Another career jumper...

69_Bug_Dude

69_Bug_Dude

The Undertaker
After quite some time lurking in the shadows, I figured I would finally introduce myself to the world of JC. My name is Eric and I am yet another career jumper that is about to begin my pursuit of the lifelong aspiration to become an airline pilot...Kinda feels like AA (Aviation Anonymous) I live in beautiful Southwest Florida within an earshot of PGD.

Call me crazy if you will, but in my 37 years of being on this planet and the time I have spent as a Funeral Director & Embalmer, I have learned one thing. Life is too short to settle! Life is full of "what if's" and I do not want to be an old man saying "What if?" Ever since I was a young guy, I have wanted to be a pilot, period...that was until life happened to take me on a detour. While it has been a wild journey to this point, I must confess that the aviation bug has never left my soul.

After long discussions with my wife and 6 children, we have made the decision together, that following your dreams is much more rewarding that settling for less. So shortly after that discussion, my wife made my appointment with a local cardiologist that is also a FAA Medical Examiner. The 1st class Medical examination wasn't too bad at all, but being that the Dr. is also a cardiologist, he went a bit further. He had me do a stress test and Echo cardiogram as well. After everything was said and done he gave me the thumbs up and I walked out with my 1st Class Medical Cert. and Student Pilot Ticket. Yay!

Fortunately I have a strong wife and family behind me, every step of the way. My wife is quite remarkable, not only is she a mother of 6, she was an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighter in the US Marine Corp's too. She and the kids know that the road ahead will not be easy just as her road through the Marine Corps. was not easy by any stretch of the imagination.

So with all of that said, I look forward to sharing my journey with those who find interest in it. Oh and yes my screen-name and avatar insinuate that I have a 1969 VW Bug...Yes I do, and drive it as my daily driver...17,461 miles in the past year to be exact :)
 
Hey welcome to the forums! Awesome that you have a bug. I enjoy wrenching on air cooled VWs. What is your current plan of action for flight training?
 
First off VERY clean VW. Rear/Mid-engine cars are the best period!

Second try to look into some flight training grants. They are out there and some of them might not require college enrollment!

Third and I heard this from a non JCer (sadly). Remember when it seems like it's hopeless that is EXACTLY the time to push harder. And it will seem hopeless a lot.
 
One of my friends is a funeral director. He drives an Audi A8, has a sweet road bike, tons of free time. Seems like he makes a ton of money.

I've been in aviation for ten years. I can barely feed myself. Six kids? Why, why would you put them through what I consider the biggest mistake of my life?
 
Yeah, if you like stuff and what stuff you own is what defines you, there are better paying jobs out there. Some people like their stuff and home time and that is what makes them happy, or rather their lack of stuff that makes them unhappy, or their perception of other people having stuff that makes them unhappy. Well lets face it, some people are just plain unhappy and if they had a villa in France, all the money in the world and 50 beautiful women groping on their Johnson, they'd still complain.

That said, if you want to suck it up and give it a whirl, go for it. Just be fully prepared for the financial realities of it.
 
Wow, first of all...I thank some of you for the well wishes and the VW comments. AC VW's are pretty simple to wrench on, I tore the old bug completely apart, redid everything and was driving it in 5 weeks. The best part, I did it all in my garage including paint with only the help of my wife, kids and a couple neighbors.

Secondly, to the negative crowd...I'm sorry that some of you feel that you made the biggest mistake of your life. I must say that as most professions go, if you are getting into a certain profession for the almighty $$, you are doing it for the wrong reasons. ;) I understand that some are jaded because they got the shaft for some reason or another, went in with their eyes closed, looking to make big $$ off the starting line, etc. On the other hand, there are many more that went into aviation knowing full well what they were getting in to and instead of complaining everyday about it, they sucked it up because they knew that they were being paid to do what they love...FLY.

Beef, your friend is very lucky and he obviously isn't a funeral director in S. Florida where the cremation rate is 85%+. A lot of people have these wild imaginations that funeral directors are all loaded. Reality is the opposite. The median pay for a funeral director in S. FL is somewhere around $45k per year (More than I make, BTW) and I would venture to say that most down here don't even touch $40k. Now up North where burial is more common, yes they do make more but believe me when I tell you this...their days of living large are numbered. Cremation rates nationally are rising exponentially and without proper business models, many funeral homes will not be able to keep their heads above water. Now as far as time with the family and time off...well being in the business that I am, I don't get "days off". People die 24/7/365 and for sure not on my schedule. So eventually a schedule with days off would be a blessing. Will it take time to get there? Absolutely!

Desertdog, Thankfully I'm not a stuff person at all. Stuff does not define who you are in my book...although some wouldn't agree. Sucks for them! As far as the financial realities of everything...well lets see, I have a wonderful wife that just as of late started working at the VA (Making more than I do right off the bat). Prior to that, for the last 5 years actually, we have managed just fine on my meager income alone. Now I have done some pretty thorough research and from the best that I can interpret, in the vast majority of the regional carriers, the yearly salary of FO's range from $30k-$37k by the 2nd or 3rd year. Those figures really aren't THAT horrible. Unlike many people, we live within our means and the $30k's are very doable, heck with my wife working even the teens are doable.

Ok, now off of my soapbox. :) My course of action, while I know some oppose of them, I will be attending ATP in Tampa. Yes the cost factor is there, but I am a big fan of the total immersion idea. I will be doing the Fast Track 150 day program and from there I will be instructing with them if all goes well. Life is a journey and I will take everything one step at a time and enjoy it. A very good friend of mine, who is a happy pilot (Captain with JetBlue), went to ATP quite some time back and recommended them. And before anyone decides to flame me on the cost...are you paying or am I? ;)

A few questions for everyone who is unhappy with being an airline pilot.... Why are you still a pilot? What makes you so jaded? Did you decide to be a pilot based on the $$? Do you think the profession as a whole is miserable? As you may have noticed, I'm not some fly by night young buck looking at aviation as a gold mine with travel perks. If I lived life according to those that are always negative, I wouldn't have kids, I wouldn't have married a Marine, I wouldn't have become a funeral director and the list goes on....
 
I'm in my 3rd year as a regional airline pilot, and am pretty happy. I used to fly corporate and had a lot more time off, I do miss that. But there are some pretty nice things about being at the airlines too (like an actual schedule and some stability). I try to work as little as possible and make around the mid-$40ks. If I worked a little harder, I could pretty easily make $50k or more. Not great, but not terrible. I usually have about half the month off, which is pretty nice! I live in base and am a line holder, which makes the job MUCH better than a commuter on reserve.

I used to be a mechanical engineer, and I can't tell you how many people thought I was crazy. They seem to think all engineers make $100k+ (false!), and I really hated going to work every day. Overall I'm much happier now, but sure will be glad whenever I can upgrade or move on.

I've been flying professionally since 2007, and have no regrets. That being said, this can be a very trying career at times, and requires an unbelievable amount of dedication and passion. Good luck with your decision!
 
I would just keep the day job and hit up a local school to work on your PPL? An ATP program might be a bit of a leap. I know a few folks who had the same dream and made the mistake of jumping in to an accelerated ATP program and suddenly realized they weren't cut out to be professional pilots.
With the 1500 hour rule going into effect, you would be looking at more than a few years to get to that point depending on your flexibility. Id assume having 6 kids won't leave you with with too much flexibility. Then once you reach those hiring mins and get hired, you're looking at 4 years before getting into some sort of financial comfort zone. Add that in with paying back $60,000 in possible debt. Of course, I don't know your financial situation, this is just a hypothetical scenario. Either way, Good luck with your decision.
 
69_Bug_Dude said:
Wow, first of all...I thank some of you for the well wishes and the VW comments. AC VW's are pretty simple to wrench on, I tore the old bug completely apart, redid everything and was driving it in 5 weeks. The best part, I did it all in my garage including paint with only the help of my wife, kids and a couple neighbors.

Secondly, to the negative crowd...I'm sorry that some of you feel that you made the biggest mistake of your life. I must say that as most professions go, if you are getting into a certain profession for the almighty $$, you are doing it for the wrong reasons. ;) I understand that some are jaded because they got the shaft for some reason or another, went in with their eyes closed, looking to make big $$ off the starting line, etc. On the other hand, there are many more that went into aviation knowing full well what they were getting in to and instead of complaining everyday about it, they sucked it up because they knew that they were being paid to do what they love...FLY.

Beef, your friend is very lucky and he obviously isn't a funeral director in S. Florida where the cremation rate is 85%+. A lot of people have these wild imaginations that funeral directors are all loaded. Reality is the opposite. The median pay for a funeral director in S. FL is somewhere around $45k per year (More than I make, BTW) and I would venture to say that most down here don't even touch $40k. Now up North where burial is more common, yes they do make more but believe me when I tell you this...their days of living large are numbered. Cremation rates nationally are rising exponentially and without proper business models, many funeral homes will not be able to keep their heads above water. Now as far as time with the family and time off...well being in the business that I am, I don't get "days off". People die 24/7/365 and for sure not on my schedule. So eventually a schedule with days off would be a blessing. Will it take time to get there? Absolutely!

Desertdog, Thankfully I'm not a stuff person at all. Stuff does not define who you are in my book...although some wouldn't agree. Sucks for them! As far as the financial realities of everything...well lets see, I have a wonderful wife that just as of late started working at the VA (Making more than I do right off the bat). Prior to that, for the last 5 years actually, we have managed just fine on my meager income alone. Now I have done some pretty thorough research and from the best that I can interpret, in the vast majority of the regional carriers, the yearly salary of FO's range from $30k-$37k by the 2nd or 3rd year. Those figures really aren't THAT horrible. Unlike many people, we live within our means and the $30k's are very doable, heck with my wife working even the teens are doable.

Ok, now off of my soapbox. :) My course of action, while I know some oppose of them, I will be attending ATP in Tampa. Yes the cost factor is there, but I am a big fan of the total immersion idea. I will be doing the Fast Track 150 day program and from there I will be instructing with them if all goes well. Life is a journey and I will take everything one step at a time and enjoy it. A very good friend of mine, who is a happy pilot (Captain with JetBlue), went to ATP quite some time back and recommended them. And before anyone decides to flame me on the cost...are you paying or am I? ;)

A few questions for everyone who is unhappy with being an airline pilot.... Why are you still a pilot? What makes you so jaded? Did you decide to be a pilot based on the $$? Do you think the profession as a whole is miserable? As you may have noticed, I'm not some fly by night young buck looking at aviation as a gold mine with travel perks. If I lived life according to those that are always negative, I wouldn't have kids, I wouldn't have married a Marine, I wouldn't have become a funeral director and the list goes on....
Click to expand...


It is an extremely difficult profession to leave because most employers feel the airline pilot work experience amounts to zero.
 
Here's the thing.....it's your life. You only get one and it's not a dress rehearsal. We all need a certain income to be "happy", feel secure, be able to do a few things, put our kids through school, have a comfy pad, etc,. and hopefully have a few bucks for when we are too old, too ill or too tired to work any longer or just want to stop working and have a life. Everyone has their own comfort level for this.

One of the worst worst feelings in the world is to be old and look back and think, man, I blew it. What have I done? I always wanted to do such and such and instead I did this and I've wasted my life and not been happy. I didn't take the chance/risk because of (a plethora of reasons) and now here I am and it's too damn late.

Life is really too short to not do what is meaningful for you on a personal and on a professional/career basis If living in a small but comfy cabin in the country/woods floats your boat....do that. If living in a large house with toys is your thing......do that. If living on a houseboat is fantastic for you .....do that. If it's s making surfboards is your thing......do that. If it's being a bar tender at a Club Med....do that. If it's flying ....do that. Just be aware of all the upsides, the downsides and have a realistic perspective of how long it may take and what it will cost to "get there".

Remember too, that the 121 is not all there is to aviation. It doesn't work out for everyone and that's okay. You can make a decent living, have a good quality of life and be happy doing many other different types of flying. Explore those options as well. You never know what opportunities may come your way. Be open to them all. Experiment and speak to pilots who do different types of flying besides 121. Brainstorm, find out how they got there and what they think.

That being said, your wife and children, your extended family and your friends are all that matters in the long run. If you have a good, solid marriage with a great woman and you are a decent father....life doesn't get much better.

As for 121, plenty of guys had it good there at one time when things were better and still retired okay and many also go on to other types of flying. Some still have a decent career there and hopefully you can find your spot if that is where you intend at some point to go. I can't imagine what the hell else I could possibly do for a living. I am seriously not good at anything else. lol As much work as it is, as hard as it is at times, and with all the ups and downs, and radical changes, I still can't imagine doing anything else.

If your heart and soul are this determined, what's the worst that can happen? You blow some bucks, give it go for a few years, and for whatever reasons it doesn't work out. You still have something else to fall back on. But at least you tried. That's more right there than most people ever do.

I wish you the best. Listen to the good advice, be rational, be realistic, network and don't get discouraged. It takes time and effort. But again, you may be surprised at what opportunities and what variety for a career in flying, you can find. ---Gerry
 
I'm going to second some of the things that Mr. Aloft said. Aviation is like a Sin curve. You will feel the highest highs and the lowest lows. Take the good with the bad. This is a lot like becoming an actor, orthopedic surgeon and Navy Seal. Not to sound like a APCer but There WILL be a lot of suck to this.

That said it's all about attitude. Getting certs is one thing. Next to TT, multi, and ATP mins. All of the cool jobs (aviation or not) is ALL about who you know. Go to M&Gs in Vegas. Talk to part 91/135ers on the line. Hell try to toss aviation keywords in your LinkedIn profile.
 
I am in a very similar boat, 69_Bug_Dude. I am 37 and a career jumper as well. I got my private pilot ticket with instrument rating a few years ago, and have been flying on weekends and occasionally for a weekday trip. I am working on my commercial right now, with a checkride scheduled for 2 weeks from now, and multi the week after. All in all, I have 300 hours scheduled for the next 3 months (200 of it being multi), and just bought an airplane to fly. Trying to build time in a flightschool or club airplane has been proving to be very difficult, and expensive. It is never available when, and for as long, as I want it to be. I have been planning this for a couple years now and have been working hard and saving.
 
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