Am I nuts?

[A Life Aloft]

There's the rub. If the work isn't that meaningful, but affords me the time and money to do something that is, could I still be happy?

121 will give you enough time and money to support and volunteer at whatever charities that you decide to.

More time with your dogs.

You'll be able to spend a lot more meaningful time with your kids. Time that you will never regret and never be able to make up for later on. It's time they will never forget either.

More time with your dogs.

You'll have a lot more time for projects at home.

More time with your dogs.

When flying your routes, you'll have enough time to rest and recoup, time for some leisurely meals, work out sessions and sightseeing. You can take photos/videos and send them to your wife and kids.

Did I mention more time with your dogs? lol

 

[ppragman]

You'll be able to spend a lot more meaningful time with your kids

i am not so sure of this.

I would also say that something like 80% of my friends who’ve gone 121 are divorced…. Hard to spend time with the kids when you don’t live in the same house.

 

[Fixtur]

Being home and spending QT with the wife and kids is very important.

I understand that ultimately one can arrange this pretty well at an airline once they have the seniority to hold the line of their choice and bid exactly what they want. I also understand it can take many years to get to that point, during which time you're away from home / commuting / sitting on reserve. I'm not planning on moving anywhere, so that means I'll need a base near RI, or a crash pad near whatever base I'm assigned to.

Is the payoff worth the next 5 years of my life and stressing a new marriage? I've been divorced once. I do not care to do that again. I'm just about 42 years old.

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies so far. Merry Christmas all!

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

i am not so sure of this.

I would also say that something like 80% of my friends who’ve gone 121 are divorced…. Hard to spend time with the kids when you don’t live in the same house.

Yeah. This is basically the domain of the super senior. If you’re not there, your time with family is drastically reduced compared to people at most gigs.

 

[A Life Aloft]

i am not so sure of this.

I would also say that something like 80% of my friends who’ve gone 121 are divorced…. Hard to spend time with the kids when you don’t live in the same house.

I never said meaningful time with the wife.............the first wife no. The second one yes. I bought a second home and spent a lot of time with my kids. I had joint shared custody. When I was off, they stayed with me and I took them to school/picked them up. Took them out of school every so often to fly on a trip with me. Spent the weekends with them. We had a very good, fulfilling time. You juggle and make work, what is important to you.

 

[ppragman]

I never said meaningful time with the wife.............the first wife no. The second one yes. I bought a second home and spent a lot of time with my kids. I had joint shared custody. When I was off, they stayed with me and I took them to school/picked them up. Took them out of school every so often to fly on a trip with me. Spent the weekends with them. We had a very good, fulfilling time. You juggle and make work, what is important to you.

but were you at the same airline the whole time? Hence by wife 2.0 you were more senior etc? I mean it doesn’t apply to me anymore, but I’m just saying, being away too much is hard on a marriage, and hard on the kiddos.

if you’re SO can be tolerant of the hard years, then great go for it, but everyone is different. I wasn’t married twice, but my dedication to aviation over my girlfriend ruined a very serious relationship when I was 23. I had lived with my HS sweetheart for 3 or 4 years and really loved her - but I loved flying more. I prioritized my career over her, and she knew it.

when I met the woman who would become my wife, I made her a priority (and then the kids a priority), it made my career a little more flat, but honestly that was less important to me than a happy family. Would 121 have been better? Maybe. But the pay was too abysmal in 2012 when I got married to support a family. In the end, it all worked out and I think I had a lot more fun at work than the guys doing DFW turns.

if I was in thatsame situation today, I’d probably go to Ravn or another regional with short trips so I could reliably be home, but again the financial calculus has changed.