The truth about being a pilot

Derg said:
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".
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Don't do many BOS, though the hotel is in a great location... 30hrs in FCA or SAT is more my style.
 
Derg said:
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".
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General Tso approves of this plan of action.
 
I loved every day of my job...well maybe not LGA. It was the easiest job in the world and most of the people were awesome. Then they took away my badge and said it was time to go out to pasture. And I plan on loving every day of my new job in aviation that starts next month.
 
I love flying INTO La Guardia, but flying OUT is a cluster and our <14 hour layover blows because we waivered being required to be in Manhattan.

Or whatever it is, I can't remember.
 
Derg said:
I love flying INTO La Guardia, but flying OUT is a cluster and our <14 hour layover blows because we waivered being required to be in Manhattan.

Or whatever it is, I can't remember.
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We stayed at the hotel by MSG. It was a blast. My wife would join me and we'd have fun in her home town. Ah the memories.
 
Derg said:
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".
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I know for a fact you will go into a dive bar in downtown Vegas to see a punk show.
 
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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Wait, don't you work for a company that didn't provide you with IFR charts for where you were going? Is there a chance you might like the job better if the employer is better?


I think the piloting profession and the happiness/sadness/pissed-off-ness all depends on the factors out of a pilot's control. Luck and timing. Add the fact it's a seniority system and a race against time to get to your final preferred destination airline and once there, starting at the bottom and working the way up the seniority list while hoping there's no big economic downturns, furloughs, bankruptcies, and concessions. Some people spend their entire career as FO and only be able to hold an upgrade to CA in their final 5 yrs left before retirement (eg, TWA). Some have gone through 3 furloughs at one legacy airline. Others are lucky to get hired at a legacy airline in their mid 20s, and start making 100k (or more) at age 30 and do so for the rest of their career. There's so many different outcomes for an "airline pilot" that no two cases are the same and even someone starting off at the same flight school, to the same employers, at just slightly different times can have a VASTLY different outcome.

As for the sim checks every 6 months, I'm all for that! Heaven forbid we're checked for our competency while flying around with 150 different hopes, dreams, and futures of loved ones. I actually look forward to sims and don't even think of it as a checking event. I go into to learn and have a good attitude. Knock on wood, zero failures of any kind so far. The time away from home is pretty much a guaranteed thing unless you live in base and one day get senior enough to do day trips. But for most domestic airlines, a 4-day is about the max you get for domestic flying. At least we're not subject to 16 or 18 days away at a time like some cargo outfits (sorry Emu!).
 
It seems you can't start a conversation on this website any more without someone calling you a a troll. I never said I hated my job. I'm getting tired of the hate mail. Can't we all just get along!
 
Cherokee_Cruiser said:
Wait, don't you work for a company that didn't provide you with IFR charts for where you were going? Is there a chance you might like the job better if the employer is better?


I think the piloting profession and the happiness/sadness/pissed-off-ness all depends on the factors out of a pilot's control. Luck and timing. Add the fact it's a seniority system and a race against time to get to your final preferred destination airline and once there, starting at the bottom and working the way up the seniority list while hoping there's no big economic downturns, furloughs, bankruptcies, and concessions. Some people spend their entire career as FO and only be able to hold an upgrade to CA in their final 5 yrs left before retirement (eg, TWA). Some have gone through 3 furloughs at one legacy airline. Others are lucky to get hired at a legacy airline in their mid 20s, and start making 100k (or more) at age 30 and do so for the rest of their career. There's so many different outcomes for an "airline pilot" that no two cases are the same and even someone starting off at the same flight school, to the same employers, at just slightly different times can have a VASTLY different outcome.

As for the sim checks every 6 months, I'm all for that! Heaven forbid we're checked for our competency while flying around with 150 different hopes, dreams, and futures of loved ones. I actually look forward to sims and don't even think of it as a checking event. I go into to learn and have a good attitude. Knock on wood, zero failures of any kind so far. The time away from home is pretty much a guaranteed thing unless you live in base and one day get senior enough to do day trips. But for most domestic airlines, a 4-day is about the max you get for domestic flying. At least we're not subject to 16 or 18 days away at a time like some cargo outfits (sorry Emu!).
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I hate it when I agree with you. ;)
 
Maximillian_Jenius said:
For someone who is such a big Milo Yiannopoulus fan. You sure are a dramatic, whiney lil' bitch, when people reverse troll you back!
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Precious little snowflakes on the right...oh
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Cherokee_Cruiser said:
As for the sim checks every 6 months, I'm all for that! Heaven forbid we're checked for our competency while flying around with 150 different hopes, dreams, and futures of loved ones. I actually look forward to sims and don't even think of it as a checking event. I go into to learn and have a good attitude. Knock on wood, zero failures of any kind so far.
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I can strongly respect this view. It has a couple of major issues, however.

First, the industry, being as standardized as it is doesn't have a lot of ways for people to demonstrate competency. Training events seem to fill that roll. Because of that there is a pretty heavy emphasize on having, as you said, "zero failures of any kind." because of that it's perceived as a strong metric for future employability. That makes pilots view them as a career hurdle and potential pitfall.

Second, just a few bad apples in the school house can seriously destroy any training credibility they have. Someone with a chip on their shoulder can easily ruin prospects of future advancement or even cost someone their job. Admittedly these guys seem to be rare, they are still out there.

Instead of being an opportunity to go work on the things we rarely see, they become "oh crap, I have to prepare for 6 month."
 
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