A tick tacking . . .

Really nothing to speak of to be honest. My experiment with scheduling appears to be nearing a close.

Over the past few months I've been making an attempt to place myself in a position that would yield more than the average flying for a reserve pilot. That means, bidding on the early morning reserve periods, and selecting yourself as Call Me First. July, and August were good months, August being the best month thus far.

Knowing that the summer schedule would be leaving, and the Fall transition schedule would be coming into place I wanted to see how much of a difference it would mean as far as me actually going to work on my days that I'm available.

Well, I have enough data to conclusively say that my performance in July and August are directly related to the summer schedule, when the average line value was in the mid-80's (Block hours). Our current schedule's average line value is actually less than our minimum monthly guarantee, somewhere around the 74 hour mark. Which, to be honest, is great. I would much rather have a company that has more lines available to be bid on by regular pilots, with the average line value closer to our minimum monthly guarantee as that indicates to me that they are making an effort to utilize the man power available in a better fashion. Trouble is, that as a very junior reserve pilot - that means less opportunities for me to work.

Which, overall - I'm fine with. On one hand, it affords me enough time to focus on some school work; even if I don't want to. On the other the instability of the industry still poses a serious risk to my ability to provide for my family.

This game is one that I would like to be able to trust and rely on, but unfortunately one in my position really can not do such a thing. The moment you trust your management team to guide your through tough times they'll chew you up, spit you out, and send you to the street. Moments after they told you it would all be well.

The aviation industry is ripe with historical references to poor managers, who tell their employees one thing and moments later (days, weeks, months, and years) after the the fact they end up doing something 180 degrees from what they stated. This type of behavior is what breads the animosity between work groups and management.

I would like to be proved wrong, and would love to see that my suspicions about my management team and my own assumptions about my career are incorrect. Only time will tell, but really - most of us don't have time. We grew up with the understanding that one day you'll enter the job force. You can expect to spend your adult life with the same company. At the end, you'll have a pension and can retire and enjoy the rest of your life free from the stresses of full time employment, enjoying the finer things such as your family or perhaps global travel.

Oh how things have changed. The American aviation industry has blown up, with competitors racing each other to the bottom of the fare market, seeking the lowest class of passenger possible. . .while passing on the increasing costs to their employee groups rather than to the consumer like every other industry. What does that leave?

It leaves disgruntled work groups who are tired of seeing their company continue to fail, even after giving concessionary agreements to reduce pay while their company restructures itself for "success." It means watching the customers that we all work very hard for, continue to show us little respect for achieving the mission. It means, watching out management team continue to pass the increasing cost of operating the company not onto the consumer who purchases the goods, but onto the backs of labor who will - in an effort to maintain their jobs - accept any work conditions that still provide a paycheck on the 15th and last day of the month.

A shame really, and absolute shame.

More importantly - the cycle of young, naive individuals who want to fly for a living fail to realize, or even grasp the growing instability. They don't care. They just want to fly, and wear a spiffy little uniform. Whatever illusions of a career they have in their mind doesn't matter. They don't respect the hard work put forth by those who came before them, and they certainly are not taking an active role in realizing what must be done to protect the profession from themselves.

We as pilots tend to be our worst enemy. We want to move on, we want to fly larger equipment, for more pay, and enjoy the benefits. We, most of us at least, grew up in this industry. Seeing the great lifestyles of those who we grew up around. We want a piece of that pie as well, but unfortunately we have seen a growing outsourcing of quality jobs to sub-contract, small-lift providing companies who pay their pilots 80% of what their mainline pilot groups were making for flying the same routes 10-15 years ago - before the boom in Regional Jet traffic.

So what are we - as professionals - to do? Suffer? Leave? Make an effort to improve?

Tough choices are ahead, but more importantly we must educate EVERYONE who is contemplating joining the profession. We must make sure they understand the ramifications of them joining a profession where respect from your company and management is zero, and where you're going to be treated like shit until you retire.