Mr_Creepy
Well-Known Member
I was asked this once ....
[ QUOTE ]
"Tell me why I should stay out of aviation"
[/ QUOTE ]
That isn't a blanket statement.
Obviously a professional aviation career is the right way for some people!
I am disappointed at these large flight schools, mostly in Florida, that pump up the dream of being "an airline pilot." They make it sound prestigious and financialy rewarding.
The truth is that the first five years of my airline career nearly bankrupted me. I started as an FO for Eagle in Jan 1995. It wasn't until the year 2000 that I actually started paying off credit cards.
As for prestige, yeah well how much prestige does a bus driver have? Prestige is overrated.
Today's newbie pilot can no longer count on that six figure income at the end of the rainbow. If you can be happy making 60-70k as a regional jet captain in 6 or 7 years then I say go for it.
The downside, however, is huge.
1) You literally have no private life. You are under a microscope constantly. Don't have a beer at a social gathering without expecting to hear a bunch of "drunk pilot" jokes. Don't get any speeding tickets or your present job is your last one.
2) You are a slave. All the union contracts do their best to guarantee some time off but in reality you can't plan anything long term. You bid your schedule month to month and the schedules are sometimes good, sometimes bad. My vacation was cancelled 4 years in a row due to "staff shortages" even when we were furloughing! Don't forget that contracts go out the window when the "company is having financial difficulties."
3) You get treated poorly. Everyone tries to tell you what to do. ATC, Crew Scheduling, Dispatch, Flight Attendants, and even Rampers are all taught about "CRM" and they think it means they get to tell the pilots what to do. Most of the time it's funny but once in a while ....
4) You don't get home much. In spite of the belief that pilots only "work half the month" you spend most of your time commuting. Some guys try moving to the base and then whaddya know, the base closes or realigns and they go somewhere else. Commuting has gotten harder now that the actual jumpseat has been taken away. That was a good safety net there, as it was only for pilots.
5) You are hated by all. The lefties hate you because they think you are a "rich, spoiled pilot." The righties think you are a "union liberal." You can't win this one
Now if you can put up with this the job isn't too bad. There are times it gets stressful but the stress ends (usually) on landing. You don't have to do too much homework except when training for a new aircraft or seat.
That one guy said I was a "motivational speaker" (images of Chris Farley as "Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker" leap to mind here) but that's not entirely true. I prefer Inspirational. Inspiration is a word that means "Truth from God" (Insert your deity as suits you.)
So call me a truth speaker. That's my goal. Obviously I fall short. That is human.
Thanks for listening
P.S. Thanks Doug and 727 for the illuminating and supporting words. "rubber dog poopy" LOL!
[ QUOTE ]
"Tell me why I should stay out of aviation"
[/ QUOTE ]
That isn't a blanket statement.
Obviously a professional aviation career is the right way for some people!
I am disappointed at these large flight schools, mostly in Florida, that pump up the dream of being "an airline pilot." They make it sound prestigious and financialy rewarding.
The truth is that the first five years of my airline career nearly bankrupted me. I started as an FO for Eagle in Jan 1995. It wasn't until the year 2000 that I actually started paying off credit cards.
As for prestige, yeah well how much prestige does a bus driver have? Prestige is overrated.
Today's newbie pilot can no longer count on that six figure income at the end of the rainbow. If you can be happy making 60-70k as a regional jet captain in 6 or 7 years then I say go for it.
The downside, however, is huge.
1) You literally have no private life. You are under a microscope constantly. Don't have a beer at a social gathering without expecting to hear a bunch of "drunk pilot" jokes. Don't get any speeding tickets or your present job is your last one.
2) You are a slave. All the union contracts do their best to guarantee some time off but in reality you can't plan anything long term. You bid your schedule month to month and the schedules are sometimes good, sometimes bad. My vacation was cancelled 4 years in a row due to "staff shortages" even when we were furloughing! Don't forget that contracts go out the window when the "company is having financial difficulties."
3) You get treated poorly. Everyone tries to tell you what to do. ATC, Crew Scheduling, Dispatch, Flight Attendants, and even Rampers are all taught about "CRM" and they think it means they get to tell the pilots what to do. Most of the time it's funny but once in a while ....
4) You don't get home much. In spite of the belief that pilots only "work half the month" you spend most of your time commuting. Some guys try moving to the base and then whaddya know, the base closes or realigns and they go somewhere else. Commuting has gotten harder now that the actual jumpseat has been taken away. That was a good safety net there, as it was only for pilots.
5) You are hated by all. The lefties hate you because they think you are a "rich, spoiled pilot." The righties think you are a "union liberal." You can't win this one
Now if you can put up with this the job isn't too bad. There are times it gets stressful but the stress ends (usually) on landing. You don't have to do too much homework except when training for a new aircraft or seat.
That one guy said I was a "motivational speaker" (images of Chris Farley as "Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker" leap to mind here) but that's not entirely true. I prefer Inspirational. Inspiration is a word that means "Truth from God" (Insert your deity as suits you.)
So call me a truth speaker. That's my goal. Obviously I fall short. That is human.
Thanks for listening
P.S. Thanks Doug and 727 for the illuminating and supporting words. "rubber dog poopy" LOL!
