Airline flying- worth it?

Is airline flying worth it? I really think that depends on the person, family life, ect. In one of the main pages Doug posted an article " Day in the Life of an Airline Pilot" it is an awesome read. For me that is MY goal but who knows, alone the way maybe freight or charter may work better.
 
Well as you can tell, you've come to the right place.

Now, I'm not an airline pilot yet, but we all have been in your shoes.

When I was 13 I wanted to be an airline pilot, then from ages 14-17 I wanted to be a golf course superintendant. Yes, I wanted to cut grass for a living and earn 90K. But when I was a senior in high school I wanted to be an airline pilot again and thats where Ive landed.

There are no better pilots out there than those the military trains. They're amazing. But their committment to You, I, and the rest of this country takes a serious decision. Flight training is free, yay! No. The committment is what? 10 years? Pay is good. If you want to put your country and it's citizens ahead of your personal career aspirations, then it is for you. And I am forever grateful.

If you chose the military is not for you (the majority of the members here) then you have to be aware of the financial risks involved. They are serious issues. Flight training at an FBO working on the side can be relatively inexpensive, and I wish this is what I would have done. I went to a flight school in Florida with all the multi you could imagine. I took out a loan and now I have trouble getting to sleep at night knowing Ive got to pay it back.

What am I saying? Think about it, discuss it with your family, look at it from EVERY angle then decide whether or not it is for you. If you love flying you'll succeed. Keep in mind that airlines aren't the end of aviation. CFI's, 135, etc etc etc are all in play.

Good luck with your solo and in your endeavour. This is a great source of information and people are always willing to help.
 
As others have said, the pay in the beginning is not the greatest ... more specifically, first year FO pay. Depending on your situation, 2nd year may not be great either, but can range in the $35-40K range. For someone single, if you don't have loans out the ears, that is more than livable, without having to live in a crashpad with 8 other guys.

I look at the pay from a different perspective. Now, I'm not one who would vote for paycuts, or thinks that pilots make enough ... I believe pilots earn every penny they make, and then some. But, when you look at 2nd year FO pay, on, through captain, that salary range is no different than what the majority of Americans see as a salary range, starting, and when they finally top off. If you look at the average salary for 168 of the most common jobs that people are in, outside of aviation, you'll find that only 15, or roughly 9%, have average salaries above $80K -- many of those including doctors, etc. This backs up that $80K is included in the top 10% of income in this country -- many, more or less, that only 10% of people will ever see over $80K in their career. As a regional CA, a 5-6 year CA can make near, if not $80K. That is not bad.

I am not saying pay is fine where it is, again, just saying it isn't as bad as it is made out to be.

BUT, let me add. It requires a lot of sacrifice and work to become an airline pilot. Your looking at flight instructing, for at least a year, depending on where you instruct, plus some time to get all of your ratings. As others have pointed out, it does get better after first year FO pay, but, there are at least a couple of years prior to that first year as an FO, that you are making low pay, etc., just to reach becoming a first year FO.

If you stick it out, you will see the reward, eventually. It is a lot of hard work in the beginning, but as you get seniority, and years with the company, pay gets better (as with any job), and you start to get a better schedule, and more, better days off. In the non-aviation world, it doesn't always work that way, however. Usually more pay = a promotion, which is more responsibility, and thus more work. Many people I know work 50-60+ hours per week, for no more money than 5-6 year regional CA.

So, is it worth it, LOL? I don't think anybody can answer that for you. You have to do it yourself, and decide for yourself. Each person is different. The overall consensus here, seems to be, yes, it is worth it ... but it may not be to you.
 
ChrisH said:
As others have said, the pay in the beginning is not the greatest ... more specifically, first year FO pay. Depending on your situation, 2nd year may not be great either, but can range in the $35-40K range. For someone single, if you don't have loans out the ears, that is more than livable, without having to live in a crashpad with 8 other guys.

I look at the pay from a different perspective. Now, I'm not one who would vote for paycuts, or thinks that pilots make enough ... I believe pilots earn every penny they make, and then some. But, when you look at 2nd year FO pay, on, through captain, that salary range is no different than what the majority of Americans see as a salary range, starting, and when they finally top off. If you look at the average salary for 168 of the most common jobs that people are in, outside of aviation, you'll find that only 15, or roughly 9%, have average salaries above $80K -- many of those including doctors, etc. This backs up that $80K is included in the top 10% of income in this country -- many, more or less, that only 10% of people will ever see over $80K in their career. As a regional CA, a 5-6 year CA can make near, if not $80K. That is not bad.

I am not saying pay is fine where it is, again, just saying it isn't as bad as it is made out to be.
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The majority of American's can't land a 300,000 pound airplane in a blinding snow/ice/rain storm either.
 
Why not pursue a career outside of the airlines (not necessarily outside of aerospace), make more money and have a better quality of life, and be able to fly whatever you want wherever you want a couple times a week? Aerospace companies need electrical engineers and one thing you could work on would be flight control systems (autopilots, yaw dampers, force feedback in the pilot's flight controls, etc.). Such jobs are competitive, but if you go to a college that has recruiting relationships with aerospace companies acquiring one should be possible. You would not be flying everyday, but maybe flying a taildragger upside down and doing 4 rolls while going straight up every third day is more fun and satisfying.

The choice is yours and yours alone, and I would postpone making that decision until you are ready to graduate college. I would also suggest going to a more well-rounded university than ERAU to get the most out of your college years. Whatever you do, make sure you have no regrets! You've only got time for one big project in life, so make the most of it and give it your all.
 
Cheese chuttachas, haha..good times. Nice to see some other percussionists on here. I'm on top bass at Texas Christian University...we won PASIC last week. If I stick around for another season though, I'll be back on snare. I'm actually trying do decide between marching somewhere this summer..crossmen maybe...or flying. touch choice, and I only have 3 summers left for drum corps
 
meritflyer said:
Nerd alert!! :)
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Do you ever post anything besides spam? I've been paying attention to your posts, and seriously they're all spam.



Flying is defenetly a cool career, make sure you really want to do it though, because it would be a real big time waste, and lots of money wasted.
 
I definitely agree with alot of what was said above. I was in your situation except a year or two behind you in terms of training already. I was flying, but realized that I needed to go to college and get a degree and enjoy life. Now I am married and am starting flying again. My initial enthrallment with aviation and flying has now smoothed out to an even desire and motivation to pursue. All this is to say, that keep an open mind and enjoy life whether you are flying, or studying something in college you really enjoy. It seems to me that true joy in life comes after the initial experience of something turns to a more stable contentment with that experience. But, I am young and could be wrong.
 
For shizzle. I marched GLP in 2005 and spent a few years doing the college drumline thing at Western Michigan University. Good times, but I had to stop drumming because I ripped up my wrists too much.

Don't do Crossmen! I hate Crossmen! Go march Vanguard and be a true badass :)

You involved in Surround Sound at all?

tizzizzailslf04 said:
Cheese chuttachas, haha..good times. Nice to see some other percussionists on here. I'm on top bass at Texas Christian University...we won PASIC last week. If I stick around for another season though, I'll be back on snare. I'm actually trying do decide between marching somewhere this summer..crossmen maybe...or flying. touch choice, and I only have 3 summers left for drum corps
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I definitely agree with what jtrain said earlier. You may think you know what you want when you're 17, but your views will change in a few years once you get out on your own. When I was 17 all i wanted to do was fly and i was willing to move anywhere and do anything to get there. Now, at 20, i realize what i thought was the thing just a few years ago isn't really all that important to me now.

Guess i'd have to say go to college, but don't major in "aviation flight" and definitely stay away from ERAU. When i was in HS I thought i really wanted to go to the University of North Dakota, but (fortunately) i ended up a little closer to home at WMU. Came in as an aviation major, realized it was a bunch of BS, ended up changing my major. Flying at Western made me hate flying. They suck all the fun out of flying because they're so strict and regimented. It was frustrating as heck trying to fly there and dealing with all the red tape. Other than that, college has been an awesome experience. I met some great friends, learned a lot about myself, others, and the world. You know, i'd have to say i've grown up more in these past 2 years than in the past 18 combined. Going to college and getting out on my own made me realize that flying isn't what i thought it was, and that things like GOD, family, and friends are so much more important than flying a shiny jet around.

As for "is airline flying worth it," that's not something i can answer, i've never worked at an airline. Right now the pay sucks at regionals and you'll need a lot of hours to get there so that's something you'll have to consider, and "going anywhere" and "living in a crashpad with 8 other guys" just to fly airplanes isn't something you're gonna enjoy. I used to think i was willing to move anywhere for aviation, but i feel differently now. I'd honestly rather stay in kalamazoo and have a "regular job" and 'QOL' than move to wyoming or dallas for a jet job. Because that's what it is, a job. It's not LIFE.

I'm not trying to say quit flying or anything like that, i still enjoy flying and if the right opportunity comes up i'd take a professional pilot job, but there may be other things in store for me as well. I really don't know what i'm going to do after i graduate, but i still have a few years to figure it out. Keep your options open and don't just think "airplanes, airplanes, airplanes," because there's a lot of other things and experiences you'll miss out on if you go that route.
 
Yeah if any other job I would most likely become an avionics tech or more likely an A+P, but for now I am looking at pilot. Also possibly ATC.

As for the drumming I am not much into the marching thing mostly drum set, but love drumming no matter what I do.
 
Give up on ATC. . . please don't go and work for an agency who is willing to urinate on it's employees, impose a contract, and walk away from the table.

You have some reading up to do, but I suppose, if you MUST feed your family, and you lack any other skills. . . knock yourself out.

As far as airline flying - give that up too. :sarcasm:
 
jtrain609 said:
For shizzle. I marched GLP in 2005 and spent a few years doing the college drumline thing at Western Michigan University. Good times, but I had to stop drumming because I ripped up my wrists too much.

Don't do Crossmen! I hate Crossmen! Go march Vanguard and be a true badass :)

You involved in Surround Sound at all?
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One of the guys who runs it (Hector Gil) has been trying to get me to come out, but I doubt it. I don't know that I'm as into indoor percussion as outdoor
 
Totally. That's funny because I auditioned at Blue Coats, but wasn't really digging it so when I got cut from the snare line auditions instead of going and getting my mellophone (which was my primary instrument for a long, long time and I could have made the corps on it) I went and just threw in the towl. Indoor on the other hand was killer for me. I could do it on weekends, I could fly during the summer, and the group I was in was a lot of fun even if we didn't place well in 2005.

Remember, PASIC indoor isn't ANYTHING like the real indoor, WGI.
 
tizzizzailslf04 said:
Jawright.....BAC??
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Yep. I decided to put off doing my CFI's this summer so I could go teach quads at Boston Crusaders. It's pretty uncanny how many people on here are also percussionists (or musicians of some type). You should skip Xmen and come to BAC auditions (shut up jtrain) this weekend.

ALSO...You know Cara Wildman?? What about Jeff Willis??
 
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