Considering leaving the profession for good, could use advice
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jhugz
Well-Known Member
I’m not one for man-crushes but I’m kinda man-crushing!)
Take it easy big guy…otherwise I’m gonna go start a GoJet thread for old times sake.
It’s all perspective. If you live in base, personally, it looks great. If not, it’s pretty challenging.
One thing I didn’t mention about my schedule is the fact that 0% of my trips are commutable so for every block of days I start, I’m leaving the house a day before about 1400 to get to Detroit to be rested. My trip in on now is a six day, non-commutable on either end, $164/base stay because I’m bougjie and stay at the Westin at the airport, so I’m down $328 for this trip alone.
I go home tomorrow for a night and then head to Atlanta, over the Fourth of July, in order to be in the simulator the morning of the 5th. The I have a few days off before commuting back to Detroit to do a theee-day PVG with a OE pilot so my days off are reviewing and learning about the pilot so I’m able to custom tailor my approach to bringing him through OE. Even now, I had dinner, going to head back to the hotel to paperwork and first flight evaluations for my last OE pilot, off the clock, and have to flip my circadian rhythm over again, somehow get to bed in order to launch on a domestic leg tomorrow.
I’m not complaining. This is the reality of the business even in a top-rung job. Mid-seniority widebody captain.
But I love it and wouldn’t do anything else.
26 years in, I miss holidays, some weekends (which I can give less of a poop about), some birthdays, most events and most of my friendships are “remote”.
When it comes to sacrifice and a super healthy way to prioritize friends, family and even children, I heavily suggest having a chat with @ozziecat35. He had me rolling in laughter, amazed, impressed and full of respect for his work/life/family/friends/children balance.
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Take it easy big guy…otherwise I’m gonna go start a GoJet thread for old times sake.
I still can’t believe your kid is 10. It’s actually been that long. Hot dang, where does the time go?
Rosstafari
Likes tacos
Once more for emphasis.
My oldest is 13. I’ve been on screwy schedules for my kids’ entire lives. We celebrate holidays and birthdays when we want. Go to theme parks and events on off days and don’t have to wait in lines. Connect over online games and FaceTime when I’m away.
Last night I won a round of Fortnite with one and drew an elaborate series about a talking pickle with another, all from room 8036. Tonight I’ve headed home and we’ll go for round two in person.
It’s what you do with the time you’ve got that matters. They notice *that* far more than anything else.
Autothrust Blue
Welcome aboard the Washington State Ferries
It's a hell of a lot easier now than it was in the 1990s.
I remember copies of rotations being all over the place with hotel information so we could phone when we thought Dad would be there (ATL says "ha! that's what YEW think! here's yer' REROUTE and enjoy the literal truck stop in CVG instead!"). Pagers and cell phones were great innovations, though.
In aggregate and looking back at it...I think I had more time with my father than my elementary school classmates in Burien (those who weren't the children of DAL/WAL or Alaska pilots/FAs had parents that were either Boeing engineers or machinists, and all the tech bros lived up Bellevue way instead...ah, the 1990s PNW) but that time was less predictable and more concentrated. I will say this job is a part of why I don't want children, but it's pretty far down the list of reasons why I don't want children too.
CFIT99
I'm probably commenting ironically...
Hang in there…demand is absolutely crazy …problem is planes can’t get delivered
AA was suppose to have 26 planes delivered by May (21 Max’s and 5 787’s)….only 2 Max’s have been delivered
Between the big 4…over the next 18 months, 400+ aircraft are suppose to be delivered …:not sure if even 10% get delivered
arkflyr
Well-Known Member
Absolutely without a doubt things are better these days. My dad was at the commuters in the 80s, a bunch of bankrupt airlines in the early 90s then WN.
The hardest I remember were the Morris years, commuting from MCI to SLC the only nonstops were DL and back then they didn’t take offline jumpseaters. So it was SW to Vegas then up to Salt Lake. And then sit on reserve for five days at a time.
I don’t remember much of his commuter years as I was too young but I do know we didn’t miss much, and always made the important stuff like holidays and birthdays work.
I also remember like you just having parings with hotel numbers on them if we ever needed to reach him on the road.
Autothrust Blue
Welcome aboard the Washington State Ferries
Yeah. Like, we're still gonna be doing record numbers at Southernjets International and Domestic if the plan remains as it is.
roundout
VNAV monitor
Tips cap in 73N
Kingairer
'Tiger Team' Member
I think Disney movies screwed us up. I cant put my finger on which movie or show, but how many of them have a kid whose dad doesnt show up to the game, AGAIN! Little Johnny hits that HR and trots around 3rd base and daddy aint there! Flash to a scene with Dad work a stock deal with a Zack Morris Era Cell phone to busy to mess with Johnny, Wife is ticked, johnny crying...
Sometimes, the Indian has to leave the tent to kill the buffalo and feed the family. The only Holiday I worry myself with is Xmas for their sake, but theyre at the age now they really wouldnt be bothered to much.
Sometimes, the Indian has to leave the tent to kill the buffalo and feed the family. The only Holiday I worry myself with is Xmas for their sake, but theyre at the age now they really wouldnt be bothered to much.
CoffeeIcePapers
Well-Hung Member
Liar Liar, Jingle All The Way, The Santa Clause, Mrs Doubtfire. More of a 90s trope than Disney trope. The classic Disney trope is that one or both of the parents die within the first 10 minutes.
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Kingairer
'Tiger Team' Member
YES! the '90s, the age when people writing those shows and movies, probably had more realistic scars from deadbeat dads or workaholic dads. I think if "you" are concerned enough to be asking those type of questions, it probably isnt an issue. In fact, I see some baseball kids who could use a break or two from their parents being at every game, practice, and hovering/coaching every play.
FlyChicaga
Vintage Restoration
I find my kids are less concerned about how much time we have together, but what we do with the time we do have. I know a lot of parents who work all day, then get home and plop down in front of the TV and ignore their kids until bedtime. They’re home every night, but they’re not “there.”
BEEF SUPREME
Well-Known Member
Wild.
We are getting 12-15 this year and we’re supposed to get 26.
it’s weird how aircraft delivery works.
Screaming_Emu
Joe Conventional
This. I don’t know how people deal with having “normal” jobs. Being gone as much as we are sucks, but being able to devote a whole ass day to something or someone isn’t something I could trade.
Do you know what’s funny, is that my sister in law was one of the ‘weekends off’, work only until 1700 so she could shuttle her kids from activity to activity and always be there.
So the son took drum lessons, was in band, had private tutors for the drums, karate, private tutor for karate, all this stuff. Gets out of high school and says, “I hated karate and the drums but I never had a chance to figure out what I wanted to do because I was always too busy doing karate, drums and having to keep up with the activities schedule of practices, performances and tutoring”.
Bob Ridpath
Pit Bull love
My two boys were baseball players only town Little League thru high school for one and thru 8th grade for the other. Rest of the time set aside for those other activities was generally spent doing outdoors stuff in our very rural town. Seemed to work out OK, at least for us.
My only organized activity was band, but it was a pretty low time commitment. Most of the rest of the time I was on my own, riding bikes or hacking away on a computer or video game. I’m glad my parents weren’t hovering over me 24/7, especially on the weekends because I was able to explore who I was as an individual.
But then, of course, a lot of us are “Generation X” so we were largely feral. We didn’t want our parents driving us to school, making us lunches, screaming from the bleachers or standing in the middle of the auditorium with a camcorder recording the moment your saxophone’s reed broke and your chirped your way through a movement.