The truth about being a pilot

Murdoughnut said:
Funny thing - we were supposed to have Boar's Head sandwiches on Sundays when Chick Fil A was closed - but that never happened. #adreamdeferred

I'm going to find a job at an airport with KCM so Mark will like me again.
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But really, how do you guys not have KCM? Long Beach has KCM, and there are only like 10 gates.
 
Mavmb said:
I am just amazed that people think my career is so awesome. It has gotten to the point where I want to tell them how much it sucks lol. I don't want to sound negative but sometimes I just feel that way. There are definitely a lot of negatives with this career, just like any other career.

What would everyone say are the worst parts of this career?

I would honestly say that the tests every six months, and the time away from home are some of the biggest negatives.
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I'd say you are absolutely insane. It's the most amazing job ever. Home every night, no hotels, quarter million dollar pay, no airport sits, very enjoyable work/view during the 3 or 4 days a week I have to fly.
 
jtrain609 said:
But really, how do you guys not have KCM? Long Beach has KCM, and there are only like 10 gates.
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We have four separate airside terminals with TSA screening on the airside rather than the landside. This results in more efficient screening (we have the fastest TSA wait times of any large hub airport) - but it also means that KCM would require four separate screeners. We've been told by TSA that they don't have the resources to provide KCM at four screening points while still maintaining their pax screening standards.

My hope is that we can create a departure setup at the airsides that allows people to leave the terminal without a screener having to be positioned there - that might free up the resources.
 
This thread was more about the misconceptions the public has about this career but that is ok.
 
Mavmb said:
I am just amazed that people think my career is so awesome. It has gotten to the point where I want to tell them how much it sucks lol. I don't want to sound negative but sometimes I just feel that way. There are definitely a lot of negatives with this career, just like any other career.

What would everyone say are the worst parts of this career?

I would honestly say that the tests every six months, and the time away from home are some of the biggest negatives.
Click to expand...
Its not for everyone. I left in 2013 and have been able to make a living in other areas of aviation besides the airlines. If you can find your niche in an industry you love, stick with it. It's hard to come to work with a positive attitude if you are not happy with the way things are going. I spent 10 years at the regionals with the majority being in the left seat having decent schedules and decent pay and often reached my limits. The thing that made me accept the extra "7 years" at the regionals was I changed my expectations after not getting hired at my first major airline interview and realizing I may be stuck where I was at for a while. When you change your mindset, you quickly find it easier to come to work with a good attitude. You didn't give much detail about your situation(I didn't read past pg 1) but hang in there. These are good times in aviation. A lot of us on these boards started at a time when UAL, American, and everyone else had 10,000+ pilots with high time, high experience guys being furloughed with no end in sight. These are good times.
 
Murdoughnut said:
We have four separate airside terminals with TSA screening on the airside rather than the landside. This results in more efficient screening (we have the fastest TSA wait times of any large hub airport) - but it also means that KCM would require four separate screeners. We've been told by TSA that they don't have the resources to provide KCM at four screening points while still maintaining their pax screening standards.

My hope is that we can create a departure setup at the airsides that allows people to leave the terminal without a screener having to be positioned there - that might free up the resources.
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Sally port style? I know SYR has them and CHS just implemented them in the past year or so. Works very nice as long as people read that it accepts 3 at a time.
 
Mavmb said:
I am just amazed that people think my career is so awesome. It has gotten to the point where I want to tell them how much it sucks lol. I don't want to sound negative but sometimes I just feel that way. There are definitely a lot of negatives with this career, just like any other career.

What would everyone say are the worst parts of this career?

I would honestly say that the tests every six months, and the time away from home are some of the biggest negatives.
Click to expand...

Mavmb said:
This thread was more about the misconceptions the public has about this career but that is ok.
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Let me see if I can help.

"I am just amazed that people think my job is so awesome. It has gotten to the point where I want to tell them it's not quit as glamorous as it seems. I don't want to sound negative but sometimes I just feel that way. There are definitely a lot of misconceptions with this job, just like any other.

What would everyone say are the most misunderstood parts of this job?

I would honestly say that the tests every six months, and the time away from home are some of the biggest things people don't understand."
 
trafficinsight said:
Ontario has KCM and it's an abandoned factory

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
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Has ONT done anything with the old California ANG base on the south side? Last i saw a 5 or so years ago, the buildings and hangars looked like a set piece out of The Walking Dead. Been closed for a very long time.
 
MikeD said:
Has ONT done anything with the old California ANG base on the south side? Last i saw a few years ago, the buildings and hangars looked like a ser piece out of The Walking Dead. Been closed for a very long time.
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Good question, the last time I was on that side of the field we were based at Guardian jet center, maybe they occupy part of it?

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As long as I don't screw up really badly, the door doesn't hit me on the ass on the way out after every trip. I like that very much.
 
trafficinsight said:
Good question, the last time I was on that side of the field we were based at Guardian jet center, maybe they occupy part of it?

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i remember the jet center there next to it. Kind of a desolate part of the field. The ANG left the base there and moved to March AFB in 1982 when they changed missions and swapped their Cessna O-2 Skymasters for McD F-4C Phantoms and required a larger facility and a compatible runway. Been mostly desolate and rotting away since.
 
MikeD said:
Has ONT done anything with the old California ANG base on the south side? Last i saw a 5 or so years ago, the buildings and hangars looked like a set piece out of The Walking Dead. Been closed for a very long time.
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Still very much the same.
 
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