Moon lighting plank drivers
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 176
Likes: 2
From: Aberdeen
Good Evening All!
Maximum:
Even though I agree with most of your comments regarding Helo/Fixed wing pilots on this thread I think I can understand where the guys are coming from.
In one of your earlier posts you state that this "problem" works both ways and that there are a lot of rotary pilots converting to fixed wing. True - but not really relevant to this thread. The topic starter was refering to "Moon lighting" and NOT career changes!
Here are the two characters in this play:
1) Plank Driver: Airline Captain/Cojoe , Good salary, Rotary conversion, perhaps good roster (long haul), House, Car
2) Helo Driver: Seeks employment, Huge debt, Small Salary (If at all), Two jobs, No house, crappy car
Now, number two can't get a job (even though he may have quite a bit more experience on helos) because number one is doing it in his spare time (maybe even at a lower rate because money is not an issue).
So how does that work both ways?
Fortunately I am not in that situation - but I can see that it could be very frustration for number 2!
Woolf
Maximum:
Even though I agree with most of your comments regarding Helo/Fixed wing pilots on this thread I think I can understand where the guys are coming from.
In one of your earlier posts you state that this "problem" works both ways and that there are a lot of rotary pilots converting to fixed wing. True - but not really relevant to this thread. The topic starter was refering to "Moon lighting" and NOT career changes!
Here are the two characters in this play:
1) Plank Driver: Airline Captain/Cojoe , Good salary, Rotary conversion, perhaps good roster (long haul), House, Car
2) Helo Driver: Seeks employment, Huge debt, Small Salary (If at all), Two jobs, No house, crappy car
Now, number two can't get a job (even though he may have quite a bit more experience on helos) because number one is doing it in his spare time (maybe even at a lower rate because money is not an issue).
So how does that work both ways?
Fortunately I am not in that situation - but I can see that it could be very frustration for number 2!
Woolf
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 292
Likes: 0
Woolf
I agree, in your scenario my sympathies would be with the number 2 as well, and I could certainly understand his frustration. And I understand the idea behind the original post.
However, I stand by what I've said in a general sense, because I believe when we come down to specific one-off cases, we can all come up with scenario's that support our particular viewpoint.
What about for example:
1.) Plank driver, paid for all his training, worked in all sorts of crappy jobs, made redundant four or five times, finally lands co-pilot jet job. Still paying off big loans from training and redundancy. Watches helicopter guy get command before him even though plank driver is much more experienced fixed wing but doesn't have the total time.
2.) Ex military rotary or Bristow's cadet decides to go fixed wing. Uses money saved from steady salary over the years to pay for fixed wing training. Gets jet co-pilot job. Gets Captain position before fixed wing guy due to helicopter hours. Extra money from command gets him in good financial position again. Three years later goes back to helicopters because that's where his heart really is.
I've personally seen the above happen a number of times. (I say again though, I don't have a problem with it, but I do think it illustrates my point). But again, it's specific to these people, in this case.
Going back to this idea of the moonlighting plank driver with few helicopter hours. I stand to be corrected, but I certainly thought in the UK he'd need at least 1000hours rotary to get a Jetranger job for example. If he has this, even if he now works for the airlines, it seems to me he still has as much right to that helicopter job as anyone else. Why? Because there are too many pilots and too few jobs, bottom line.
How can any of us know whose toes we're standing on when we take a job? Who can say they have a right to a certain job over someone else if both are qualified? If we were to be totally fair, we'd have to decide on a set of criteria with which to judge one person's "right" to a job over another's. For example, would we give it to the ex-military guy who hasn't paid for any training, or the self-improver? Which is fairer? etc etc.........
I simply think the real world is much more complicated.
I agree, in your scenario my sympathies would be with the number 2 as well, and I could certainly understand his frustration. And I understand the idea behind the original post.
However, I stand by what I've said in a general sense, because I believe when we come down to specific one-off cases, we can all come up with scenario's that support our particular viewpoint.
What about for example:
1.) Plank driver, paid for all his training, worked in all sorts of crappy jobs, made redundant four or five times, finally lands co-pilot jet job. Still paying off big loans from training and redundancy. Watches helicopter guy get command before him even though plank driver is much more experienced fixed wing but doesn't have the total time.
2.) Ex military rotary or Bristow's cadet decides to go fixed wing. Uses money saved from steady salary over the years to pay for fixed wing training. Gets jet co-pilot job. Gets Captain position before fixed wing guy due to helicopter hours. Extra money from command gets him in good financial position again. Three years later goes back to helicopters because that's where his heart really is.
I've personally seen the above happen a number of times. (I say again though, I don't have a problem with it, but I do think it illustrates my point). But again, it's specific to these people, in this case.
Going back to this idea of the moonlighting plank driver with few helicopter hours. I stand to be corrected, but I certainly thought in the UK he'd need at least 1000hours rotary to get a Jetranger job for example. If he has this, even if he now works for the airlines, it seems to me he still has as much right to that helicopter job as anyone else. Why? Because there are too many pilots and too few jobs, bottom line.
How can any of us know whose toes we're standing on when we take a job? Who can say they have a right to a certain job over someone else if both are qualified? If we were to be totally fair, we'd have to decide on a set of criteria with which to judge one person's "right" to a job over another's. For example, would we give it to the ex-military guy who hasn't paid for any training, or the self-improver? Which is fairer? etc etc.........
I simply think the real world is much more complicated.
