What are the unlucky doing?

[head_attached]

well it has been hard on all of us ... some of us might have managed to do something but we all were not lucky

[RFN]

Laid off Airbus Capt.

I was a trucker back in the 90s, so I went back to long haul. The weather in the US the past few weeks has been less than fun, and I’m not enjoying driving for 22-25 days a month, but I’m lucky I have a job.
Tons of companies begging for drivers out there, so if you’re on EI get the govt to pay for your training.
Two important points though:
1) do your training with a school that is part of a trucking company in some way... that way you can do “line indoc” rather than job hunting with 0 experience.
2) do your training on a manual transmission..training on an automatic is useless.

Good luck to everyone out there...

[flyingcanuck]

Laid off Airbus Capt.

I was a trucker back in the 90s, so I went back to long haul. The weather in the US the past few weeks has been less than fun, and I’m not enjoying driving for 22-25 days a month, but I’m lucky I have a job.
Tons of companies begging for drivers out there, so if you’re on EI get the govt to pay for your training.
Two important points though:
1) do your training with a school that is part of a trucking company in some way... that way you can do “line indoc” rather than job hunting with 0 experience.
2) do your training on a manual transmission..training on an automatic is useless.

Good luck to everyone out there...

Any advice on point 1 there, to find those companies and not a scam? I see lots of these owner/operator ones but they want lots of money down. Where do you find the ones that will train you?

[confusedalot]

Laid off Airbus Capt.

I was a trucker back in the 90s, so I went back to long haul. The weather in the US the past few weeks has been less than fun, and I’m not enjoying driving for 22-25 days a month, but I’m lucky I have a job.
Tons of companies begging for drivers out there, so if you’re on EI get the govt to pay for your training.
Two important points though:
1) do your training with a school that is part of a trucking company in some way... that way you can do “line indoc” rather than job hunting with 0 experience.
2) do your training on a manual transmission..training on an automatic is useless.

Good luck to everyone out there...

Thought about that a few years ago as a ''retirement'' job. Sounds like a hard life. Was all set up with a paid government training course, then I got a call for dropping skydivers (fun bunch of people) in not so bad turbine airplanes, then got a call for medevacs on rotation. This is pre covid, got screwed around with the medevac, did not really need the job, quit, and then covid hit. The guy figured it out and cut a better deal, but one of his airplanes ended up with a gear collapse, not me, and the job disappeared.

The moral of the story is that no one can plan anything anymore until the great gods decide that we can actually survive. Looks like this virus has spooked the entire world. And we are paying for it.

[RedAndWhiteBaron]

no one can plan anything anymore until the great gods decide that we can actually survive

Well said, sir.

[altiplano]

It was almost 20 years ago when things hit the shit early on in my career... layed off, then the company went under, I worked retail and restaurant, that's all fucked now though.

I was looking at going to CP as a conductor on the engineer program. Six figures eventually and a pension..

If it comes to it again, I'm selling my house and moving my family somewhere cheaper to live and figuring it out from there. Hussling out a living is easier when you aren't paying city prices.

[ayseven]

To the guy with the Arts degree. I started with that. Retired in my 50's. I can do whatever I want, go wherever I want. Just as soon as all this crap is done with... People with Arts degrees do better than most. Choose a path, and DO IT - anything you have to do to get things done. And that goes for the rest of you. You are pilots, and always will be.

[Adam Oke]

I am furloughed from a 737 gig.

I spent the greater part of a decade working in aerial application thus I was fortunate to have a few offers within 48 hrs of my layoff notice. The timing worked out well as it was just pre-summer and MANY operator were now, and still are unable to bring in foreign workers. I was able to go back to my niche of 10 years. So pro tip: Become an expert at something FIRST, and don't go chasing metal.

When I first started in the airlines and I was voicing my concerns about working for a potentially unstable charter company, the vast majority of skippers gave this pro tip: "If you want job security, get 1000 hrs in the left seat. There is your job security." I think the proof is in the pudding after having taken roughly 4 years off of spraying and getting numerous offers right away. There is only one skipper when there is one seat, so that's a plus.

That being said:

Shouldering the season; no one would hire me. I applied to hundreds of jobs that required no specific skill set. With experience in retail, restaurants, and general labour....nothing. So when no one would hire me, I hired myself. I have a pretty nice lawn. So I started a lawn care business and was pushing a mower, string trimming, laying mulch, and doing minor landscaping. I would jam all of my equipment into the back of my Dodge Journey and knock on doors. I created a website, ran Kijiji campaigns, and distributed flyers and business cards. I made it work.

I now do snow removal, which I had done over 12 years ago when I started out in the seasonal aerial application industry.

I have no shame. Nothing is below me. Work is work. You are paid for services rendered. Get to work. If no one will hire you, hire yourself.

I'm looking forward to the summer to get back to my niche.

[rookiepilot]

I am furloughed from a 737 gig.

I spent the greater part of a decade working in aerial application thus I was fortunate to have a few offers within 48 hrs of my layoff notice. The timing worked out well as it was just pre-summer and MANY operator were now, and still are unable to bring in foreign workers. I was able to go back to my niche of 10 years. So pro tip: Become an expert at something FIRST, and don't go chasing metal.

When I first started in the airlines and I was voicing my concerns about working for a potentially unstable charter company, the vast majority of skippers gave this pro tip: "If you want job security, get 1000 hrs in the left seat. There is your job security." I think the proof is in the pudding after having taken roughly 4 years off of spraying and getting numerous offers right away. There is only one skipper when there is one seat, so that's a plus.

That being said:

Shouldering the season; no one would hire me. I applied to hundreds of jobs that required no specific skill set. With experience in retail, restaurants, and general labour....nothing. So when no one would hire me, I hired myself. I have a pretty nice lawn. So I started a lawn care business and was pushing a mower, string trimming, laying mulch, and doing minor landscaping. I would jam all of my equipment into the back of my Dodge Journey and knock on doors. I created a website, ran Kijiji campaigns, and distributed flyers and business cards. I made it work.

I now do snow removal, which I had done over 12 years ago when I started out in the seasonal aerial application industry.

I have no shame. Nothing is below me. Work is work. You are paid for services rendered. Get to work. If no one will hire you, hire yourself.

I'm looking forward to the summer to get back to my niche.

I love this post. Awesome. Not in aviation, totally relate though --

[laminar]

Trucking is a decent suggestion. There are piles of job ads for trucking positions.

I'm not a commercial pilot but I drove long haul after the 2008 recession. Very little education/training considering the decent pay.

To get a trade is a minimum 4 year commitment. I'm a journeyman automotive tech too. You have to log your hours worked and essentially have to work 10 months of full time hours to attend each year of schooling (6 weeks of full time classes for each "year" of apprenticeship). You'll also likely have to buy your tools and equipment. My tools cost the equivalent of a CPL that I had to buy to fix other people's stuff. There's no way you'd want to put that type of investment of time and money into a temporary job.

Go for a trucking job and 60-90k would likely be your pay range as a "company driver" (get paid to drive someone else's truck). Oilfield driving can pay more but those jobs can be tough to land with oil/gas in the crapper. For some of you commercial pilots trucking could be a pay increase.

[Ash Ketchum]

Trucking is a decent suggestion. There are piles of job ads for trucking positions.

I'm not a commercial pilot but I drove long haul after the 2008 recession. Very little education/training considering the decent pay.

To get a trade is a minimum 4 year commitment. I'm a journeyman automotive tech too. You have to log your hours worked and essentially have to work 10 months of full time hours to attend each year of schooling (6 weeks of full time classes for each "year" of apprenticeship). You'll also likely have to buy your tools and equipment. My tools cost the equivalent of a CPL that I had to buy to fix other people's stuff. There's no way you'd want to put that type of investment of time and money into a temporary job.

Go for a trucking job and 60-90k would likely be your pay range as a "company driver" (get paid to drive someone else's truck). Oilfield driving can pay more but those jobs can be tough to land with oil/gas in the crapper. For some of you commercial pilots trucking could be a pay increase.

I have been thinking of trucking as well. Is it possible for a new driver to go straight to being an owner operator without being a company driver first?

[RedBaron10]

Trucking is a decent suggestion. There are piles of job ads for trucking positions.

I'm not a commercial pilot but I drove long haul after the 2008 recession. Very little education/training considering the decent pay.

To get a trade is a minimum 4 year commitment. I'm a journeyman automotive tech too. You have to log your hours worked and essentially have to work 10 months of full time hours to attend each year of schooling (6 weeks of full time classes for each "year" of apprenticeship). You'll also likely have to buy your tools and equipment. My tools cost the equivalent of a CPL that I had to buy to fix other people's stuff. There's no way you'd want to put that type of investment of time and money into a temporary job.

Go for a trucking job and 60-90k would likely be your pay range as a "company driver" (get paid to drive someone else's truck). Oilfield driving can pay more but those jobs can be tough to land with oil/gas in the crapper. For some of you commercial pilots trucking could be a pay increase.

I have been thinking of trucking as well. Is it possible for a new driver to go straight to being an owner operator without being a company driver first?

Hello Ash,

In short, yes you can. It may be quite the curve though with no industry experience. I started my own company earlier in the pandemic, and it was a struggle at first. Things have gotten better, but I would relate it to a type rating course... "taking in information like a firehose"
There are lots of different avenues to go down, and I am enjoying it so far. Best of luck if you go down this path!

[Ash Ketchum]

Trucking is a decent suggestion. There are piles of job ads for trucking positions.

I'm not a commercial pilot but I drove long haul after the 2008 recession. Very little education/training considering the decent pay.

To get a trade is a minimum 4 year commitment. I'm a journeyman automotive tech too. You have to log your hours worked and essentially have to work 10 months of full time hours to attend each year of schooling (6 weeks of full time classes for each "year" of apprenticeship). You'll also likely have to buy your tools and equipment. My tools cost the equivalent of a CPL that I had to buy to fix other people's stuff. There's no way you'd want to put that type of investment of time and money into a temporary job.

Go for a trucking job and 60-90k would likely be your pay range as a "company driver" (get paid to drive someone else's truck). Oilfield driving can pay more but those jobs can be tough to land with oil/gas in the crapper. For some of you commercial pilots trucking could be a pay increase.

I have been thinking of trucking as well. Is it possible for a new driver to go straight to being an owner operator without being a company driver first?

Hello Ash,

In short, yes you can. It may be quite the curve though with no industry experience. I started my own company earlier in the pandemic, and it was a struggle at first. Things have gotten better, but I would relate it to a type rating course... "taking in information like a firehose"
There are lots of different avenues to go down, and I am enjoying it so far. Best of luck if you go down this path!

Thanks. If I go down this route I would ideally like to do regional or local trucking to avoid being away from the family too much. I just really like the idea of business ownership and I feel it is alot easier to achieve with trucking compared to aviation.

[RedBaron10]

I have been thinking of trucking as well. Is it possible for a new driver to go straight to being an owner operator without being a company driver first?

Hello Ash,

In short, yes you can. It may be quite the curve though with no industry experience. I started my own company earlier in the pandemic, and it was a struggle at first. Things have gotten better, but I would relate it to a type rating course... "taking in information like a firehose"
There are lots of different avenues to go down, and I am enjoying it so far. Best of luck if you go down this path!

Thanks. If I go down this route I would ideally like to do regional or local trucking to avoid being away from the family too much. I just really like the idea of business ownership and I feel it is alot easier to achieve with trucking compared to aviation.

That is exactly the same way I think. I'm not a fan of the massive trips away, I prefer to be home as much as I can be. I feel the same way about flying, no long trips for me!

I did personally find it not that bad to get started, lots and lots of guides online to help sort you out. Forums online are great, too. If you get into it, I think you will enjoy it! Best of luck.

RB10

[CPT.HarshColdReality]

@Ash Ketchum and @RedBaron10, I am also starting a trucking company. In the process of a being a tractor for next month. PM me if you would like to talk. I have a good plug for lucrative contracts and I think 2-3 heads are better then 1.

[rookiepilot]

I have a brother and also a close friend in long haul. From what I hear from them, try to find an employer who takes care of their equipment, some do not and drivers get stuck far from home. Fair dispatching is important too

[Bug_Stomper_01]

Many, many of us are no longer flying due to the pandemic. What options have people exercised in the mean time? I feel directionless at the moment.

Laid off from my smaller airline in March, permanently laid off in September. I'm 26, with really no bills to pay and no real "adult" responsibilities, so in that regard this black swan happened in a stage of my life with quite some flexibility. I don't know what to do continuing forward. Go back to school? Find a new line of work? Or sit and wait for this "beginning of the end" to come to fruition. Flying is my passion and my life long dream. Curious what others in this situation have done.

Get out while the gettin’s good. This pandemic isn’t going to be over in 6 months 12 months 18 months even 24 months the way things are shaking down. Many of us are on the way out and it’s a real eye opened to most when they re-educate and land that first job that pays well a reliable schedule and where you’re appreciated and not browbeaten into the old “you should be thankful to have a job!” Mentality. I for one hope this culls the industry so when it does come back in a few years it can start with a wiped board and maybe a better attitude towards its employees. That’s my 2 cents, I think it’s worth that anyways. Best of luck mate!

[Bug_Stomper_01]

Get yourself into a recession proof trade. I believe there are grants available to you to pursue this and you can always return to flying anytime after the recovery if you like.

Be honest what percent of people do you think would be good at a trade?

A
Well maybe not pilots but AME’s would be

[Gowyn]

Back in 1990 when I got out of the military I was trying to decide about getting back into flying or something else.

This industry has always been tough. Way less glamorous now than even back then.

Anyway, I decided to go back to school and ended up with the fire department (unrelated to school.). Now thirty odd years later I can look back and see both paths, no regrets. Actually about fifteen years ago I was tempted to leave the fire department and once again pursue aviation, glad I didn't.

So end of the day I'm looking at retirement next year and have finally decided to get back in. finishing off my CPL and INRAT next, just gonna teach for the love of it.

My advice is if you love flying then make it work, hang in there but be prepared for more of this. If it's just a job then move on, like me you can always come back to it. For me after four years at sea and never being home I wanted some stability.

As for the trucking industry, well I did drive long haul part time on my days off, I liked it. Does pay well but does come with it's own challenges. Perhaps two or three of you could band together and start your own company. Lease a truck and have three of you drive it, might even work out as a part time gig when you get back to flying.