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But, to continually be beat over the head with gloom and doom - well - again, I keep falling back to "WHY ARE YOU STILL DOING IT??"..
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I like to think of it as the voice of experience to balance out those glossy, overpriced, pilot mill ads that make it all seem like a bed of roses.
Why do I do it? That's easy! The money and time off to enjoy it with my family and friends! Flying now affords me and my family the opportunity to live in a nice quiet upscale community and private school for my little girl. As long as I remain healthy, it'll hopefully provide a nice retirement at age 60.
Will I miss the flying and 2am wake-up calls? The all nighters to the East or West coast and back? The constant battles with crew scheduling, maintenance, contingency, dispatch, catering, hotel clerks, FAA, TSA, ATC and being up for 24+ hrs on the back side of the clock while trying to shoot an ILS to mins? Will I miss all that? Not for a second!
For the most part, the journey and the people I have met along the way have been the most rewarding part of my career. I wouldn't trade that for anything. The actual flying part is a distant second. When I was coming up through the ranks, older guys would tell me the same thing yet I didn't comprehend what they were telling me. It was all about the airplane to me. Now I understand where they were coming from and what's really most important.
What I hear most on this board and others are the newbies and wannabes (for lack of better terms) talking about just the physical part of flying the airplane and how cool that must be strapping into that jet. Nothing wrong with that and I was the same way in the beginning. The problem is that I back then, and they now, just focused on that part at the exclusion of every other aspect of the job.
Not to sound too presumptuous but there's much more to getting a big jet off the ground then just pulling back on the stick. That's the easy part. Right now, you're probably focused 95% on just the physical part of flying the airplane and 5% on other factors. That is, no doubt, the fun part and what drives most of us to pursue this career. Unfortunately, at my level of the game, it's more like 5% on just flying the airplane and 95% spent on logistical, legal, managerial and interpersonal problem solving issues before, during after getting to the airplane.
My brother is a doctor. It's not like the Marcus Welby tv series. He spends most of his time dealing with HMO's, insurance companies, legal dept and office politics rather than actually practicing medicine. That's not the same picture he painted while still in med school with talk of filling his day simply just healing the sick and injured without any glorious thoughts of making big money. It was the work that counted.
My brother told me many years ago while on a ski trip that he came upon a person who had fallen off their snow skies and twisted or broke an ankle. Being a newly minted doctor my brother stopped to see if he could offer any kind of assistance. After he introduced himself the guy's friend, standing near by, said something to the effect of, "I hope you have good mal-practice insurance if you hurt him more than he already is.." While this was said in jest, my brother said he realized right then and there that he had to be very careful about offering and medical assistance to someone. In effect, he had to worry and base his decisions on legal issue above medical ones (CYA!). He had to start worrying about other factors other than just practicing medicine. It's unfortunate because my brother is a very gifted physician and got into that field for all the right reasons. I've seen his attitude change over the years.
Nothing wrong with pursuing your dreams. Just be very careful what you wish for..
BTW, Doug...if I ever make it to PHX. I'll take you up on that drink..I'll buy.
