The future of pilot jobs

J

JoshH

New Member
Hello all,
I'm sorry if this has already been discussed or this is in the wrong forum. After reading several articles and seeing how the US economy is sliding down, do you still think this is a good time to get into aviation?

I'm 29 and have seriousely been considering getting my loan together and head off to flight school. I'm not sure if I want to go the airline route since that is just one path that you can take if your a pilot, however if the oppurtunity arose I would be glad to start flying regionals and work my way towards the major's.

All I've read in the last year in aviation magazines is how this is the time to be a pilot because of the pilot shortage and this and that, which threw fuel onto my fire of wanting to become a pilot. However, after considering this latest fuel/oil price crisis and the overall condition of the US economy, is this still a good time to get into aviation?

I don't want to spend upwards of 50K on flight school and then be stuck scratching my head afterwards watching the airlines laying off people.

So what do you guys opinions?
 
Welcome to JC...

You'll find that the industry is very cyclical, hard to predict, and a complete crap-shoot. However if aviation is the industry that you do want to get into, start training and get your hours up, be ready to make the move when its your turn... and while you are doing all this, have fun, because if you don't its not worth it.
 
Milesar said:
Welcome to JC...

You'll find that the industry is very cyclical, hard to predict, and a complete crap-shoot. However if aviation is the industry that you do want to get into, start training and get your hours up, be ready to make the move when its your turn... and while you are doing all this, have fun, because if you don't its not worth it.
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:yeahthat: Exactly. By the time you have built up your hours and are ready to apply for a job it could be a whole different game...good or bad. And Welcome!
 
I am thinking that hopefully the pilot shortage might help me out through my aviation career once they find a feasible reason to offset oil prices.
 
There is no pilot shortage. There are damn near 3000 pilots on the street, soon to be more.

Don't become a pilot. It's not worth the investment. Fly for fun on the side.
 
Follow your heart. If aviation is where you want to be, pursue it. If being a pilot is where you want your home to be in aviation, do it. Just know what to expect (cycles of good and bad). The worst thing you can do to yourself is be 60 years old and wish you done something. After all, if things do not work out as a pilot, you can always go back to your previous career. It's great to have options!


Oh, and I'll play devil's advocate here since I hear too many people tell people not to follow thier dreams...

Good luck at becoming a pilot because the industry is falling apart.

Better not be a Mortgage broker because that industry is tanked.

Real Estate Sales, forget about it.

Want to be a singer or actor, good luck.. so how is that server job coming?

Want to be a be an auto mechanic since you love cars, are you crazy?

There is a shortage of teachers, oh wait, they don't make enough money either.

Oh wait, you can be an engineer as they make a lot... but where are those jobs going since it seems there are less and less as of late.

Go into IT. You'll love computers. Oh, and if you don't love them. I'm sure you will once you make $100k a year. But then, with globalization, are you sure this is the right future.

Wait! I have the answer. Be a mortician ! Every has to pay a visit to this person eventually. No way out of that one. So enjoy your new career. Hope you have a passion for zombies :nana2:


Okay, devi'ls advocate done. Pursue your dreams... see you in the sky

PS - in life no one is guarenteed a job whether you are a pilot or an accountant. The only guarentee you have is that if you do not follow your dreams you may not have a smile on your face when you see the mortician... funny, that job come up again. Maybe I need to change my career since those oil prices are just going to destroy the whole life I been trying to build as a pilot...lol. :panic:
 
The only person who can answer this question is you.

There are many people who can give you a glimpse into what being a pilot is like. Chris_Ford has a list in his Sig of the more experienced pilots on this board. There are also many current regional FO's who can tell you what it is like the first few years.

My take on this, as a person who is currently earning his ratings towards being a pilot, is this. There are many different jobs in aviation besides flying for a regional. Do not make your decision based on a few comments by current or aspiring regional pilot. It is only one piece of the pie.

No career path is easy and no career is all glamor and glitz. Yes, the pilot profession is much more cyclical than other professions, that is not really debatable. However, if flying is something you love and makes you happy I say go for it.

But, one thing that has been beat into my head by everyone from the most disgruntled pilot to the happiest pilot is, do not do it for the money.
 
Thank you all for your responses (and your welcomes!) I've been a lurker here for a while but today was my first post.

I love flying. Ever since my first flight when I was about 8 in a Cessna 172 I was hooked. I loved the feeling when that little plane lifted off the runway and I got my first real feeling of flight, the feeling of bumping around up in the air, the more turbulance there was the more I smiled! I took some lessons when I was younger and I had complete confidence in myself when I was flying. My instructor said I was a natural and just being up their flying the plane came natural to me.

Thanks again, I've always been the type of person to think about decisions for a looooooooong time and this will probably be no different being there a lot of money at stake.
 
CF there is a pilot shortage, though not in the US currently. In the next 5 to 10 years the majors will be kicking and screaming for pilots and the baby boomers retire. There's going to be a MAJOR shortage in that time period. Management knows this and doesn't know what to do. I know from first hand airline sources that airline paid ab-initio training is seriously being considered. Eagle is already paying for RJ courses. The majors will have it bad enough, the regionals will be a COMPLETE mess for pilots.
 
I disagree. There is no, and there never was, a pilot shortage.

When you have people willing to take out HUGE loans for a job that pays 20K to start, a very uncertain future, and a QOL that rivals that of convicts, there is no shortage.

There is a shortage of good jobs in this profession.
 
TexasFlyer said:
Follow your heart. If aviation is where you want to be, pursue it. If being a pilot is where you want your home to be in aviation, do it. Just know what to expect (cycles of good and bad). The worst thing you can do to yourself is be 60 years old and wish you done something. After all, if things do not work out as a pilot, you can always go back to your previous career. It's great to have options!


Oh, and I'll play devil's advocate here since I hear too many people tell people not to follow thier dreams...

Good luck at becoming a pilot because the industry is falling apart.

Better not be a Mortgage broker because that industry is tanked.

Real Estate Sales, forget about it.

Want to be a singer or actor, good luck.. so how is that server job coming?

Want to be a be an auto mechanic since you love cars, are you crazy?

There is a shortage of teachers, oh wait, they don't make enough money either.

Oh wait, you can be an engineer as they make a lot... but where are those jobs going since it seems there are less and less as of late.

Go into IT. You'll love computers. Oh, and if you don't love them. I'm sure you will once you make $100k a year. But then, with globalization, are you sure this is the right future.

Wait! I have the answer. Be a mortician ! Every has to pay a visit to this person eventually. No way out of that one. So enjoy your new career. Hope you have a passion for zombies :nana2:


Okay, devi'ls advocate done. Pursue your dreams... see you in the sky

PS - in life no one is guarenteed a job whether you are a pilot or an accountant. The only guarentee you have is that if you do not follow your dreams you may not have a smile on your face when you see the mortician... funny, that job come up again. Maybe I need to change my career since those oil prices are just going to destroy the whole life I been trying to build as a pilot...lol. :panic:
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Great post. I am going to have save this one. :nana2:
 
It seems whenever they start complaining about a pilot shortage, they mean a shortage of 50,000 hr shuttle astronauts willing to work for peanuts.
 
There is no pilot shortage, you'll never get a job because someone better than you already has your job and they just got furloughed.

The pay sucks.

The job sucks.

The hours suck.

The equipment sucks.

The people suck.

The Management sucks.

The Union sucks.

Its too expensive to fly.

Its too difficult to learn.

The sky is falling.

et cetera...

Earn your private license and decide for yourself if you want to move on. There are plenty of nay sayers out there that will try and tell you just how bad things are and that you don't have a snowballs chance in making it. The thing is, no matter their opinions and motivations they don't know whats best for you. I'll tell you this and take it as you will. Every second I'm blasting along at FL250 I take a look outside my "office" window and can't believe they pay me for this. If life were easy it wouldn't be any fun.
 
esa17 said:
....

The people suck.

....
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I disagree, I've met some of the best people in this industry and one of the reasons that keep me in the air is the community that surrounds it.
(however there are those few, but in anything there will be)
 
surreal1221 said:
:yeahthat:
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TFaudree_ERAU said:
:yeahthat:
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banana_hitit.gif
 
To be honest, I wouldn't take out a loan to get your PPL. I'd do a pay as you go, or save up and pay a chunk in to an account at the FBO (do they still do that?). That way, if at any time you don't love it, you can quit. Or you can get your PPL, and discover you don't wanna do it for a living (which can be the case), you won't be saddled with debt.

Best of luck in your endeavors.
 
Milesar said:
I disagree, I've met some of the best people in this industry and one of the reasons that keep me in the air is the community that surrounds it.
(however there are those few, but in anything there will be)
Click to expand...
I guess next time I'll include the :sarcasm:. I thought it was thick enough.
 
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