Any LDS (Mormon) Pilots out there??

One of my coworkers and JC lurker is Mormom. I'm sure he'll join in on this discussion after a while. Most 135 freight companies have you home every night. So he gets to spend a lot of time at home with his wife and two kids. The bad part is that pay peaks out pretty early on and I don't believe it's enough to support a family off of long term.
 
Corporate jobs with no overnights?!? sign me up! thats extremely rare... i would say as an average, corporate generally means that youre on call and never really know when youre going to fly, where youre going, or how long youre going to be gone. At least at an airline, you have more of a set schedule.

I agree, 135 frieght is probably youre best bet in terms of weekends off and being home at least half of the day... usually day time hours.
 
horizonq400 said:
I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and a Private Pilot with Instrument Rating currently working on my Commercial certificate and have been seriously questioning my decision to be a professional pilot. All of my life I have dreamt of flying professionally. I have pictured myself in the cockpit of an airliner or whatever and I thought nothing could change that desire, but I have come to realize lately that to me, family is FAR more important and being there for them.
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For what it's worth, there is a large regional airline with an extremely large LDS population among the pilot group. I've flown with a lot of them, and most seemed to be very dedicated to their families. The ones I knew seem to be able to make the career work with their families.
 
horizonq400 said:
It's a hard reality to come to terms with when a life-long dream may be just that; a dream.
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Q400,

Don't be too quick to reach that conclusion. It sounds as if you're early in the career-choice process and an av website like this one is a good place to get a peek at the flying world and some advice.

Don't take anyone person's view and run with it (including mine). I don't know anything much about non-airline flying but can speak about airline life.

I second the remarks about not assuming your wife to be is some little wallflower cupcake who just can't function without you. Overall, women are better creatures than men and can handle most anything. Collect the facts and have your fiance chat with a couple of airline wives if possible and get the inside scoop.

As for your faith and airline flying, I see no conflict there. I know several long time airline pilots who are about as dedicated to their faith and church as you can imagine and there appear to be no deal-breaker issues when you look at the big picture.

As for family and airline flying, same deal. You WILL miss church, kid's birthdays, holidays, etc. now and then...maybe many of them. Most jobs involve doing things that conflict with family events and airline flying is no different. It's life as we know it. There are many happy, functional, normal airline families and some that aren't. Just like your lawyer, doctor, teacher buddies who are home every night.

If the flying you do is based on a seniority system, the longer you are there, the more control you have over your schedule. Of course, being at the bottom of the list is a precarious position where the threat of unemployment looms and you are just a monkey on a rope when it comes to scheduling. This is just part of the career.

Keep asking questions. Most pilots are more than happy to give you their opinion. After all, who is smarter than a pilot ? :laff:
 
mtsu_av8er said:
Yes, you CAN have a family and fly for an airline. May be challenging, and you won't be home every night. But, yes - you can.
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Lloyd, I respect your knowledge and opinions but this time I'm going to have to disagree-because I'm the exception. I'm home every night (day to others), work a straight M-F and get around 9 weeks off a year-flying 121. True, I had to work away for years to finally get to this point but I live in a fairly moderate sized city, 40 miles from where I grew up and am able to have a great qol. Its a matter of being qualified, having a goal and working towards that goal. Like I said, it took me three years of moving, busting my back side and having no life to finally have this opportunity.

For the O.P., you won't get it up front, like most things in life you have to earn it one way or another but if you want to be home every night and fly it can happen.
 
This is not only a pilot issue, many careers have people out on the road and away from their famlies. As a part time CFI with another career I log way to many hours in the cheap seats of an airliner. Many days away from home, birthdays and other special days are somtimes missed. This week I need to be in Italy for a meeting Tuesday, that means getting on a plane on a Sunday.

So the point...
Any career you choose may cause you to be away from home at times. It is very possible to have a family, attend church when you are home, ect. I count on my wife, my neighbors and parents to help out when I am gone. I love what I do, would not trade it. You need to make a choice, make sure you take your personal satisfaction into account or you may spend many years thinking about the road not traveled.
 
BajtheJino said:
but this time I'm going to have to disagree-because I'm the exception. I'm home every night (day to others), work a straight M-F and get around 9 weeks off a year-flying 121.
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Baj,

You're right...there are many variations on a theme in the 121 world (and other av worlds, to be sure) and it often takes time to get a spot that suits one's priorities. But, I'd expect most positions require nights away.

I never understood how you freight guys could live a life/career on the backside of the clock (yes, I know not every freight pilot does it this way). I always considered it uncivilized to be in the airplane after dinner time. :)
 
horizonq400 said:
I want to have a family, and be with them more than not. Financially, it's a worry also, and I also want to diligently serve in the church.
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Hey Q400
I'm LDS, have a family of two boys wife thinks maybe one more try for a girl. I might be talked into it in a year or so. It can be done. YOu will miss church frequently but as you gain some seniority it'll get better. Pay is horrible for the first few years but life's not about being rich. I am on reserve right now so I am actually home with my family alot but for a while I was based in Fresno and I was gone alot. My wife and kids are used to me being gone as I used to be a grand canyon river guide (gone 14 days at a time) and then an alaska bush pilot (also gone 14-16 days at a time) I have a great wife and fantastic children, I have the full support of my father(a Bishop) and My Father-in-law who is also MY Bishop. I have to run now as I am flying tonight but I'll be home in time to teach Sunday School tomorrow! I am more than willing to answer any questions you have so feel free to PM me here or email me at paddlenewty at gmaildotcom And for the rest of you feel free to fire away with any questions about mormons. I only have one wife and 2 kids and I don't plan on any more wives and maybe one more kid :)
 
I'm LDS.

At my last airline I could hold weekends off.

Now at my current airline I am home every night, and also currently bid (and hold) weekends off.


The 10% thing is required to be in good standing.
 
I flew with quite a few LDS members and even a bishop when I was based in SLC.
 
seaav8tor said:
31 years ago I was advised by the wife of a Pan Am Capt that an airline pilot career is not a good choice if you want a family. I blew the advice off. Today I know that sentence as the most profound statement ever made concerning a pilot career.:(
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+eleventy billion!
 
I know a lot of guys who have done really well with families after getting into the airline business.

It just all "depends", but I know a lot of guys on their first wife, house chock-full-o-kids and seem happy in the airline business.

BUT!

Wife curls up in the fetal position if you're out of the house for more than a day? FAIL.

YOU curl up in the fetal position if you're away from home for a few days? FAIL.

Either of you two are intensely jealous of one another? FAIL.

On the sunday thing...

I figure it's like this. Being required to be in church on a sunday is terribly unrealistic in modern day America (in my opinion only). Primarily because if you're in church, and a doctor, and you get paged about one of your patients goes "code blue" you're going to work. And if I'm that "code blue" patient and my doc blows me off because he's in service a few blocks away, I'll probably spend an eternity haunting the guy if I don't make it! :)

Besides, who is to say that you might not be conducting a "lifeguard" flight that day? Or helping reunite a soldier with his family after a tour in Iraq? Or flying a planeload full of refugees to a new life in the US?

I'm sure the big guy would understand, your pastor may not, but it's not his call! :)
 
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