Just a short story from a (soon to be) former RYR pilot.
I'll make it short:
Joined the company in late 2011, after having flown 850hrs as a flight instructor (PPL and CPL) plus domestic flights on small piston twins.
Joined RYR FULL AWARE of the ups and down of it all. now, 1500hrs on the jet later, I am leaving for another company.
As many other people have said in this long thread, RYR is only a steppingstone. When I first started, i certainly had many moral discussions with myself and the ones closest to me. After I joined, the road has been VERY... ehhhh, interesting.
positives:
The training in RYR is some of the best out there right now! I have only met professional, passionate people during my course, exams, Sims etc.
RYR makes you put in a lot of hard work, and it is not uncommon that you have to start reading/completing training tests 4 weeks before a SIM. This is well reflected in the RYR safety record, which pretty much stands for itself - no matter where safety flags are being raised. On a pure operational side, I have never felt that the company is slacking.
If you are putting your hard earned eggs in the RYR basket for the training, you will not be disappointed....But..
Negatives:
Be prepared for a hard life in the beginning. The first year of being in RYR is tough. You will be in over your head in hotel bills, transportation, weird fees and many other things...
I was pretty much what you can call poor during the first 12 months in the company, and if it wasn't for my parents, I would have thrown in the towel. Simply because I had NO money left.... And remember... there is no guarantee that your bank will help you!!
Second year is better. The cash start to flow in the right direction on your bank account, and things are actually looking better... Not amazing, but better. Most people can actually start saving up some money at this point.
Only problem is - I have been lucky. Due to operational reasons, my base have had a (VERY) good amount of hours in the summer and at this point, Things are looking decent. But this is me. MANY of my friends have been doing 40-50-60 hrs in the summer, and are doing even worse in the winter, which makes it impossible to save up. Moreover, a great number of FO's are being hired, and planes are getting cut back making the hours worse and worse. This is not to scare people... This is a FACT! Even captains are seeing themselves splitting hours these days, and with the new contracts for captains... Well, let's just say it's not great.
So. The big question: Would I do it again? If the conditions where the same as when I started - Yes.
With current conditions, I am not so sure anymore...
I say this to all the young lads out there who are on the way to join, or thinking about joining: SAVE UP! And when you are done, SAVE UP SOME MORE! You will be spending 30% more than what you had in your budget. And readjust your expectations about salary, lifestyle and all that other stuff. The flying is fun, but at what cost?
Best of luck to all of you!
