhygenic butties that would be fine, you could possibly munch them if you get a chance, but don`t blame me if you get food poisoning because we give you a 70% tax break:-
Oh and by the way, at the end of this possible 15 hour unplanned day I may ask, nay demand, you to perform the most difficult operation you have ever faced in awful conditions and if you make the slightest error at best you will be sacked and at worst many people will die!
Oh, and although the hospital has made record profits, and the hospital administrators have a fantastic canteen, a massive bonus scheme, and a completely predictable lifestyle where they can live a fruitfull and normal life, they will add to your frustrations by refusing to bring to an conclusion to a perfectly reasonable pay deal for the boys on the sharp end; possibly because they are too busy looking at decorating catalogues for thier new free house. On the backs of the ground down personnel who had to endure the hell of the summer caused by an appalling management rostering decision.
But of course, like medicine, flying is a vocation, so we put up with it. But could you imagine a surgeon doing so?
You silly wannabees should vacate this thread and let it revert to br the PROFESSIONAL pilots rumour network.
Baah.
