2008 - Good Riddance!

How do I start? It's been a long time since the last post here...which was only to say farewell to an admired artist. The title says it all, but is a little broad.

November 5th came and went. That was the date of the furlough from the airline I worked for. My last official day was the 4th. My last leg was from Cincinnati to New Orleans in a CRJ-700. When I arrived back at company operations, I went to the chief pilot's office and handed in my badges and company manuals. Then an intern escorted me from the building to the curb. Nice, huh? I was among 206 guys that experienced the same treatment. Another 92 will get the treatment on January 16th.

The actually tried to make me sit ready-reserve my last day. Unfortunately, I was sick. I think a lot of other furloughees were sick that day too. Something was definitely going around. The best case for recall is 2010. Worst case is never. Based on what Delta is doing to my airline, I'm leaning towards worst case. However, I'll hang on to my seniority number as long as possible. There's also a chance of a merger between all of Delta's wholly owned regional carriers. Who knows. Wondering gives me a headache.

Now let's back up to August. That's when the bad news was flowing and rumors of furloughs were rampant. I started looking for work. Having a family to support, going back to another regional airline for first year salary was unthinkable. Only one airline was doing any significant hiring and it was another wholly owned subsidiary of the world's now largest airline. I couldn't see any way to justify going back to first year pay.

I talked with a friend that had done some overseas contract flying and he had some good things to say about it. Noting the dismal state of the US economy and airline industry in particular, I decided to look abroad.

In October, I went to London for a job interview for a growing airline in Africa. I wasn't thrilled with the specific location of their base and had other pots on the fire. However it was the first interview that I was offered and I wasn't going to pass the opportunity.

The job that I was most interested in involved flying in the Middle East. The money was very good, the terms were good and people that had worked with them had nothing but good things to say. I had sent my resume to them in early September and had sent them all documentation and done a phone interview in late September.

At the end of the final day in London, I received an email from the contractor representing the Middle East operator. It was a job offer with a signed contract! This was the job that I had been most interested in.

Even though I was in London interviewing for another job, I signed the contract and returned it immediately. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, especially when it's the one you wanted originally. I had an extra day in between interview events and went in to the city for the day. Here are a few photos:

This is Sir Winston Churchill's office in the Cabinet War Rooms, part of the Imperial War Museum. The Cabinet War Rooms are underneath The New Public Offices between Parliament and No 10 Downing Street. Worth every penny.

Buckingham Palace, just after the changing of the guards ceremony.

Piccadilly Circus

The Royal Horse Guards Parade Ground, with Big Ben in the background.

With all that being said, there are always downsides. This is an expatriate job that will take me away from home for weeks at a time. However, I will get substantial amounts of time off in between rotations. Being away from my family for extended periods of time will be very hard. Thanks to the internet, especially Skype, it will be somewhat easier.

Would I take this job with a good domestic economy? Maybe, but most likely not. The income is nearly 2 1/2 times what I was making here, but money isn't everything. I moved across the country to stop commuting and be with my family. Now it's going to be an 18,000 mile round-trip commute. Good times.

The bottom line is that this is a great opportunity during a bad time and I am fortunate to have a job. When I first told my co-workers about this job, most had nothing good to say. After a few months of searching the domestic flying job market, opinions change. Lately, my phone has been ringing with requests for help getting a job there. Unfortunately, over 300 pilots applied for only 12 positions.

I am thankful for having the last 2 months off to spend time with my wife and children. It was a gift to be home for Christmas. I've been able to travel to see some friends and get things in order at home. The new job starts in January. It will be nice to fly again. My wife is actually looking forward to me being gone after 2 months of being at home...every...single...day...after...day.

It's been a tough year for people everywhere, not just us. For 2009, it's going to be back to basics for myself and many others. Who knows what's in store? All I know is that I count myself thankful for family, friends, good health and lemonade from lemons.