AWAC

[skydog]

So I just popped over to my old employer's (Air Wisconsin) website to see what is going on. First thing I noted is that their website is basically the same as at was 2 years ago when I left, despite all the rhetoric that it was going to be improved with all sorts of neato functions. Same old crap. They always have big plans until they find out that it is going to cost some money. Then it is all very quietly shelved. Hell, one of the graphics on the home page shows a section of a map with "Chicago" very prominently displayed on it, even though they haven't flown into Chicago in almost two years; not as a hub anyway.

But what really caught my eye was the pilot hiring minimums: 500 TT/125 ME. Holy cow, how times have changed. When I started there (late '99), you needed 1500/500 just to get your resume added to the "we'll think about looking at it" pile. The reality is that the preferred new hire had a lot more time, and usually had previous 121 experience. Hell, it even says on the website that you must be able to read/write/understand/converse in english "the common universal language of aviation." WTF? They actually have to explain that to people now?

Then I looked at the pay: Just slightly over 22K for a new hire. 32K for a second year FO, and just under 56K for a 3rd year Captain. That got me to thinking about probationary wages. You'd think that with all the difficulty finding qualified applicants, they would at least eliminate probationary pay, and bring first year pay in line with the rest of it (approximately 60% captain pay). But no, for some reason, airlines are hanging on to this archaic notion of probation, as if they are still in control of the pilot employment dynamic.

I never understood probation in the first place, at least not as it relates to pay. From a passenger's perspective, that FO is a fully qualified line pilot from the first day of IOE. It is entirely possible that he could find himself in command of the airplane in the event of an incapacitated captain (saw it happen twice in my career). He should be paid a proper FO's wage, not some pittance just because "that's the way it has always been done."

Random thoughts...

[mastermags]

Unless there is a training contract to go with it, it is tough to argue that they are recouping the costs of initial training with low first year pay. I do suppose that most people won't get trained and then immediately jump ship, but quite a few people do.

[wheelsup]

Most of the proby FO's leaving AWAC are leaving because they fail out of training, not because they jump ship. In fact, AWAC hasn't had real big issues with staffing over the past few years, most of the months FO reserves hardly fly.

Skydog, you should really check out www.doihaveafuturehere.org. Also do you ever get on the willy boards?