Does anyone know any pilots?

One of the most important lessons I've learned in my life is that you need to know people. No matter how wonderful my skills may be, getting a job is nearly impossible without knowing someone. To that end, I am posting this little message in the hopes that all 4 of you who read this blog will be forthcoming with your knowledge and relations.

Do you know any pilots? Do you know anyone who owns a company that uses aviation? Do you know someone who is associated with aviation in any way? Do you know someone who works for a company that has a private plane? I have been most fortunate so far as to have met some wonderful people in the industry (names withheld) Regional Vice President for the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers; Corporate pilot of a Cessna Citation CJ3; Corporate pilot of a Cessna Citation Bravo; Reserve pilot (FO) for Delta Airlines; Director of HR in charge of hiring at SkyWest; Reserve pilot (CAPT) for SkyWest Airlines; Line Pilot (CAPT) for SkyWest Airlines; and Reserve pilots (FO) for the following airlines: Express Jet, Mesaba, SkyWest.

I hope you enjoy the photos I've included (I know I enjoy them). Planes are just freakin' awesome aren't they? If you agree, you should see what it's like to actually FLY them! Oh yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about!

I can't take this anymore

Let me preface this post with a disclaimer. I am very upset. There, now my conscience will be clear.

Since I began my multi-engine rating endeavors I have been through 4 instructors, 3 price hikes, and a multitude of _____ (fill in your own explicative). The latest in a long line of garbage is that I am being pushed back on my checkride because my instructor wants to do some long cross country flights with his NEW instrument students. Regardless of whether or not anyone else agrees with me, I feel cheated. I have been trying to finish this rating since July 2007. I have been pushed off, blown off, ignored, shunned, stiffed, etc. since I began.

The first incident occurred when I started and was told that I couldn't start until the Fall because there were too many other students trying to finish (how ironic). Next came the price hike from $150/hour plus instruction to $170/hour. Then my multi-engine instructor was hired with Mesaba Airlines. Good for him, bad for me. After he left I went through three more instructors and then back one. Next came another price hike to $185/hour followed by another at $195/hour. Since my first instructor left, I have been almost continuosly pushed off. All of the preceeding occurences listed above were interspersed with intermittent lessons, and a failed checkride because the required QRH (quick reference handbook) failed to contain the essential chapter that was the whole reason for its creation. And I cannot forget to mention that during my required cross country flights there was NO instructing going on. Why on earth do I pay $38/hour to an instructor who just sits in the plane?!

And now I'm stuck. I could try to find another instructor, or even another flight school but then I would have to start from the beginning again. So unless some person just shows up at my door and offers me a significant amount of money I'm pretty much stuck where I am.

If any of you read this whole post you must be really bored. I just needed to vent. I'll be sure to post soon to inform my 3 readers of what's going to happen next.