opinion: 6 figure desk to 5 figure airplane

  • Thread starter DrKennethNoisewater
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Do you want to be an airline pilot, or do you need to be an airline pilot? It sounds like you think you might like it for reasons you stated, but it's not a burning desire to fly 121 that's fueling your interest. If that is the case, I wouldn't recommend you give up such a great gig by pay/QOL standards to start all over in a field where you may quite possibly never get back that pay/QOL.

Now if you DO really want to do it, is there a way to do both since you set your own hours and work from home? I'm sure you'd be pressed on time during the initial hiring/training, but once you're off IOE and out on the road there would be no shortage of time sitting around hotels and eventually decent time off depending on what happens at said company. Otherwise, if you hate airline flying, how easy would it be to get back into your current gig? Making that kind of money, the financial hit to go to an airline wouldn't be too terrible if you can easily leave and go back to your old life should you hate it. But again, if you don't NEED to be an airline pilot to feel fulfilled, don't do it.

This coming from someone who is still working on their ratings but is working on a potentially lucrative non-aviation gig with the plan of flying for the airlines at least for a bit despite any success I my develop in the other field because, well, I just have to.
 
I made the reverse move- I left a 121 carrier to work for my family business. I'm currently where you're at for income and age (+ a few years), but I don't work from home and the hours are pretty long, 50-60 hours per week. That being said, I cycled through two 121 carriers (one bankruptcy), two 135 companies, a corporate 91 operator, two flight schools, a job flying traffic watch and a divorce in 8 years. I was tired of the lack of job security and the inability to plan for the future career-wise so I got out.

I love my new career, it's challenging and there are always areas to grow and improve. I love the feeling of producing something tangible with my time by running an organization that gives people the means to take care of their families if that makes any sense. I was able to purchase a P210 in order to stay close to my daughter who lives with her mom out of state so that's about as much flying as I'm interested in doing any more. The grass is always greener and I could go back to the airlines, but every time I think about the pay cut I throw up a little in my mouth.
 
Tld said:
It's obvious that you have put a lot of thought into your post and that you're really wrestling with thoughts about career contentment, financial stability, and how to balance it all while being deeply fulfilled. You seem to have a good grasp on the realities of this career, as well as a decent amount of self awareness. It's commendable that you approach this so analytically. This community of people and pilots is a fantastic place to bounce all of this off of.

As I made the transition from one (more lucrative) career to this one (I'm a regional FO in my 30s), I can tell you the greatest thing that I've learned: Contentment is a choice. Every career field has those who find boredom and malaise in what they do. Conversely, every career field has those who find joy and fulfillment, even in the seemingly terrible jobs. Granted, it is much easier to find job satisfaction when your work is in line with your personal values. The are many things I love about my career, but like you, I do not value mediocrity and this career continually offers me the opportunity for self-improvement. (Perhaps this is why flying attracts many malcontents, but that's not important right now.)

I work with people every week who hate this, and those who love it. I make less than 1/3 of what you make. I am the happiest I have ever been, because I choose to be. I approach my job and each day with gratitude for the things and opportunities that I have. I'm grateful for all that I get to see and do, (even on the small town, nothing-to-do, overnights.) I am thankful that I have a career that serves to my personal strengths but more importantly, one where I can serve others (if only in some small way.) I believe there is purpose in what I do, even on the days when it all falls apart and we are ground stopped at ORD in a snowstorm. I'm not ignorant to the fact that there is some really crappy stuff about this job. But when it comes down to it, I choose to be happy. It really is that easy.

Bottom line: what do you want to do? What do you think you should do? And what consequences can you live with? Find and pursue whatever makes it easiest for you to be happy, whatever that may mean to you. Good luck and keep us posted.
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Post of the week.

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(Yes that's Morrissey, but I couldn't find one more appropriate. "Ouija Boooooooard…")
 
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ATN_Pilot said:
Smother those voices with a pillow.
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Man, I hear you. I really do. Even as I realize it is smarter to stay on the path that I am currently on, a day doesn't go by where I'm not wondering what it would be like. Been that way as long as I can remember and not sure it will ever go away.
 
There's nothing I could add to Tld's fantastic post, so I won't even try.

I was your age when I left engineering to jump into professional aviation full time. I still really enjoy it (almost 8 years since I made the switch!), and it seems to be something that I'm good at. I certainly haven't had as much luck/good timing as others in this career, but I've also had it WAY better than a lot of folks too.

That said, I'm always happy to get home at the end of a trip, and more than anything else I love that I have at least half the month off, with absolutely zero concerns about work/bosses/deadlines, etc. Those that have never worked outside aviation don't understand how rare that is these days.

Aviation is a very strange industry, and quite honestly it's not just a job, it's a lifestyle. Some hate it, some love it. You probably already know which side you'd fall under...
 
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I just flew with a miserable M effer. Maybe he just isn't into it anymore, but he sure wasn't a happy individual. I bet he would be miserable at any job though.
 
AA34 said:
Man, I hear you. I really do. Even as I realize it is smarter to stay on the path that I am currently on, a day doesn't go by where I'm not wondering what it would be like. Been that way as long as I can remember and not sure it will ever go away.
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It won't. I've got many thousands of hours, and I still look up when an airplane flies overhead. But you know what I always remind myself of? I remind myself of spending Christmas in Branson, MO, or Thanksgiving in Rochester, NY with a crappy crew, eating cold turkey and stuffing, instead of sitting at home or at my family's place. That's a good jolt to remind me of why it's better to be down here looking up at the plane flying overhead instead of being in the tiny room at the front of it watching the ground slip by underneath for the 8,000th time while trying to stay awake.
 
Guys (and gals?), great responses. I really appreciate the time some of you have taken in your replies.

As a kid I dreamed of being a fighter pilot. Not because I wanted to be going mach 2 with my hair on fire, but because I hold myself to a very high standard, one that is not normally found in todays workplace. I wanted to use my skills in that specific environment, with a brotherhood, with people that have my back no matter what, but it wasn't in the cards (I admit money plays a part in civilian positions).

I'm a little over 1000 hours now. I've flown jumpers, Young Eagles, etc. Never got my CFI as it wasn't necessary for my goals and options at the time. I've researched the career options extensively, cross-referenced sources, and feel like I have a good grasp of what I could expect over the course of my potential aviation careers. I don't NEED to fly airplanes. In fact, I never wanted to be an airline pilot growing up, I thought it'd be boring. After taking a chance flight in a small airplane later in life it lit a fire inside me - it seemed like the most probable career path relative to any other high performance driving job I might be capable of doing.

I haven't really come to any decisions since the last post - just trying to decide my next move. Some changes have occured in my life recently that leave me unchained (I have no children). I'm sure I could work something out that allows me to do my current job while checking out the airlines. I could go anywhere in the country right now and still work, and have been considering a cross country tour to try to find some inspiration.

The coolest part about the airlines for me is the responsibilities. You fly the airplane, keep things safe, and go home and forget about it. I like the relative anonymity, flexibility in scheduling (with seniority), and variety in crews. Travel benefits are cool, but I'd want to be traveling with family. I'm not trying to downplay what you do; honestly, I feel like pilots don't give themselves enough credit sometimes.

@Tld , I'm just now starting to realize something you've mentioned - "contentment is a choice." If anyone told me that before I had this realization it would have never registered, unfortunately I seem to have to learn things the hard way. Over the last 6 years I've been delving into options on where to go because I was unhappy with my current path, and that process has been destructive. Now I realize I was focused on the wrong things. Do you think you'd be content in your old (more lucrative) career if you had the mindset of "contentment is a choice," or did you have that mindset at prior to entering the airlines?

@Mark815 , I actually have a spreadsheet where I've ran the numbers. Being optimistic, if I spent 4 years at a regional and the rest at a legacy, with 10 years as a legacy FO, I'd be down a half million vs my current career (assuming I make it to 65). I'd be down about 2.3 million if my career path had a furlough and follwed a trajectory closer to what seemed average for the early 2000 timeframe. I'd spend about 1100 hours (45 days) per year more away from home in the airlines if I worked 2 4-day and 2 3-day trips per month, living in base - this includes commuting to/from work in both jobs, and figures airline rates at the hourly guarantee. Of course this will all even out after I win the lottery.

I value my family above all else and am grateful for the flexability I have and being able to be there for them at a moments notice. I've spent so much time and effort getting to this point (both flying and my current job) that it's hard to drop it, and everytime I see airplanes arriving/departing I want to be the one driving. To be in command of something that has such an impact on our society is definitely appealing. I know what they say about not wanting to regret not doing it later, but life is finite, and you can't do everything. When I consider my skillset I feel like my life could be spent doing something more impactful. Sometimes it feels like I'm making excuses not to.

Everyone has a marketable skill if marketed right.
 
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ATN_Pilot said:
It won't. I've got many thousands of hours, and I still look up when an airplane flies overhead. But you know what I always remind myself of? I remind myself of spending Christmas in Branson, MO, or Thanksgiving in Rochester, NY with a crappy crew, eating cold turkey and stuffing, instead of sitting at home or at my family's place. That's a good jolt to remind me of why it's better to be down here looking up at the plane flying overhead instead of being in the tiny room at the front of it watching the ground slip by underneath for the 8,000th time while trying to stay awake.
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I really don't understand why you continue to fly airplanes. Being 100% serious here.
 
Work to live, don't live to work. And the grass isn't always greener everywhere other than where you are.

I too wanted to fly for the military since I was a kid. Climbed that mountain with a hard start at the bottom due to there being no slots available just post Desert Storm, managed to fanagle one after 5 tries. Finished high enough to choose or qualify well for the necessary forks in the road needed to get to my goal, and made it to the top of the mountain after years of work, timing and luck.........only to find out that there really isn't a damn thing up there. That it really is just a job at the end of the day, because big blue didn't care one whit about your desire to fly or even be a good combat pilot; that's not their focus. And since you work for them, they make sure to instill in you that its not to be your focus either.

Now that flying is a secondary part of my responsibility in my primary employment, and with doing other things that interest me too work-wise, I'm not chained to one thing, and that kind of freedom is pretty good to have.
 
I'll try to keep this brief as I'm boarding a plane (it's 145am local time here) to commute to DFW (this is one of the less desirable parts of the job.) To answer the OPs question, yes. I believe I could now find happiness and deep fulfillment in my former line of work, but the internal struggle would be much more challenging as the job did not speak to my strengths, I was less mature, and I was extremely hard headed. This job rewards me in ways that I value. The last career did not as much, or I couldn't see it then. I always liked the idea that happiness was a choice, but I never realized that you had to put it into practice to see it work until the last several years.

Realizing that happiness is a choice and a practice is life changing. The process of the career change was metamorphic for me, but I know I would have found contentment eventually. I can't say that leaving a lucrative career is the way to go, financial security is a big part of being able to sleep well at night. But defining the other things that bring you fulfillment will help in this process. You wrote about the dynamic airport environment. As a passenger, I too loved it, and still do. Now that I spend a lot more time in airports I realize that while many of us are drawn to the dynamic people-moving environment, what I'm drawn to more is how much that environment connects us with one another as humans.... And that makes me happy.

I'm not completely all peace and love and hippy BS, I certainly have my days. It takes drive, some hard headedness and a thick skin to even begin this process. Somedays looking for the good in the job is tougher than others.... But it is a choice to do so. And it will change your life to do so actively. Hopefully you can find a way to marry what you do now with what you would like to do. It's a lot to think about, but you seem like a smart guy and have a good grasp of this career. Good luck in whatever decision you make.
 
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