I’ve been calling my programmer friends at work. I call their desk number and get the company operator. “We don’t have a Joe Foobar in the directory.” Then I would try the guy at home. “I was laid off in October,” is the typical response, “and nobody is hiring right now.”
By contrast, business is brisk at East Coast Aero Club. Tech layoffs often give engineers the courage to pursue their long-suppressed dream of becoming a commercial pilot. The 30 airplanes and helicopters in the ECAC fleet are up in the air more or less continuously, which puts pressure on the maintenance staff to keep up with 100-hour inspections and overhauls. Just when I was convinced that there wasn’t a single new job being created in New England, Mark Holzwarth, the owner, emailed me: “We are looking for a experienced general aviation A+P mechanic to help maintain the fleet. Resumes should be sent to mark@ecas.com.”
I’ve also heard it is a good time to be an A&P these days. Though I remember when I was a flight instructor in the early 90’s and would often get resumes from A&P’s offering to work for free. Times change.