what about if you just get the c.p.l. without the i.r. which seems pretty pointless at the moment, and do what looks like the sensible option and get a f.i. rating instead?
i.e. batten down the hatches, build hours and
get an i.r. when times change, if they ever will! i'm not a doom and gloom person by nature, more a guv' type of "fear the worst, hope for the best" but.....
we're only just starting to see some of the affects; b.a., gill, virgin, etc, and now swissair and sabena to follow? and will some of the remaining established f.t.o.s follow p.p.s.c and 4 farces?
we just seem to be such a disparte group of
either voices, all of the same opinon but with no direction and no concerted common goal, apart from licence issue and 1st job.
v.a.t. exemption was once a reality, screwed up by a replacement n.v.q. cetificate that wasn't necessary, and maybe by ourselves by not pursuing it and p.p.l. type abusing.
surely now is the time to start lobbying for any type of assistance, not only by the likes of us lowly faceless wannabes but by the airlines that like it or not depend on self-sponsored types and especially now the f.t.o.s, who will need all the breaks they can get.
17.5% from a very few won't make a big differance in terms of a national budget, but the survival of the relatively small f.t.o.s and the required incentive for the "life blood" of the industry is it would seem imperative.
never before have we seen such a instantaneous depression of the industry in such a small time scale, and as i said before, assistance for ailing airlines is a complex subject, assistance for the future of the airlines isn't!!