Rumor control
 

Slow down guys.

Polar GROUND crews suffered a "Reduction in Force". Announced last Friday. Nothing to do with flight crews.

That's a fact. Not a rumor.

Hey are you all ready for this? I hear from a very good source that Fred Smith and the U.S. Military are just finishing the first working transporter. Seems that Fred is going to have the first production unit installed in Memphis. Looks like this will be the end for all the freight carriers.

Can you say “beam me up Scotty”? :D

Ship's Power: Good point.

Luckily, at least for now, Congress has voted down a bill or N.P.R. for more foreign ownership of US airlines.
This was being pushed by the White House.

One day, if the bill passes, a foreign mgmt. group might be able to "cherry pick" which labor provisions could apply to your pilot job, and from which countries, with blessing$ from the GOP. Four hours pay for a 2-day trip? Five days off-and one in a hotel room. If the younger pilots don't like it, they can leave the job. More will take their place.:cool:

It might be an interesting time for the younger pilots. Hopefully they will have other job skills after spending $30,000 or more for their basic ratings.

Something in this industry has gotta give. . . . . Of note - down at the local airfield, a CFI had told me that they have noticed fewer upstarts of the younger career oriented airman type. . . . he had said that today's flight students seem to consist more of older empty nester's, who have always wanted to learn to fly but now have the time/money.

I recall jumpseating on AAL -JFK / LAX a few months ago. There was a young American Eagle pilot that was also riding, but on a pass. Before boarding, the Eagle pilot had exclaimed to me in excitement that he would soon be eligible for his dream - mainline AAL pilot employment. Later, after taking my jumpseat in the cockpit, the ship's Captain had exclaimed to me that he was disgusted with the degradation of his job and was anxiously awaiting retirement in four months. If it wasn't for his mortgage, he would have gladly retired earlier. . . . . I could only think of the irony of the young kid sitting twelve rows back, who could hardly wait to take a job that the Captain didn't even want anymore!

That young Eagle pilot must have been hallucinating. There's 3000 furloughed AA pilots, with an airline that's getting rid of airplanes and cutting jobs. I hope he enjoys being a $25k a year RJ copilot for about the next 15 years.