Professional Pilot Magazine article: RISK AND REWARD

[Panama Jack]

I copied this out of the December 2004 edition of Professional Pilot magazine. I hope you might agree that it gives some interesting food for thought:

Risk and Reward
By Frank Brune
ATP. Bombardier Dash 8


A pilot career entails many choices regarding employment. In the simplest terms, we gravitate towards operators of larger aircraft, where the pay is better. We may spend many years in this endeavor, following industry rumors, building experience, and mass-producing resumes.

And sometimes we ride in the sweet spot of a swell of growth, where the momentum of invisible forces thrusts us ahead. At other times the outfit we work for folds up like a cheap tent.

Traditionally, the top of the pyramid for aviation employment has been considered a job flying for a major airline, drawing a big paycheck and secure in the knowledge of a solid pension to come. Some consider anything less a failure to reach the end of the journey.

Career guides of the 90s fueled this vision. They portrayed our vocation as nothing more than an accounting exercise, maximizing returns based on number of years left, and premising their calculations on wooden assumptions about the future. This view implied that to exit the rat race—at any point—was a mistake.

Their perspective is easy to understand—nobody ever cancels a subscription to their services faster than a pilot who has passed his final probationary year.

The real world is not as predictable as some models suggest. From the FBO that couldn’t put a twin on the ramp to the airline that furloughed you in ground school, a pilot career can include brutal setbacks and delays. Also, no other occupation that comes to mind so dramatically returns workers to the end of the line with each employment change.

Such cost and uncertainty leave most of us estimating where best to end the pursuit of a better job. Our situation is not unlike that of a frog crouched on a comfortable lily pad, judging the distance to a better one, but knowing that if he misses, the snake in the water will get him.

As so often happens, the flying industry finds itself at present in a state of change. Fractional operators have risen and grown, and provided an entirely new kind of employment for the professional pilot. Certain major airlines are now called “legacy carriers”—a term that wasn’t even in use 3 years ago. Contracts and pensions are being hacked to pieces as new “low cost” carriers spring up.

One thing is sure—our opportunities over the next decade will not be the same as they were in the past 10 years.

Pilot-in-command authority must not be allowed to backslide during this upheaval. Employers see maintaining low pay and deriving high productivity from pilots as cornerstones of their responsibilities.

And while that’s not necessarily bad in itself, many employers have taken things too far. We’ve been asked to cut corners, fly fatigued, ignore mechanical problems and bend the FARs to uphold schedules. Our very authority to maintain safety standards has been assaulted. The occasional pilot who had his record trashed for simply crossing the company served as sufficient intimidation to keep the rest of the group in line. Many of us viewed them as a temporary condition while we were on the way to a “good job.”

Today, that good job may be the one we presently hold. Improving our future has become more a matter of fixing the problems where we are than one of moving on—which provides us with a kind of freedom to regain the types of authority we gave away over 2 decades of single-minded career building. Once you hit the delete key on your resume file, your boss loses a major amount of leverage.

Of course, the pioneers among us will follow those new opportunities. They will have a special responsibility when it comes to defining the new paradigm. New operators will seek approval from FAA to let a shifty status quo and “local interpretation” define limits, as opposed to having them determined by regulations and pilots. Once these limits become entrenched it will take a massive force to move them.

It would be far better for us to recognize this now, as opposed to letting economic expediency and the “new competition”—whatever that might become—define safety standards.

Happy holidays, and fly safely in the New Year.


Frank Brune is a Bombardier de Havilland Dash 8 captain for a large regional airline in the Pacific Northwest. A 12,000-hr pilot with years of Part 135 and Part 121 pilot-in-command experience, Brune began his flying career after serving with the US Navy Seabees.

[CLguy]

Today, that good job may be the one we presently hold. Improving our future has become more a matter of fixing the problems where we are than one of moving on—which provides us with a kind of freedom to regain the types of authority we gave away over 2 decades of single-minded career building. Once you hit the delete key on your resume file, your boss loses a major amount of leverage.

I couldn't agree more with this statement. If more people took this approach and spent as much time trying to bring about positive change within the company they work for, as they do trying to find their next job, this industry may not be in as much of the mess it is. Rather than just walking away and into what is perceived as a better place to be, only to find the same problems exist maybe we should have spent more time trying to change the things we didn't like. How many of us look back and wish we had put more effort into changing where we came from so we wouldn't have had to move on from a location we enjoyed.

We uproot our families because of frustrations only to find where we now are is actually worse than were we came from. Maybe we could have done more communicating with management or built better lines of communications so the company could have been saved. Maybe!!!

Maybe we should look at helping each other by passing along tips and ideas of how we have dealt with hardass owners/managers of companies and how we were able to make some positive changes which made the company a better place to work. If we could only get some owners/managers to understand that by treating your people like humans, running your company like a family, it would slow the exidus of employees which in turn will make him more money or maybe help the company to survive bankrupcy.

Maybe I am living in a dream world!!!

Go ahead fire away!!!

[...]

Brilliant post the PJ and fab reply CL...

That article should be placed permantly somewhere...

[EPR1.6]

CLguy, that was well thought out and so true. PJ Thanks for the post and I hope everyone reads this. If positive change is going to occur in this industry it has to start with us. Remember, we're all in this together.

[Hickory Stick]

Great article but I have one thought.

When I was instructing, I was told to get on the road and show my face. Do that tour and see what happens.

Now, people are talking about working for free and buying their own PPC/PCC. That is just in the last 4-5 years. What are the next batch of pilots going to be thinking about doing in the next 4-5 years.

Seems to me, in the next few years pilots are going to be paying for their own internships at companies to build their time.

I hope I am wrong but that is where things are headed.

I HOPE I AM WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers.

[Flying Newf]

Work for free today, and why would any employer ever pay you? If you are willing to fly for free, get a real job (garbage man janitor lawyer etc.) and fly your own airplane on nice summer days! Let the rest of us earn a living!

[Jaques Strappe]

Exactly Newf!

People tend to forget that it is a living. You can't live in your parents basement forever because you are always chasing that carrot by working for nothing.

If you take an extreme risk, the reward should be just as extreme. Ironic that our profession is based on risk management.

[Hickory Stick]

Flying Newf:

Hope you were just generalizing cause I don't work for free. O.K almost for free $24000 up north in Ontario does not take you that far financially. But anyway, I'm just curious what garbage the flight schools are telling the youngsters. Get flying, there is a shortage with all the oldies retiring! Start now or you'll miss the boat.
Enough ranting. Hopefully AC and WJ pick up some slack and do some hiring. Word has it JAZZ will be hiring off the street soon. Hope that rumour I just heard comes true.

Cheers.

[joebloggs]

WoW, interesting, and so true. I have never heard of an industry where people have prostituted themselves to get ahead except for, well, prostitutes!! I for one have sacrificed a lot to get to where I am today without buying my way. My present job required a bond that was repaid, but like other people have said, I think this will become the norm. But working for free is NOT the way to go. The Regency's of this world are an aberration that need to be stamped out. But this article should be posted everywhere. It would be a real eyeopener to the new ones coming in.

[LH]

joebloggs -------- I'm afraid that I have to disagree with one part of your post sir..........prostitutes get paid FIRST, before they GIVE service.......and don't accept promises.......and don't pay those hiring for further training either.

[PT6-114A]

joebloggs Posted
I for one have sacrificed a lot to get to where I am today without buying my way. My present job required a bond that was repaid

So that means that you DID buy your last job then because if I read your last post right you put the money up first and they paid it back???

[Holy Magenta]

Thats how I read it. I believe signing a time comitment to your company is fair and the most that they should expect. You should not be out of pocket for your company to stay afloat, however, its fair to expect the pilot to hang around and make themselves worth the investment.

Excellent article and points, I just want to ask how we change things? Basically we all see the nose dive this industry is in here in Canada and it needs to be remedied! Its been said and recycled so many times on this web site it isnt even funny. So how do we make the step and change it? Do we limit flight schools in existence, or their class sizes? Pilot associations, unions, strikes, revolts, ya da ya da.. what will actually help get this industry back on a healthy track??

I for one think we need to call on government whom has never helped aviation in this country since Deifenbastards era.
(I take a big leap throwing that out there as I may be missing some serious history)
But the consant fees and restrictions emposed by the government do little to encourage air industry in this country. Buy an airline ticket and pay practically 60% surcharges and bullshit fees. Obviously this is a round about thought, but basically every bit cutting into the bottom dollar of an air operator makes them try and take it out of the pilot's hide (probably engineers too)

So maybe mr. Dithers and his court fools can quit wasting money on endless lies, promises, and fraud projects and throw a little to the industry or at least a little break so we can get shit on track and make a healthy competitive environment that still promotes careers and opportunities.

just a thought...

[sherlock]

Thanks for the post PJ and well said HM.
I can't say too much I did pay for my first ppc but I was very low time (got lucky right place right time, our company will no longer accept low-timers...ins. bastards) but I made the money back already about 3xs over if i'd had to buy the same time myself and I was paid for my flights (no regency crap here), having siad that i won't be paying for my next one...at least not up front. I have no problem with signing a 'loyalty bond' its only fair for the company thats paying for the mid/heavy jet training.
And I usually like to stay somewhere for a while to build skills and experience, besides you never know when you'll find that sweet spot that suits you just fine. and you never will if you're constantly tomcatting off after the next sweet rumor.

As to where this biz is going we need to get after ottawa with a concerted effort by an organization with a strong non-biz/union voice. A group like CAAP for instance some of us here are working on setting it up lets get some more people to join us and lets get this thing going!

[gelbisch]

I have no problem with signing a 'loyalty bond' its only fair for the company thats paying for the mid/heavy jet training.

I disagree.

I can see the validity of a promisary note (not a paid-in-advance bond!) at an entry- or mid-level job where the operator is in a less than desirable location, and the King Air PPC or what have you that they give newhires will open doors at a hundred other operations. On a smaller scale with smaller revenues and more likelihood of losing their labour force, proctecting themselves in this way makes sense.

At a major airline, however, training costs are classically offset by lower salaries in the first few years of employment. (Or forever, in the glorious new age of the LCC... but I digress). This is much more logical. When training costs are running into the tens of thousands of dollars, it's ludicrous to expect a newhire to assume the expense. And if the thought of actually paying their overhead turns a potential operator's stomach... well than maybe they should stay out of aviation and not start an airline in the first place!

And here's a thought... treat your employees fairly, and maybe they won't take take off--no pun intended! (Speaking more to the majors level.) I understand that companies are in business to make money, not to make Ace McCool happy... but there has to be some give and take. Happy employees are productive employees!

That all said... this was an excellent article and one that we should all take to heart. I've never been one to be too pro-active in terms of improving work conditions, other than by just abiding by my principals while on the line, and I'd like to offer my heartfelt thanks to all the guys I've seen along the way who make the effort to stick their necks out and say something when they see unacceptable practices. They sacrifice their own time and energy in trying to improve things for us all, often drawing the ire of the company and retribution like crappy schedules, etc. These are the guys that keep the entire industry from crumbling into an absolute gong show while we all jump around like the afore-mentioned frog on a lily pad, trying to find a job before the music stops.

Thanks, guys!

[sherlock]

let me clarify my previous statement... I would not pay cash again but I would sign a promisory note that said in essence I would pay a pro-rated portion of the training cost if I left before the period of the bond was up ie 2-3 yrs. (but I would pay nothing if laid off or let go by the carrier).
This would protect the carriers investment in me at no cost to me.

[CanadaEH]

Maybe we should look at helping each other by passing along tips and ideas of how we have dealt with hardass owners/managers of companies and how we were able to make some positive changes which made the company a better place to work. If we could only get some owners/managers to understand that by treating your people like humans, running your company like a family, it would slow the exidus of employees which in turn will make him more money or maybe help the company to survive bankrupcy.

This may not go over well with you or anybody else following this topic, but you need to look only as far as Westjet.

[LostinRotation]

Thanks for putting this post up. I find that mag to be one of the best out there, and to top it off...it's free.

-=0=LIR=0=-

[oldncold]

well you might want to pay attension to your tax money getting into the political hacks of the liberal party re gomery inquiry and you might stop bitchin and vote the bums out then it might have a chance at
change remote as it is better than stuffin your cash into sum fat cat suckn
on 100 bottles of vino at YOUR EXPENSE pay attension and vote

[gelbisch]

...pay attension and vote

I'd be the last guy in the world to defend the Liberals and I hate to sound too cynical at my tender age... but do you really believe that the opposition would do any better?

[oldncold]

ya they would since when did a liberal government by a new fighter plane
or build a new navy fleet or replace any military hardware that they
were not politically embarassed into or have dead soldiers familys
threatening retalitory actions? never or at least since ww2.

[bluesky]

Thanks for the post PJ and well said HM.
I can't say too much I did pay for my first ppc but I was very low time (got lucky right place right time, our company will no longer accept low-timers...ins. bastards) but I made the money back already about 3xs over if i'd had to buy the same time myself and I was paid for my flights (no regency crap here), having siad that i won't be paying for my next one...at least not up front. I have no problem with signing a 'loyalty bond' its only fair for the company thats paying for the mid/heavy jet training.
And I usually like to stay somewhere for a while to build skills and experience, besides you never know when you'll find that sweet spot that suits you just fine. and you never will if you're constantly tomcatting off after the next sweet rumor.

As to where this biz is going we need to get after ottawa with a concerted effort by an organization with a strong non-biz/union voice. A group like CAAP for instance some of us here are working on setting it up lets get some more people to join us and lets get this thing going!

Sherlock,

I agree with the latter portion of your post. I think that these posts that can give such an elaborate description of how the industry is hurting is just the beginning. We as the professional pilots that we are need to make a stand and somehow slow down the wing parade. Flight schools should be limited to the number of new pilots that are trained. But since most schools are privatized and not run by the government will it not be hard to convince these "businesses" to stop making money?

Man I could go on writing about this thread but Like beating a dead horse it will not be effective. I gotta say though that after reading all of these very interesting and not to mention very true statements about the industry, it makes me want to quit doing what I love to do. A sad day indeed.

BS

[bizjet_mania]

unfortunately its so tight that is almost impossible for a low time guy to compete with a high time guy sitting on a entry level flying job. So the only way they can work to build the time is paying PPC, working on the ramp and pretty much flying for free. Its not always by choice either. Alot of these small companies operate like that because they can. They can ask outrageous requirements because of the large surplus of pilots currently unemployed.