Get there as fast as you can or enjoy the ride (and risk ending up behind the curve)?

[sorrygottarunway]

In this conversation, I feel like you're the guy on your death bed and everyone else is still 30. Perspective is interesting.

You want to talk perspective... just spoke to a new hire here at southernjets that is so stoked to be A320 at age 27, wouldn't know what he'd have done if he had been hired after 30 "with less than 35 years to build seniority"

Kids these days

 

[Autothrust Blue]

Well, I like my space based airlines a bit slower, and you can take your garden with you:

https://goo.gl/images/tKoazO

https://goo.gl/images/PWjhyh

If that's too fast, I can set you up in a FedEx space container modded into a breaching pod...

Richman

Gotta go steal an MCRN corvette.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

Troof! Should have put in that caveat. The best you can do is put yourself in the position to be lucky.

I've found the larger planes to be more enjoyable to fly... you're comfy, lots of power, plus good support staff that make it where your job is generally just being a pilot (yeah, there is crap to deal with, but compare that to a small flight department with low functioning stuff, and yeah...). The CRJ was fun to hand fly, but doing the same mission into the same airports, the little bus was much moreso fun. I didn't particularly enjoy the 737... even started doing some GA flying here and there during my stint on it... once I checked out on the bus, I found that filled in the satisfaction with flying bug again.

Can I ask why you say that, re: 737 vs Airbus?

Flying the Bus now for 5+ yrs, this is making me itch to fly a GA airplane if only to make sure I still know how to fly with a yoke. The 737 you're actually starting engines manually and doing work, using a yoke to manipulate controls, etc. I would think your statement of going GA would be the other way around?

 

[jtrain609]

You want to talk perspective... just spoke to a new hire here at southernjets that is so stoked to be A320 at age 27, wouldn't know what he'd have done if he had been hired after 30 "with less than 35 years to build seniority"

Kids these days

I turn 35 in a few months.

Still work at a regional.

Just got my 10 year ALPA pin.

I'm very happy for these kids but I don't think they have any idea how lucky they've been so far in their careers.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

You want to talk perspective... just spoke to a new hire here at southernjets that is so stoked to be A320 at age 27, wouldn't know what he'd have done if he had been hired after 30 "with less than 35 years to build seniority"

Kids these days

This is the kind of individual who will suffer poorly in the event of a furlough. Or paycuts. Or merger.

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

Hi folks,

Here is a dilemma that has been on my mind for quite some time. When I was really low hour it was not much of a dilemma because I did not have much choice anyways. (Most people won't hire anybody who has less than 500TT for a jet gig)

So I was a jump pilot and flew survey and had a blast, living in the moment. I enjoyed the scenery, became best buddies with the planes I flew, looked forward to a nice dinner and a few beers and that was it. I did not even care much about tallying the hours because I knew it would be a while yet till 1500.....

Well now I have about 1400 hours and a lot more options open up. I decided to accept a job offer with a part 135 shop and am scheduled for my first type rating in the Citation next month.

To tell you the truth---I want to buzz around the country for at least another season in an Aztec or Navajo flying survey, then I want to go fly a floatplane for another year, then maybe get on with a Charter operation in the Caribbean for another year flying turbo prop, then maybe spend a year in Alaska, then I will think about part 121 stuff like regional. Will tell you the truth, my endgame is either major, hauling cargo in 747, or getting a corporate job flying the G550. I am leaning more towards major .

But I'm afraid that moving around laterally just for fun for 3-4 years could potentially put me behind on the "power curve". The industry works in its own timing and if you don't attempt to make it in when there are opportunities, you may not make it in at all. I graduated in 2008 and knew what the industry was like then, and know it will happen again, just a matter of when.

I wish I started flying back in high school or something like that. That would have bought myself like 10 extra years to go have fun. Unfortunately that was not how things happened for me.

So what are your thoughts? Go for whatever you want and let the chips fall where they may? Sprint to the finish line? How does your career path look like?

Sadly, for better or for worse, it's a seniority system industry.

Best advice, IMO, is to get there as fast as you can - but still try to enjoy the scenery in the meantime.

 

[ChasenSFO]

A job is a job. Of course, seniority is a good thing and it is better to get there sooner than later career wise, that is more or less a fact. However, once you are there, you are there. Then what? Go to work, live life, go to work, live life...just like you would with any other job. Are doors going to close on you if you have tunnel vision and make huge sacrifices to get to a 121 flying job ASAP? Do you have a life outside of aviation? Is being an airline pilot for 35 years going to be enough to fulfill you? Will you regret rushing thru a meaningless online aviation degree to "check the box" for a major airline instead of actually taking classes, making friends, meeting girls or drowning in hot dogs, whatever floats your boat? Is getting to your end job a few years sooner worth nuking your social life and being on the go taking jobs wherever you can to get to 1500TT? If you get to the airlines, and you can't fly anymore at age 45, do you have a back up plan? Did you take the time to set up a second source of income for yourself or explore other hobbies and interests as possible means to an end? Can you rush to your 121 goal ASAP and still remain a "person" and no a "pilot and be capable of normal relationships and talking about stuff other than aviation and work with people you meet? Do you mind moving base to base or commuting on your days off to/from work rather than waiting for a job that is in your neck of the woods to pop up? Would you rather take 3 years to get to 1500TT and love every second of it or take a job that will let you do it in 12 months but hate life? Can you get on the fast track and still grow enough as a person, not a pilot, to get to the overnights and actually wan to explore and enjoy yourself instead of drinking beer and talking about flying with your crew members or spending all night on your laptop in a hotel room? Would you still love your job if that was all you did?

All things to consider that only you can answer. I'm taking my time, personally, and having a lot of fun doing it. I have seen my friends get there fast, and have adventure along the way, but they made huge personal sacrifices I would never do personally. It worked for them, it would depress me. I have far too many friends outside of aviation and other stuff going on in my life to put the majority of my focus into one of my many goals, I just kind of chip away at them and get there when I get there. BUT, and this is a big but(giggity), I do not plan on airline flying ever being my main source of income, and I do not wish to ever move for a flying job...or any job. I'm working hard to ensure that I have ways to make money and plenty of other stuff going on by the time I start flying commercially so that I can use my downtime at an airline to make more money and engage in my other hobbies. If I wanted to be an airline pilot period, with nothing else going on in my life, I'd probably take advantage of this hiring wave and take a loan and knock it out ASAP...but that isn't my plan. If it is your plan, then do it and do not look back, but make damn sure that you're OK with all of the above. You won't get back lost time, and you will never be any younger than you are right now, today, with the world as your oyster.

Whatever you do, my advice is do NOT make yourself miserable to get there. Even if you are poor, make sure you are happy and fulfilled. FBGM.

 

[learhawkerbe400]

tldr

 

[JordanD]

Go to the airlines, more money, more time off, see the world.

 

[mastermags]

If you are looking for career advice, Anything other than try to get there as quick as you can is probably bad advice. If you are looking for life advice, well, only you can really know what you want.

That being said, if I went to a financial planner and he told me he had some great investment strategies, but since I'm young he'd just recommend I blow my money on hookers and beer, I'd probably look elsewhere for advice.

 

[Urp99]

That being said, if I went to a financial planner and he told me he had some great investment strategies, but since I'm young he'd just recommend I blow my money on hookers and beer, I'd probably look elsewhere for advice.

 

[Screaming_Emu]

There's a middle road somewhere. Take it.

Having flying take over every aspect of your life is a miserable existence, but focusing all your life on "boats 'n hoes" is a great way to end up in your parent's basement while all your friends that started with you are well established in their careers, traveling the world, driving fast cars, and having more than half of each month off.

 

[JordanD]

There's a middle road somewhere. Take it.

Having flying take over every aspect of your life is a miserable existence, but focusing all your life on "boats 'n hoes" is a great way to end up in your parent's basement while all your friends that started with you are well established in their careers, traveling the world, driving fast cars, and having more than half of each month off.

And to add, talking about retirements and 401ks may sound lame when you're 25... But having to have a BS McJob way into your 50s/60s is way more lame.

 

[ppragman]

It really depends on what you value - if you value money, get your career going early and get a seniority number.

If you value experiences, then I would take a more varied route.

 

[Screaming_Emu]

It really depends on what you value - if you value money, get your career going early and get a seniority number.

If you value experiences, then I would take a more varied route.

I would argue that having a career leads to more experiences, unless you're talking about work related adventures.

 

[ASpilot2be]

There's a middle road somewhere. Take it.

Having flying take over every aspect of your life is a miserable existence, but focusing all your life on "boats 'n hoes" is a great way to end up in your parent's basement while all your friends that started with you are well established in their careers, traveling the world, driving fast cars, and having more than half of each month off.

I agree.

I have no major regrets, but I have been working my ass off for years. Its not a bad thing, but I also wish I had time to break up all the work with some fun adventures.

 

[ppragman]

I would argue that having a career leads to more experiences, unless you're talking about work related adventures.

Maybe - depends, I know a scad of people who fly in the summer then travel around the world all winter.

It depends on the kind of experiences you want too, to be fair. For me, I always wanted the adventure of flying in remote and beautiful places with a more personal relationship with my people (well not always - but after I got started this was the case).

Having adventures has always been a big part of my motivation for showing up to work - and certain types of flying have always been able to scratch that itch. Flying around from ILS to ILS never did that for me without the appropriate context. Now who knows - but trust me when I say, if there was any type of flying you ever thought you might want to do other than airline flying, do it before you can't.

 

[JordanD]

I would argue that having a career leads to more experiences, unless you're talking about work related adventures.

Agreed if it's done right. The only "delay" in my career was letting a bad relationship at the time hold me back from the jobs I really wanted. After that I moved my ass 2,000 miles away to flight instruct in Arizona, had some cool experiences teaching Asian students, made a few friends that I still talk to. Then I decided it ultimately wasn't for me, and spent a good part of the next year flying a rusty tin can across the entire country to places I'd have probably never visited or flown over if it wasn't for that job. It wasn't all sunshine and roses 24/7, but if anyone expects that out of any part of life they're flat out delusional. It was part of the "hurry up" mode, but I'd consider myself lucky since that's basically a "bucket list" item for a lot of people. And to boot probably had a lot crazier "college days" experiences in random cities than holding onto the memory of streaking down the quad for 40 years. Moved on from there flying a rare airplane for a great company doing all kinds of interesting work.

Moral of the story is, figure out what REALLY matters to you, be honest with yourself and the people around you sooner rather than later, and realize that getting there quickly can be a hell of a lot of fun if you're willing to take a leap and not be tied down. It doesn't have to mean bombing around a traffic pattern in the heat until the logbook hits 1501.

 

[Screaming_Emu]

Maybe - depends, I know a scad of people who fly in the summer then travel around the world all winter.

It depends on the kind of experiences you want too, to be fair. For me, I always wanted the adventure of flying in remote and beautiful places with a more personal relationship with my people (well not always - but after I got started this was the case).

Having adventures has always been a big part of my motivation for showing up to work - and certain types of flying have always been able to scratch that itch. Flying around from ILS to ILS never did that for me without the appropriate context. Now who knows - but trust me when I say, if there was any type of flying you ever thought you might want to do other than airline flying, do it before you can't.

I've always been on the other end of the scale. I didn't hate GA, but for me the pinnacle of aviation has always been bouncing around the globe in an airplane with a bunk and a coffee maker vs the freedom that GA gives you. Shooting an ILS to mins with a crazy crosswind in a plane bigger than my house is what gives me my jollies.

 

[ppragman]

I've always been on the other end of the scale. I didn't hate GA, but for me the pinnacle of aviation has always been bouncing around the globe in an airplane with a bunk and a coffee maker vs the freedom that GA gives you. Shooting an ILS to mins with a crazy crosswind in a plane bigger than my house is what gives me my jollies.

I get that. That's exactly how I feel about doing the same thing to a gravel runway on an island in the gulf of Alaska. My favorite has been the mix of IFR and VFR that Alaska provides and the hands on feeling of operating a machine where I feel like I am an extension of the machine rather than a systems operator - of that makes any sense at all.