The truth about being a pilot
- Thread starter Mavmb
- Start date
If you have a place to CFI locally that should be a great way to be home every night and build time towards the airlines. If you're already working on your CFI you're nearly there and a good flight school could have you at atp mins in 1.5 to 2 years. The big thing is that hopefully you and your wife can survive off the hours and pay you make as a CFI in addition to what she has. I like to think if she's ok with moving wherever you get based when you go to the airlines and you're not commuting you should be more than fine, but it's probably a good idea to talk about as much of that as possible as a family member might get ill or something that changes her mind on that when you're ready for the airlines. Some freight routes could be ideal too, but it just depends on where you're living and what kind of flying you'd like to do.
CFI A&P
Exploring the world one toilet at a time.
There are thousands of opportunities in aviation, flying for a 121 or 135 outfit isn't the only one. I've worked a ton of non-flying jobs that sucked. Flying is by far the most fascinating and enjoyable activity I have ever participated in. Some of my flying affords me a mortgage and some of my flying affords me sanity and happiness.
Sent from my Startac using Tapatalk.
Sent from my Startac using Tapatalk.
Upon reaching the hotel:
Grumpy FO: "What time do you want to meet for dinner?"
Me: "Uhh, well, uhh, I have some uhhh, work to do. I'll catch up with you tomorrow morning at the van"
I am under no obligation to babysit Mr. GrumpyPants.
Springer
Well-Known Member
I divorced prior to starting my airline career and remarried after I retired. With such a target rich environment, I was pretty content in between.
Pilot Fighter
Well-Known Member
Air in the tires, no tow bar, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark out, and we're wearing sunglasses.
ppragman
No pasa nada.
ppragman
No pasa nada.
TWP
Well-Known Member
good captain - relaxed gig, even when nothing is going right.
Bad captain - intercom off. Watch him stress, try not to chuckle at his hissy fits.
Show up, be an asset, learn about the person next to you, don't cause an oji with your landings, buy one nice dinner on your trip, crack one dirty joke and one safe joke, exercise some communal complaining about the company but not too much, actually talk to the flight attendant, and most importantly let me make fun of you for wearing the hat when it's not required.
Lol, look at your hat.
Bad captain - intercom off. Watch him stress, try not to chuckle at his hissy fits.
Show up, be an asset, learn about the person next to you, don't cause an oji with your landings, buy one nice dinner on your trip, crack one dirty joke and one safe joke, exercise some communal complaining about the company but not too much, actually talk to the flight attendant, and most importantly let me make fun of you for wearing the hat when it's not required.
Lol, look at your hat.
I divorced prior to starting my airline career and remarried after I retired. With such a target rich environment, I was pretty content in between.
I'm divorced, and have to aspirations to mess that up.
Autothrust Blue
“If you jump on my shift, that’s just rude, man.”
In all seriousness, I highly recommend The High and the Mighty in both book and movie form.
AAPalmTree
Well-Known Member
Amen. Unfortunately, osmosis occurrs in the cockpit. It's tough enough flying with a bad attitude let alone one that wants to hang out afterward. It's been a learning curve polishing the slam click excuses.
Told one guy I was going to take a nap. Saw him in the deli down the street an hour later.
D
Deleted member 27505
Guest
Me too. I've noticed over the years that most of the time, both of us will do a walk around, regardless of who's flying as CA or FO. Just seems to make sense and provide redundancy. Then again, I fly aircraft a wee tad smaller than the big iron at the airlines which makes a typical walk-around much more, er, "productive". I'm not in any way suggesting that a walk around is ever a bad thing, but without binoculars and a ladder it would seem the stuff you'd be looking for on a hike around, say, a 777 would have to be rather macro to even notice it. I mean, I get checking for tire damage, missing elevators, open hatches, or baggage carts in the intakes, but it's not like you can check fuel, touch-test pitot tubes, look for castle nut pins, etc. on that kind of ship. Or is it?
Best Plan Ever!I divorced prior to starting my airline career and remarried after I retired. With such a target rich environment, I was pretty content in between.
I'm happy in a group, happy completely alone!
I think my last three months on the 330, I spent 90% of my layovers alone because I just didn't want to sit around in a drum circle in an Irish bar and bitch about the merger or play "lawyer ball" with procedural changes. I simply wanted some good food, some quality beer and to have a little micro-vacation.
If I ever get caught saying "Let's go to the (nickname for a restaurant because I can't pronounce the actual name) and get the 'crew (entree)'" just put me in a canoe with no paddles and send me downstream.
Nark
Macho Superpilot
@Crop Duster
Slightly different circumstances. I'm wearing a military hat now. As the "captain" I never ask my crew to do something I wouldn't do myself.
My asterisk was also military related. I'm currently the guy that scoops up seriously hurt guys off the battlefield.
We don't do walk-arounds when seconds count during the golden hour.
When I'm a nasty civilian bus driver, I'm always happy to do a walk around. I'm pleasantly surprised that at my current cheap ass airline, many of the captains do the walk around.*
*I'm also senior to 5 prior captains I flew with from my Ejet days...
Slightly different circumstances. I'm wearing a military hat now. As the "captain" I never ask my crew to do something I wouldn't do myself.
My asterisk was also military related. I'm currently the guy that scoops up seriously hurt guys off the battlefield.
We don't do walk-arounds when seconds count during the golden hour.
When I'm a nasty civilian bus driver, I'm always happy to do a walk around. I'm pleasantly surprised that at my current cheap ass airline, many of the captains do the walk around.*
*I'm also senior to 5 prior captains I flew with from my Ejet days...
Your bird is also alert cocked, where a walkaround was long ago completed at some point durimg your shift.
A little different being the Captain in combat, where sometimes, the mission necessity could well override a crewmember who may not be comfortable with it. Of course in combat, there should be an aire of discomfort known as alertness.
Der_Meister
Well-Known Member
I'm happy in a group, happy completely alone!
I think my last three months on the 330, I spent 90% of my layovers alone because I just didn't want to sit around in a drum circle in an Irish bar and bitch about the merger or play "lawyer ball" with procedural changes. I simply wanted some good food, some quality beer and to have a little micro-vacation.
I do the same on the baby bus.
Like in Boston, it's a great place for a run in the Boston Common ("OMG! Is it SAFE?!"), then a foray into the nearby Asian neighborhood for some exotic food ("I don't eat dog! Do they have sweet and sour chicken?") and a hole in a dive bar like The Tam O'Shanter ("that looks scary in there, is it safe? Do they have Blue Moon?") so generally, it's "Bye Felicia".