Swoop alum

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Hozer
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by Hozer »

If you live in a van, you have lost the game of life! You can’t spin it into a positive.
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discountpilot
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by discountpilot »

It's one thing to have a van like that for getaways. Or as a parking lot crash pad if you commute. But to live in it? No thanks.
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altiplano
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by altiplano »

That's fucking hilarious.

I guess you're always ready for short call OT flying...

#parkadelife
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brooks
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by brooks »

tbaylx wrote: Fri Nov 13, 2020 7:17 pm
WestJet Puke wrote: Thu Nov 12, 2020 5:09 pm
jjj wrote: Thu Nov 12, 2020 3:15 pm

So very true.

There are those that burn bridges and those that jump from ship to ship to ship and do nothing but cause damage.

I'm still amazed how it only took 26 or so off the street hires to cause so much damage to this industry. Most are gone except for a few managers I think and it will take years to relieve the downward pressure of paltry earnings.
Truest words ever.

Between the article's subject, who is a Captain / Sim Instructor at Flair, and his FA girlfriend, they are **together** pulling in $153k.

A mid-level seniority AC or WJ FO would bring in that same amount.
Someone with tbaylx's experience, in a comparable position at AC or WJ (sim instructor, Captain) would probably be bringing in $200-250k, and that is not counting whatever your girlfriend bring in.

Please spare us that sob story that you were overseas and missed your calling. Within the last 2-3 years AC has brought on newhires with experience levels inferior to yours who are now playing key instructor pilot and managerial roles on the A220 and B737 Max-8 fleets.
Thanks for your concern about my financial well being. We chose not to share our accurate combined salary to avoid the online haters, forgetting about the Avcanada under bridge dwellers who hate because you don't make enough money. Your assumptions about both my current salary and position at Flair are incorrect. For what its worth I was offered and turned down a January 2019 AC course to stay at Flair and am very happy with that decision.

JJJ now that we're all gone from Swoop should be no issues shutting it down if only you all will do what was suggested we do and just not take the job, right? or is it somehow different when the shoe is painted teal?

If Flair could paint the wings in that Type 4 green you have on the belly they would.
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Guilden
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by Guilden »

Tbaylx, I'm not surprised reading this article on the Toronto Sun. You've crippled aviation in a professional manner and now you wanna continue to do so by allowing such a news article to be published? The world gives no F's about you living in a van, but they sure do seeing you in a pilot uniform outside of it. These types of articles don't help our industry whether there is a pandemic or not. The problem is when the public eye sees a pilot living in a van they think you've spent your money elsewhere and suffer from certain conditions making one wonder if you're fit to fly. Get what I'm saying? Selling fruit out the back of your new home might be the best career now. PS if you keep your uniform I know a good tailor. I mean no ill will but I take pride in the career I've worked hard and many many others, articles like this just aren't right to publish. The public looks up to pilots as professionals with a good head on their shoulders. Don't ruin our profession anymore than you've already have, I was gonna say please but my manners won't help your continual path.
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discountpilot
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by discountpilot »

Did anyone even notice they're still paying almost $2k a month for a condo? Lol
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George Taylor
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by George Taylor »

You should change your door mat from "of wings and wheels" to "2 turds on wheels"
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Hangry
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by Hangry »

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330heavy
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by 330heavy »

As a couple others have stated. This can easily be any of the thousands living off CEWS or EI from any of the 705/704 etc. So what if they pursue this van lifestyle, many are moving towards the mini-homes due to prices of houses and the lack of pay. As another poster stated, most of the original Swoopsters are gone. I didn't support Swoop and still support the blacklist, however, most of those perps have moved on. But how they live?? Who TF are you to question them? Tell us how you live, tell us about your cottage and sports car and 5th wife etc, see how much sympathy or "cools" you get.

It's bad enough we back stab and shame our fellow pilots, at least back off on how they live. Many of those starting at Jazz or Encore have to live in their parents basement. You know why? Because of dumbshits before them who voted shit contracts to allow the Swoops, Encore and Jazz's to happen. The whole getting stoned at rock houses and all.
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telex
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by telex »

330heavy wrote: Sat Nov 14, 2020 9:52 pm You know why? Because of dumbshits before them who voted shit contracts to allow the Swoops, Encore and Jazz's to happen.
Zip?

Tango?

Never forget.
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Raincoast
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by Raincoast »

330heavy wrote: Sat Nov 14, 2020 9:52 pm As a couple others have stated. This can easily be any of the thousands living off CEWS or EI from any of the 705/704 etc. So what if they pursue this van lifestyle, many are moving towards the mini-homes due to prices of houses and the lack of pay. As another poster stated, most of the original Swoopsters are gone. I didn't support Swoop and still support the blacklist, however, most of those perps have moved on. But how they live?? Who TF are you to question them? Tell us how you live, tell us about your cottage and sports car and 5th wife etc, see how much sympathy or "cools" you get.

It's bad enough we back stab and shame our fellow pilots, at least back off on how they live. Many of those starting at Jazz or Encore have to live in their parents basement. You know why? Because of dumbshits before them who voted shit contracts to allow the Swoops, Encore and Jazz's to happen. The whole getting stoned at rock houses and all.
Aggreed! Those days that the spouse's a-bitchin, kids are pestering, skools on the phone 'cos one got suspended, and the mortgage, Visa, car payment, and electricity bills are all due together, f@@king off to live in a Van looks pretty damn good!
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flyinhigh
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by flyinhigh »

I'm more inclined to wonder why/how a article of this nature came about.

Hey, look at me I'm a pilot driving a van... :(
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FL320
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by FL320 »

Raincoast wrote: Sun Nov 15, 2020 8:19 am
330heavy wrote: Sat Nov 14, 2020 9:52 pm As a couple others have stated. This can easily be any of the thousands living off CEWS or EI from any of the 705/704 etc. So what if they pursue this van lifestyle, many are moving towards the mini-homes due to prices of houses and the lack of pay. As another poster stated, most of the original Swoopsters are gone. I didn't support Swoop and still support the blacklist, however, most of those perps have moved on. But how they live?? Who TF are you to question them? Tell us how you live, tell us about your cottage and sports car and 5th wife etc, see how much sympathy or "cools" you get.

It's bad enough we back stab and shame our fellow pilots, at least back off on how they live. Many of those starting at Jazz or Encore have to live in their parents basement. You know why? Because of dumbshits before them who voted shit contracts to allow the Swoops, Encore and Jazz's to happen. The whole getting stoned at rock houses and all.
Aggreed! Those days that the spouse's a-bitchin, kids are pestering, skools on the phone 'cos one got suspended, and the mortgage, Visa, car payment, and electricity bills are all due together, f@@king off to live in a Van looks pretty damn good!
Years ago my wife and I have decided to go back to a more simple life (after a tragic event in our family). We sold the big house and lots of stuff we weren’t really using, then we moved into a small condo living an extremely minimalist lifestyle (fed up with the overconsumption!). Great decision; we love it. We are now working on the idea of living in a van fulltime (we have no kids). It’s not a matter of being financially broke, it’s a feeling of being free from stress. I totally understand their motivation. Most of our friends and family members don’t understand our lifestyle and some think that’s because we are struggling financially which is not normal for a pilot. Our house income is 320k/year, condo paid, 7 figures in a portfolio that gives in return more than our living costs, but we are driving an old car and about to live in a van (near an airport).
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ayseven
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by ayseven »

Is anybody here lining up offering this guy and his partner better paying jobs than they already have? Probably not, so I think all the words about how he is dragging your self image down are a bit hollow. Should the profession be better? Of course. If this guy doesn't do what he is doing, somebody from the Third World will come in and do it. Is that a better scenario?

Give the guy a bloody break.
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iflyforpie
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by iflyforpie »

Hozer wrote: Fri Nov 13, 2020 8:12 pm If you live in a van, you have lost the game of life! You can’t spin it into a positive.
What is a positive?

Hot bunking in a squalid crash-pad with a dozen other dudes?

Taking one or two of your GDOs each block to do some heavy petting with CATSA and play the game of musical chairs and inevitable cluster fvcks with commuting?

Joining the lemmings for a deadly two hour drive from a suicide inducing suburb?

Stuck in a tiny condo built slap-dash during a boom run by a corrupt and draconian condo board that will be the mine canary for any real estate correction?

Or king of the hill... owning detached 30 minutes from your base by sheer luck or decades of masochism and to now be 100% tied down to employer, mortgage, and probably alimony as well.... worried sick about property taxes and rezoning and crime waves and home repairs too because your million dollar house is actually a dump.

Seems to me that being free of liabilities and possessions causes just as much if not more satisfaction and security as having them. I just bought a motorhome and for the first time in years I didn’t pay someone else—whether it be rent, interest on a mortgage, property taxes, hotel, campsite, etc... for the pleasure of just being able to sleep.

That’s saying something in today’s world.
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Geez did I say that....? Or just think it....?
777Aviate
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by 777Aviate »

ayseven wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 8:38 am Is anybody here lining up offering this guy and his partner better paying jobs than they already have? Probably not, so I think all the words about how he is dragging your self image down are a bit hollow. Should the profession be better? Of course. If this guy doesn't do what he is doing, somebody from the Third World will come in and do it. Is that a better scenario?

Give the guy a bloody break.
There aren't any "better" paying jobs in this industry. I guess everyone in the industry is "living the dream" but honestly everyone who's in the profession would probably be better off working in a PepsiCo warehouse.

Do you really think someone from the third world will come all the way here to fly at our poverty level wages if they have experience in their home country? They have waaaaay better options like going to the middle east or asia where you can actually afford a decent lifestyle.
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Last edited by 777Aviate on Mon Nov 16, 2020 4:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
stabilizer
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by stabilizer »

Years ago my wife and I have decided to go back to a more simple life (after a tragic event in our family). We sold the big house and lots of stuff we weren’t really using, then we moved into a small condo living an extremely minimalist lifestyle (fed up with the overconsumption!). Great decision; we love it. We are now working on the idea of living in a van fulltime (we have no kids). It’s not a matter of being financially broke, it’s a feeling of being free from stress. I totally understand their motivation. Most of our friends and family members don’t understand our lifestyle and some think that’s because we are struggling financially which is not normal for a pilot. Our house income is 320k/year, condo paid, 7 figures in a portfolio that gives in return more than our living costs, but we are driving an old car and about to live in a van (near an airport).
Two questions for you FL320

1 --- Did you contacted a media outlet to publicise your alternative lifestyle choices, while posing for pictures in your airline uniform?

2 --- Were you a Scab at Swoop during the ALPA hiring ban?

I suspect you did neither.

Tbaylx on the other hand, did both. This story is not about living in a van. This is about an individual who has made countless decisions throughout his career that have negatively impacted our profession. He does not deserve "a break". He paid for the privilege to fly a clapped out MD83 for peanuts, jumped ship from multiple bottom feeder companies chasing a low paying left seat job, purposely ignored a very public union declaration of a hiring ban.....and now poses for some silly vanlife story in his airline uniform, a symbol of our professional livelihoods. The man is a disgrace to the industry.
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Zaibatsu
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by Zaibatsu »

ALPA controls your airline and members. Not Swoop.

He didn’t cross any picket lines. He’s about as much of a scab as you are. Because you both work or worked for substandard wages. Not just globally where Canada ranks last, but within Canada as well for a significant part of your company’s existence. Any wonder AC ground schools were filled with westjetters. You just decided where to draw the line in the sand.

I said before. An Air Canada RP on a 787 or tripple who’s shacked up with an AC flight attendant is going to have a dual income of five figures. Probably after a decade or more of flying before he got his dream job. A van isn’t even a choice. Sad.

Some national with 250 TT and broken English makes more but it’s ok because ACPA says so.

Any company identified in the article? Any company logo or insignia? No. You guys did all that. The public reading this forum would do more damage to the airline pilot image than any lifestyle article would.

Get over yourselves.
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Hangry
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by Hangry »

Zaibatsu wrote: Mon Nov 16, 2020 5:05 pm He’s about as much of a scab as you are.
No. He’s a scab.

The scarlet S endures.
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flying4dollars
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Re: Swoop alum

Post by flying4dollars »

Geeze some true colors really coming out in this thread. How people choose to live their lives is on them and there's many ways to do it. No one option is THE best option for EVERYONE. Different strokes, etc.

Let me ask you this, if a reputable member on this forum, or even a respectable peer of yours came out and said they were giving up the house to live a simpler life in a van, would you be saying the same things about them? Don't let your hate for his career decisions be the reason you criticize the way they live.

Also I think the article is focused more on his partner than him.
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