Something to think about.

[Hootie]

My job flight instructing pays $25 an hour on the hobbs but with all the time that goes into it (way to competitive around here and nobody has ever even heard of charging for ground school) it comes out to $10-12 an hour. Not bad for a Wal-Mart employee with a year training and work experience. I wait tables at my local xyz chain of decent restaurants and with tips when I clock out I make about $13-15 bucks an hour (keep in mind I live in a cheaper part of the country, so make adjustments as neccesary). And I have no pressure whatsoever. I don't have to avoid students trying to kill me, or go a month without pay because nobody wanted to fly, or worry about lawyers sueing me, etc. My assistant manager at the restaurant makes 40 grand a year has no college and has worked there for 3 years. My manager (really great guy btw) makes 90 grand a year after starting as a cook ten years ago, is home every night, has guaranteed bonus and yearly raises, has maybe a two year degree, paid vacations, and will never get furloughed. I love to fly, I don't mind the sh1tty pay but I feel bad for guys with families who can't hack it on an unstable 18grand a year. Moral of the story is no matter what you do in aviation you are not overpaid and you probably could have made more money outside of aviation (unless you are an aviation litigator). Think about it before you get too-oo deep in debt.
Peace

 

[Mavmb]

Good point Hootie. Another thing that I will mention is that whatever your career is remember, "the grass is always greener on the other side." I think a lot of people sitting at desk jobs take for granted that they make more than 30000 a year without an aviation medical to lose, don't have their life threatened at work, and aren't separated from their families for weeks at a time.

There are just plus and minuses to every career. The plus to being a pilot---free travel, very prestigious, and it's fun! The negative to being a pilot--10,000 a year after a flight instructor, 20,000 for a beginning regional airline pilot, at least 50 thousand worth of training cost to get there, time away from home.

 

[triplec76]

Hey hootie, hows it hangin man?! I am really stalled out in my training right now because there is no where to teach once I get my CFI. Maybe Ames, I heard there is some teaching going on there, but no way in Ankeny. There is also Foxtrot flying club, but I dont know how they are doing in the student department. That is one thing that sucks about DSM is the number of FBO's that train students. Officially only one, but Foxtrot does have planes down in DSM. I have a buddy that moved to KC to teach and its basically the same thing down there. Must be bad just about everywhere unless you are working at a university or a place like ALLATPs. Hope you arent planning on giving up. Ive had that thought cross my mind a few times, but things are starting to turn around. Bad part is the instructing jobs will be the last to make that turn. Just hang in there man....just do what it takes in the meantime.

 

[Hootie]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey hootie, hows it hangin man?!

[/ QUOTE ]

Low and lazy

What have you been up to man? You got your commercial done now? I just flew down to IKV last week. Me and another cfi went to meet some ISU girls down at chips. Lol, my boss ALWAYS is trying to get me to go pick up some timber from the Ankeny "lumberyard" with him. Are you flying out of Todds right now? What kind of planes do they have (at what rate)? They are done selling all the good planes up here at Waverly because they are too much to insure anymore unless they are getting flown like a florida training junker. You going to school this spring? Working anywhere? We'll have to go flying sometime for sure.
Hootie