Any airline that won't go bust !

It doesn't exist...the grass is always greener for pilots!

Odd-job pilot in an RAF Gazelle in West Germany during the Cold War in the mid 1980s. Air control orders for the exercise mandated not above 150 feet agl for helicopters. Sheer, licensed hooliganism. :E

No-one to tell me where to go, all jobs done by request of squadron commanders. No crewman, co-pilot or even a student to worry about. Just me. Drop in for a refuel and lunch at any convenient Puma or Chinook site, then back to a HAS for the night.

They were so pleased with the advantages of having a light recce aircraft at their disposal, the Chinook squadrons later asked for a permanent Gazelle of their own, and got one.

Easier times, long gone.

Which One?
 

Any airline, any aircraft, anywhere in the world where the paypacket leaves left over money in the bank at the end of the month =savings record =borrowing power =investment in bricks and mortar and some shares =comfortable retiremant which I have enjoyed since 2000 at age 60.

My only regret is Tinitus from too much exposure to PW R2000 and RR Darts
but I have found Wild Turkey bourbon dulls that ache :ok:

Plumber.. Falling asleep under someone's sink for 100 quid an hour.

Well, it was AIR EUROPE. Oh, damn, they went bust. Ok, before that, LAKER. Damn, they went bust.Ok, before that, easily, BUA. Aaaaaah, they were joined by a silly lot in CALEDONIAN, called themselves the SECOND FORCE and, damn, didn't go bust but wound up in BIG AIR (probably the best then & still is today. Ok, before that, definitely COURT. Damn they went bust. Ok, now we are talking; before that, best ever, EAGLE. Damn they went bust........................oh, forget it.

Ok, relax. I'm back. Look, chaps & chappets, it has GOTTA be...................MONARCH. In 1976, I drove up from Ealing in my Ford Anglia for the Monarch Selection procedure. Luton airport was absolutely dreadful. Windy, rainy, appalling car workers everywhere. Found the Monarch hangar. Chief Pilot ushered me into a corner office, one at a time because the door jammed up against his desk. Usual cordials & he asked if I was cold. I was so numb with cold I don't think the words came out so he put on one bar of his two bar electric heater that then made the Office stink of burning dust. I was later offered RHS B720. YES ! 720 !! I wish I had taken it because I would have just retired from MONARCH a very happy bunny. They are still around & employees appear annoyingly happy.

Transavia....world best kept airline secret...best 18 years of my flying life.:ok:

Engineering wise it has to be Southern Air Transport (not the B747 operator) fantastic company to work for totally gutted when the went bust in 1999.

SOPS : Why keep it secret ? And how did you manage 18 years ? Lucky person. I was parachuted into Transavia under cover of PARC Aviation for a three year contract in the LHS of their new B757's. Only lasted 10 months (for reasons best known to PARC). But, what a fabbo experience. I agree with you. Best group of people I have ever had the privilage to have worked with and for. Had a passion for living in Holland too. Oh & that absolute whiz in Rostering. How he managed a 'Four on, Four off' pattern in aviation is a mystery to me. It worked & resulted in roster stability that is every rostering person's dream ! Wow. What a terriffic outfit but are they still around ? Thought it was all KLM now.

Call me crazy, but I always wanted to fly for BA Citiexpress on the ERJ-145. Loved the idea of flying for BA from the regions. Always enjoyed domestic and European flying. I mentioned this ambition when I interviewed with one of the major UK FTOs back in 2003. They told me that I needed to show more ambition than wanting to fly a 145 for a regional subsidiary and that I should demonstrate a desire to be a 'real' airline pilot on something like a 747! They still accepted me for their overpriced course, although I ended up going modular.

I'm on the 145 today, having previously flown both BAe and Airbus types. It's the most enjoyable flying I've done to date.

NASA of course. Back when they were sending people up anyway.

I mean, "shuttle commander" is about as bad-ass as it gets for a business card.

Besides that, owning and running my own company. One day...

They are still around! Owned by KLM though but the company is still the same. Only 737's these days.

Professional Sundowner (aka Retired!);)