The Pilot Liberator:This blog and the affiliated social accounts on Twitter (@PilotLiberator) and LinkedIn were created to inform, defend and educate current and future pilots with reliable information that exposes the realities, both good and bad, of the general aviation, corporate and airline industries' prospects for a stable and potentially lucrative long-term piloting career.
Many refer to the decade following 9-11-2001 as the 'Lost Decade' for the airlines, pilots and the aviation industry as a whole. Far too many professional pilots (and their families) have made incredible sacrifices,(personally, financially and professionally) in order to maintain careers that most admittedly love, but there are many who have reached a breaking point, either driving them away from a career that was once superior to many others, or, in many cases, keeps qualified and experienced pilots on the sidelines for fear of ever (re)entering an industry with so many uncertainties and incredibly perilous disrespect from its unions and C-suite 'leadership'. Now, we are dealing with a shocking disruption to the airline and aviation industry due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Uncertainty and furloughs are looming. |
Who I Am: |
I am a corporate pilot (Part 91) and a former airline pilot (Part 121) for a well known U.S. carrier. My career path as a pilot has been anything but a smooth one, with several stints outside of aviation throughout that were necessary in order to 'keep the dream alive.'
I have experienced the joys of success and the thrills of building flight time as a corporate pilot, but I have also experienced the utter disappointment of watching my father's once glorious, 34-year career as an airline pilot get tossed out during the turmoil and bankruptcies in the years that followed the tragedies and unforgettable events of 9-11. We do not forget. Prior to starting my flying career and enrolling in flight school full-time in 2001, I held a variety of upper-level management and operational positions for a major international airline, coordinating several of their major U.S. outstation operations in roles that included passenger sales, marketing, staffing, flight planning, air cargo sales and B747-400F load master duties. My passion for the airline/aviation industry is immense, and my life has quite literally been shaped by it. |
A Purpose: |
Although the history of this blog and The Pilot Liberator may be somewhat brief, the aforementioned 'Lost Decade' of aviation has been anything but a brief period.
Aside from my numerous friends and family members who have worked (and toiled) in the airline and aviation industry as pilots, management, rampers, gate agents, sales / operations staff, flight attendants, flight instructors and many others, my current role in the industry has been defined and shaped by a wide variety of duties and experiences that are directly connected to those who have come before me and, most importantly, those who will follow me to carry the pilot 'career' baton into the future. My hope is that this blog benefits the piloting career as a whole, and that it will also benefits those who have so proudly maintained themselves, their colleagues and their families during some extremely dark times in a once proud and well respected industry. Together, we can create significant exposure on the realities surrounding what it takes to become a professional pilot, and, more importantly, what is involved with the career once someone obtains employment in an industry that has numerous pitfalls and disadvantages that may have not been there in years past. I encourage you all to share your knowledge and relevant experiences with me. The tables have turned. Pilot lives do matter. Let's all spread the word. |